By Alice Hill
RealTechNews

This one is tricky to write about because a) it’s literally pouring outside and b) this time in of year in San Francisco is pretty gloomy and grey, but for those interested in using the sun to charge your phone or iPod, the Soldius1 is a nice little pocket gadget that will have you charged up and runnning in about 3 hours. (Longer if you are seeing what I am seeing out the window today.) The original version only supported phones, but the company recently added in iPod support.

Why we like it: If everyone is buying iPods and cell phones this season, why not give a different gift they can use with their new gadgetry? Lightweight and simple, I could see leaving this on the passenger seat while I drive, or poking out of a picnic basket at the beach while my sheltered cellie recharges, or in airports and countries where you’ve lost that crazy four pronged adaptor or just can’t get near an outlet. A little help from the sun may be all you need to make that one last call or check your voicemail. Beats hand-cranking or buying those disposables. $109 for the unit or $99 for th iPod-only version.

Soldius1
- Dimensions: 135×80x10mm
- Weight: 85 grams
- Internal Battery: NO
- Rated output direct sunlight: 6.58V- 320mA
- Charging time direct sunlight: 2-3 hours
- MSPT® inside
- Warranty: 2 years

More Info

As for wear and tear, as long as you don’t dunk it in your bathtub, the solar charger is good for 90,000 charges. That equals five charges a day, 365 days a year, for 49 years, the company claims. Soldius’ internal technology is called Maximum Solar Power Tracking, or MSPT, and the company is working on for laptops, cameras and other portable digital devices..

The universal solar charger kit for iPod and cell phones retails for $109.99 and comes with the solar pad, a mini USB cable, two interchangeable iPod adapters compatible with the iPod, iPod Nano, iPod Mini and iPod Shuffle, as well as five interchangeable mobile phone adapters. An iPod-only kit retails for $99.99. The cell-phone-compatible kit sells for $89.99. Source: News.com via NY Times