Cellphone-shaped solar charger
By Evan Blass 
posted Sep 30th 2005 12:50PM
posted Sep 30th 2005 12:50PM
We have no idea why one would want to build a
solar-powered cellphone charger
that is shaped like a cellphone (making you stand around holding two devices tethered to one another, a la the
Nintendo Revolution controller),
but when insipiration struck Roland Kleinfeld on a visit to China, he simply had to bring the Ultimate Solar Charger to
life. Compatible with about 70 models from major cellphone manufacturers, Kleinfeld's charger has drawn criticism
concerning its ability to prevent battery leakage and overheating when exposed to direct sunlight. Even so, once the
wheels of industry start cranking, it's hard to slow them down, and so the $25 Ultimate Solar Charger is available for
purchase immediately.
[Via textually.org]
A friend of mine got one of those brick sized solar chargers. It takes about 2 hours to charge a cell phone and puts out about 2 amps and that's with 6 inch solar panels. I wonder how long it takes to charge a cell phone with these 2 inch (roughly) panels.
Hmm...first the new memory stick format, then the bike-riding robot, the vacuum suit, and now this?
Is it useless/pointless gadget Friday here at engadget, or is it just me?
Pointless Friday?
Remember -- Garbage in, Garbage out. Perhaps late in the week is a poor time to do product releases. After all, something released on a Monday has an entire week of press churning to enjoy.
On the other hand, you can release a flying sandwich on a Friday and Engadget will report on it.