SolarUmbrella
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Vodafone creates a signal-boosting, solar-charging umbrella to juice your cellphone whatever the weather
Vodafone has created the Booster Brolly, an umbrella that boosts your signal, charges your handset and can even keep you dry during the traditionally aqueous British summer. Developed by Dr Kenneth Tong at University College London, it's designed around a carbon fiber skeleton which holds a heavy-duty canopy in place. On top, there's 12 hand-stitched silicon solar cells which charge a battery stored in the handle. It'll reportedly charge your handset in around three hours via the handle-mounted USB port, while on top, a pair of high gain antennae enhance the signals of any cellphone within a meter radius. It'll be unveiled to the public at large at the Isle of Wight festival on June 22nd, where hordes of people will hope that the company starts selling this publicity and electricity generating canopy.
Solar paneled umbrella will charge your gadgets while you hang in the sun
We see boatloads of solar charging gizmos around here, but they're usually not so... large. What we have here is a big sunning umbrella, for use outdoors (obviously), which has large flexible solar panels made by Konarka on top. The solar collecting panels store the energy in the stem of the Powerbrella as it's called, and it's got outlets at its base for charging your phone, PMP, etc. The 'brellas have already been tested in Florida, and are set to be manufactured by Sky Shades, for release sometime this summer. No word on pricing yet -- but there is one more shot after the break. [Thanks, The Gadgets Weblog]
