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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]
Massachusetts company develops inkjet-printed solar panels
Printed solar cell tech keeps getting closer and closer to reality, with a Massachusetts company called Konarka Technologies today announcing that it's now able to manufacture solar cells using inkjet printing. There's not a ton of information available about the process, but Konarka's already demonstrated it and published details in a trade journal called Advanced Materials -- which sounds like scintillating reading, if you ask us. Konarka says the process makes fabbing solar panels extremely easy, since it doesn't require a clean room, and the resulting cost reductions could lead to an increased number of applications for solar power. Of course, the economics of inkjet printing have lured more than one company to the dark side -- we wonder if Konarka is eventually going to start selling solar ink cartridges for more than the printers themselves?[Via The Raw Feed]
