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IRL: Goal Zero Sherpa 50 and the HTC One on Rogers
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. For every Engadget editor who's gotten to test an HTC One (that'd be five of us so far), there are two more waiting to take it for a spin. Well, you can cross Mr. Fingas off the list, at least: he's been playing with the One on Canada's Rogers network, snapping photos in the lowest-lit places Ottawa has to offer. James Trew, meanwhile, is excited to finally use Goal Zero's Sherpa 50 solar charger, mostly because it means England is finally getting some decent weather.
Goal Zero's Solar Chargers light up the Outdoor Retailer show
The Outdoor Retailer show wrapped up on Sunday in Salt Lake City, Utah, and there were a surprising number of accessories and apps introduced at the annual trade show of interest to TUAW readers. Goal Zero, a company that specializes in portable solar chargers, introduced two new solar recharging kits that are designed to keep your Apple and other devices going when there's no power outlet nearby. The Sherpa 50 (at top) packs enough power to keep your iPad going for up to 15 hours, and can be charged by the sun in 5 to 10 hours with the Nomad 13 solar panel. The Sherpa 50 can also add up to 3 hours of life to your laptop. A much more portable solution to keep your iPhone or iPod touch powered up to 8 hours longer is the Switch 8 (below). Slightly smaller than a roll of quarters and weighing just 4 ounces, the Switch 8 can be fully charged up by the sun in 6 to 12 hours by the Nomad 3.5 solar panel. Pricing for the Goal Zero kits (including the solar chargers and accompanying solar panels) is US$399.99 for the Sherpa 50 and $199.99 for the Switch 8. The kits should prove to be a valuable tool for outdoors enthusiasts and emergency preparation. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Goal Zero Sherpa 50 personal charger hands-on
We're here at CES Unveiled and just got our hands on Goal Zero's new version of its Sherpa 50 personal power pack. Like its predecessor, it's a 50 watt lithium ion power pack meant to give you an extra few hours of juice for your portable devices wherever you go. However, this new version is about half the size of its elder -- not much bigger than three or four CDs stacked together -- and has a removable inverter to slim it down even more. That inverter lets you use a standard electrical plug to re-power your gadgets, but the new Sherpa 50 also has ports built in to allow you to plug in your lap. Available this June, it'll cost $250 as a standalone product and $400 if you want one of Goal Zero's solar panels thrown in for true go-anywhere (as long as it's sunny) computing. Zach Lutz contributed to this report.
