SolarCharging
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AT&T's solar charging stations invade New York again
Next time you're at a park, beach or high-traffic spot in New York, and your phone battery's running low, look for the contraption in the image above. That's AT&T's Street Charge station, which harnesses the power of the sun so you can continue tweeting and uploading those selfies on the go. Ma Bell is installing 45 of these in several locations around NYC, almost double the charging stations it installed in the summer of 2013 when the initiative first launched. The company's using newer, sturdier, more weather-resistant models this time, though, and they'll be deployed across several places in the five boroughs, which are listed after the break. If you're wondering, yes you're free to use these phone, tablet and general gadget chargers even if you're not an AT&T customer. And yes, the stations are usable even at night (thanks to internal batteries that store the sun's power), but they can only rescue you from total battery depletion until September.
Powerskin's SolarCharge still believes in the sun
Remember when Nokia poo-poohed the idea of solar charging as a viable way to keep a smartphone juiced? It seems that no-one told XPal Power, since its PowerSkin brand has just launched a new photovoltaic kit as part of its 2012 lineup here at CES: SolarCharge is a silicone-wrapped brick with a solar panel on one end that'll charge most devices via a microUSB port. The 1000mAh battery tucked inside is rated to pony up around 350 minutes of talk time for your average smartphone. It'll set you back $70 when it arrives in February. KeyCharge attaches to your keychain and can offer a quick boost 90 minutes of additional time on its 750mAh battery, again via its microUSB port. It'll cost a more modest $25 and will be available to order at the same time Come with us, and you'll be, in a world of pure press releases, after the break.
SolarKindle cover basks in the sun's rays, charges for days and days
Direct sunlight and Amazon's Kindle have always gone hand in hand -- you simply can't read E-Ink without a strong light source. So, it would make sense to pair that lighting requirement with a solar panel, pack it into a convenient case, toss in a reading lamp and give readers the gift of effortlessly extended battery life -- which is exactly what SolarFocus intends to do. Scheduled to be shown off at this week's CES, the company's SolarKindle adds three months of unplugged use, in addition to 50 hours for its included LED lamp. And unlike most innovations that take their sweet time getting to market, this cover's slated for a January 15th bow, priced at $80. Take that paperbacks.
Ford teams with SunPower, offers EV owners $10,000 solar charging system
We might not know how much Ford's expecting for the Focus Electric, but it's already put a hefty $10,000 price tag on one of its accessories. The company announced today that it has teamed with SunPower to offer purchasers of the upcoming Focus Electric and C-MAX Energi a 2.5-kilowatt rooftop solar system. That setup will apparently provide "enough renewable energy production to offset the energy used for charging" cars that log 1,000 miles per month (about 30 miles per day) or less. If $10,000 is just a little too rich for your blood, there's always Best Buy's $1,500 budget-friendly charging station. Full PR after the break.
Indian $70 solar slate joins XO-3 and Sakshat in vaporware race
Another day, another phantom budget tablet: today's unnamed low-cost model hails from Bharat Electronics, out of India. The Bharat slate runs Android 2.2, sports solar charging for back-up power, and sings for only 3000 Rupees, or just shy of $70. No word on processor speed, RAM, or storage, but Hindu Business Line states that the Froyo pads will "allow data to be stored and uploaded in real time to a central server," suggesting a cloud-based storage system. Availability? None for now, this slate is being sold exclusively to India's Ministry of Rural Development for use in a poverty survey. Bharat's Chairman and Managing Director, Ashwani Datt, stated they would have to configure a new version of the slate if they were to offer it to students or consumers. We'll let you know what we think just as soon as we get our hands on the XO-3 and that other tablet from India. You know, for vaporous comparison.
Marines field test solar panels by day, watch Gomer Pyle by night
United States Marines are among the best-equipped soldiers on the planet, but more gadgets mean extra batteries to haul, adding dozens of pounds on extended missions. Troops in Afghanistan recently put that hot Middle Eastern sun to use, swapping spare batteries for placemat-size solar panels on a three-week patrol. Batts were replaced with extra bullets, so the soldiers didn't get off easy, but they were also able to reduce generator usage, making a significant dent in fuel consumption. It will be several years before all soldiers charge their radios, night vision goggles, and GPS devices using the sun, but the Marine Corps hopes to cut fuel use in half by 2025, so it's only a matter of time before solar-powered gadgets have a more permanent home on the battlefield. Sha-zam!
Ralph Lauren's solar-panel backpack charges your phone in hours, your credit card in seconds
We here at Engadget are in favor of hitting the books from time to time, but we can't have lame gadget-less backpacks hurting our true techie rep. That's why we're excited to see Ralph Lauren outing its first solar-equipped knapsack as part of its RLX sports line. Four solar cells around back harness the sun's power to generate 3.45 watts -- completely juicing up an iPhone in a purported two-to-three hours, assuming you've got "proper sunlight orientation," of course. Like the optional orange hue (it also comes in black), the sun-sucking cells aren't particularly low profile -- but for $800 don't you want something, uh, recognizable? Still, if you simply must be that guy be sure to hit the source link and don't look back, but for everyone else, might we recommend a portable USB charger for a little less coin?
UM students make cheap and portable solar charger / light source for developing nations
Solar power is the most egalitarian of all energy sources, yet residents in many parts of the world still lack access to electricity. Three University of Michigan engineering students have created an affordable solution to this problem -- to the delight of camping geeks everywhere -- with the Emerald, a portable solar panel that does double duty as both a cellphone charger and personal light source. We've seen the personal solar panel idea before, but the price of entry made it an untenable solution for developing nations. Solar-powered light bulbs have been around for a while too, but the Emerald's light lasts for eight hours on a charge (as opposed to the bulbs' two to six hours), and it's able to fully charge a phone in the same time it takes an outlet to do the job. They aim to sell the device for the low, low, price of under twenty bucks for customers in the developing world, which is 90 percent cheaper than other solutions and 100 percent more awesome.
Puma Phone review
So it's true, we're living in an age where people would shamelessly line up for certain electronics and luxurious fashion items. Why? Just because they can, and for that reason, some swanky outlets -- namely Christian Dior, Prada, Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, and Versace -- have attempted to exploit our gadget lust by offering self-branded phones at extortionate prices. In the eyes of every-day consumers, there's really not much appeal in these soulless devices except for the logo and some extra bling, but apparently these two factors alone are enough to make some aficionados drool a river. On the other hand, Puma -- a less luxurious but naturally more accessible fashion brand -- has decided to do more than just slapping an OS skin onto its aptly-named Puma Phone. Priced at a comparably affordable £300 ($469), this Sagem-made featurephone packs a few unusual features such as a solar panel, a sports tracker, and even a virtual cougar named Dylan. Read on to find out if we could sense the Puma spirit in this device.%Gallery-99609%
Sony patent application points to dual-screen, dual-use tablet
We never put too much faith in patent applications leading to actual products, but we can't help but get a little bit excited about the possibilities presented by a recent Sony application for a dual-screen tablet. Described specifically as an "electronic book with enhanced features," the device would sport two screens that could take on a different functionality depending on how the device is oriented -- functioning as an e-reader when in portrait mode, and displaying a keyboard on the lower screen when placed on a table, for instance. Now, this obviously has a few similarities to the Courier, and even more to Microsoft's earlier Codex project (with its "Battleship posture"), but Sony does seem to have put a slightly unique spin on things, and has even thrown in a few more ideas of its own -- even mentioning solar charging in its claims for the application.
Photovoltaic circuit makes solar-powered touchscreens possible, not yet plausible
What's cooler than the latest in technology? How about the latest in self-powering technology? University of Pennsylvania researchers have put together what seems like the world's first photovoltaic circuit, which is to say that the electronic parts of your devices will no longer have to just consume energy, they'll be able to harvest it directly from the sun. The most obvious application for this would be in smartphone touchscreens, which could recharge themselves while you sip your latte at the local sun-drenched coffee shop. Of course, such practical uses are still a fair distance away, as the team can generate only minuscule amounts of power at present, but the theory is in place and so is our attention. Don't let us down, Penn!
SolarCity charging stations on Highway 101 give Tesla owners a little more time in the sun
The Tesla Roadster is by far the best-known electric car of the moment -- despite the company only having sold about 700 of the things. A high price point hasn't kept the car from capturing the minds of enviro-minded gearheads everywhere, of which there must be quite a few working at SolarCity. The California-based solar installation firm has created four Tesla charging stations along Highway 101 between Los Angeles and San Francisco, with a fifth coming online next month. The (apparently free) chargers provide a 240V charge at 70 amps, blowing away Eberhard's RFMC rapid charger and bringing the cars to full capacity in only 3.5 hours. Why, that's just enough time for a nice lunch and a bit of shopping. Sadly the plugs only work with Teslas, but will be retrofitted once some other suitable EV comes along in suitable numbers.
