There is no need to have much worry about battery life on a Kindle, but in case you want to bring it out for the camping somewhere, this type of accessory for Kindle might be quite helpful.

It’s the SolarKindle, an accessory that will gives your Amazon Kindle reader a new ability of recharging via sun light. It’s also claimed as the first solar-powered e-reader cover with flexible high performance solar panel to quickly recharge your dying Kindle.

Another benefit that you can enjoy is the built-in LED reading lamp and dual-charging (USB / solar) reserve battery. The LED lamp could shine continuously for 50 hours without using Kindle’s internal battery. It will pull power from the reserve battery that could be charged by exposing to the bright light.

This SolarKindle is set to released later in January 15, 2012 for $79.99. It’s quite expensive when considering the Kindle is only $109.

If you are attending CES 2012, you can also get more details in the exhibition.

[via Solar Mio]

SolarKindle – Turning Kindle Ebook Reader Into A Solar e-Reader
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Would you be convinced to buy the solar panel if you’ve seen the device has been shot 5 times with gun and survive? Yes, that’s how durable and tough this JOOS Orange portable solar panel. The solar panel is not only durable and tough, it’s claimed to be able to capture up to 20 times more energy than other solar panels, and it’s about 3.5x faster than any other solar charger on its class!

Wow, finally we can see an improvement, huh? I’ve been a fans of solar panel and charger, but it’s just not the right time yet for me to jump in because the technology is still expensive, and it require a lot of space if it’s to power up the home. However, with this type of improved solar panel, I believe it would take another 3 or 4 years to enjoy a small scale of solar panel / charger that could generate way larger energy than the biggie modules.

As for this JOOS Orange solar charger, the test has resulting in about 2 hours extra 3G talk time from just 1 hour of direct sun light recharging. Optionally, the charge time can be improved by 40% using the Power-Boost Reflector Kit!

Check out the following demo, when the crews sadistically shoot this beauty solar charger with 5 merciless gun shots:

JOOS Orange solar charger is compatible with all mobile electronic devices like cell phones, smartphones, MP3 player, GPS device, handheld console, etc. You are only $140 away from getting this solar panel charger to juice up your gadget faster.

[via EarthTechling]

JOOS Orange Portable Solar Panel
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I haven’t seen any nice looking solar charger lately as most solar powered charger come with a big ugly face wih lots of lines and blue/purple based panel. Obviously, a solar panel charger is not required to looks good anyway as long as they can generate power for our gadgets. But by looking good is also not going to hurt anybody.

Dunhill supposedly to have this type of idea, so they’ve come up with an elegant, classy, stylish solar powered charger can call them bluntly as Dunhill Solar Charger (codename: QGL079).

So why a fashion brand like Dunhill have to indulged themselves into this ‘green’ market? Something that it’s 180-degree of their current market? Well, I don’t have to idea either. Perhaps they’re are trying to leap out from their market or broadening their reach. But What I would care is the specs of the solar panel and how much it would cost.

There is no much specs revealed by Dunhill, but the website has stated that the Solar charger has some type of built-in battery that could charges up to 30 hours for portable devices like smartphones or MP3 players. Also, the solar panel can be used to recharge itself or via USB port.

To live up their brand name, Dunhill has also included a nice looking embossed leather case for this solar charger. Now, since it’s from branded name in the fashion world, I’m curious whether the influence would sky rocketed the price. There is no pricing details from Dunhill themselves, but I’m sure it’s something that only those “bornrich” are willing to buy.

[via TNerd]

Dunhill Solar Charger Is High-Class Style
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The unique Samsung NC215s Solar powered netbook that we reported on last month has been released for pre-order at the price of $399.

I’m really interested in this solar powered netbook as it’s the first to get a built-in solar panel in the lid. Though it know I have to let it sunbathing for a lot of hours beneath the Summer’s sunlight, it’s still quiet interesting as I don’t have to buy a separated solar charging system. It’s all in there.

To refresh your memory, Samsung NC215s netbook is coming with Intel Atom N570 CPU, 802.11b/g WiFi, bluetooth 3.0, 1GB DDR3 RAM, 25GB HDD with Windows 7 Starter Edition running under the hood.

However, if you think letting the netbook having its own sunbathing time is kinda suicidal, you can opt for the Samsung NC110 that is cheaper at $329 with no solar panel installed.

Head on to Amazon for the pre-order, but sadly there is no details on this netbook in Amazon sales page.

[via Netbook News]

Samsung NC215s Solar Powered Netbook Is Now Available For Pre-Order
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Tablets are good because they are extremely portable. Like a cell phone, we tend to bring it with us wherever we go and love to use it in the spare time like waiting in the queue, in the bus or train station. It’s super convenient, but it did come with one disadvantage. If you have one, you might have known that you will not want to play with it once you are in the street with bright sun light. The display become way too blur to see anything. Unless you’ve got a tablet like the one that use Pixel Qi display (I mean the Notion Ink Adam), you will have trouble navigating the item in your tablet.

Now, a Solar panel charger for a tablet might sounds good, but again, if the display is not sunlight-readable, it’s kind of useless anyway. Perhaps Pixel Qi is trying to motivate manufacturers to use their display technology, as recently they’ve developed a kind of solar accessory for tablet device. It’s a mini solar panel that tablet user can stick it to the rear side of a tablet, or even the bezel if it’s wide enough to draw power from the sun.

This Pixel Qi solar panel can generate up to 1W of power, can suitable for tablet that consumes 1W or less. But as far as what I’ve come to known, no popular or branded tablets consume power that less yet (let me know if I’m wrong!). It may suggested that the solar panel is only made for the company who uses Pixel Qi display that proved to consume less power while still providing sunlight readable feature. Will there be any solar solution that could generate higher wattage? Probably, but it seems Pixel Qi’s solar panel won’t do that for now.

IMHO, for a user like me, I wouldn’t want to let my tablet out for its sun-bathing. Reason? I don’t want it to have any kind of “Overheating” syndrome and I would treasure it like my baby. You know, all electronics are prone to heat and I don’t want mine to have a short-live.

I would be more interested if there is a kind of external solar panel for my tablet. That way I can hide the tablet in the bag, away from the direct sun’s heat while I can still charge the tablet properly.

Anyway, hit the play button below to watch the details on Pixel Qi’s Solar panel:

[via UberGizmo, TheCoolGadgets]

Pixel Qi Developing Solar Panel For Tablets
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Eton Soulra XL is a new solar dock station available for iPhone and iPod Touch. It’s yet another cool solar driven dock from the company that featured a large solar panel to generate green energy to power up the dock station while you are using this device outdoor.

Eton Soulra XL solar dock station has built-in battery that could last about 5 hours of continuous play before it need some more green juicy energy. The dock station itself has 8 speaker drivers built-in, with 2 tweeters, 2 woofers, and 4 passive radiators and they are sum up to the total output of 22W. Loud enough for your outdoor audio enjoyment.

Sadly, This Eton Soulra XL solar dock station is quite pricey. They cost $300 a pop and will be available in mid May. If you think it’s good because it has a solar panel (when comparing to other product on similar price range), this dock station is pretty a good solution for your outdoor activities.

[via CNet via Technabob]

Eton Soulra XL Solar Dock Has A Huge Solar Panel Come Along
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Despite of the worsening condition in Japan after tsunami and earthquake, they are still rolling out amazing gadget to impress the world. OS, a company in Japan has just introduced their newest portable solar power system that you can carry around when travelling, and the best of all, it can be retracted and rolled into a small cartridge-like storage.

If you want to be techie, this Retractable portable solar power system is called GSR-110B, has 3kb in weight, capable of generating up to 40Watts of power, where 16Watts taken from the solar panel (solar sheet that could be rolled and retracted) and the rest 24Watts is from the built-in battery.

More impressive feature that GSR-110B has is the ability to link with other GSR-110B unit and combine their power and provides up to 80Watts in total. It would be cool if we can link up as many unit as possible to obtain the wattage that we need. Sadly, it seems OS Japan’s Portable solar power system is only capable of dual linking instead of continuous expansion.

Above anything, Such technology will be extremely useful when in emergency condition like today. With the power plant exploded and radiation emitted, I hope Japan will learn from this tragedy and begin their journey to build a greener country from the rising sun powered by solar panel installed on all home in Japan.

OS Japan Intros Retractable Portable Solar Power System
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EnSol AS has developed a new method to generate green energy out of a thin layer. It doesn’t require any special panel anymore as SolarWindow is a transparent spray film that you can spray to any glass surface to generate electricity. According to EnSol AS, this new energy generating method has a potential to increase the solar energy power by 300% while it’s about 1/1000th the thickness of our hair!

Sadly, EnSol AS haven’t stated anything related to the release date or when consumer level can start to enjoy this new green technology. Would it be able to easily used/DIY or you should ask for a professional is still a question. But if we can get all of our see-through glass to generate power for us by our own DIY project, that would be cool.

[via InventorSpot]

SolarWindow: Solar Spray On Glass To Generate Green Power
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A new company called Eight19 is currently developing a new organic solar PV technology where they are going to build a solar panel using a flexible transparent material that is rollable like a paper. This mean if Eight19 successfully rolled out this new Organic Solar PV technology, the future solar panel is some kind of a portable power generator that could be laid out when needed and rolled away when unused.

According to Eight19 company, the OPV or Organic PhotoVoltaics system is not operating like a common solar conductor. Instead, it works just like a principle of photosynthesis in plants. The shape of this new OPV solar generator would be very flexible, from a thin face paper to a big window pane or anything that you can think of. Since it’s very flexible, people can think unlimited ways of installation, even bringing the whole face of your home into a green energy generator is possible with OPV!

[via EcoFriend]

Eight19 Intros New Flexible And Rollable Organic Solar PV Technology
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If camping in the wood or jungle is your favorite sport, then you should have equipped yourself with this handy SolLight Lightcap.

SolLight’s Lightcap 300 is a double-purpose gadget that will store 1 liter of water while providing a great emergency lamp for your camping. The SolLight Lightcap is a BPA free bottle that features a wide mouth for convenient pouring, drinking and cleaning.

SolLight is also properly equipped with a mini solar panel on the cap, 4 LED bulbs under the cap and a waterproof battery built-in the cap. SolLight Lightcap can be used as a great substitution of candle, gas lamps or other light source that might become pretty dangerous for your camping. The SolLigh Lightcap can be conveniently snugged into your camping bag, or beneath your mountain bike.

SolLight Lightcap 300 will cost $35 including the bottle, however, you can save $10 if you have 2-inch bottle by getting the Cap for $25 only.

[via SolLight, Inventorspot]

SolLight Lightcap Lets Your Bottle Light Up In The Dark
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So what’s up in Brando’s lab? Well, they’ve created just another useful gadget after mixing three gadgets into one. The USB solar Charging USB hub may looks quite simple. But it’s actually a mashup between USB Hub, Solar Charger with Inner rechargeable battery, and one LED flashlight that could be used as an emergency tools.

The built-in battery hold 130mAh only, not quite big there but it’s still useful for recharging a cell phone for 1 or 2 emergency calls. Brando also added 7 battery connectors that suitable on most famous handsets. In case there is no direct sunlight to let the Solar panel do its work, the USB hub can be recharged via USB port through an in-car charger with 4 USB ports on your car.

Brando has this USB Solar charging USB hub for $22 only. If you are interested, get one at Brando now.

[via TechFresh]

Brando’s USB Solar Charging USB Hub
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This is an amazing breakthrough in alternative energy research. People soon can enjoy the very tiny of solar cells that is about one-fifth of human hair’s diameter, or to be exactly about 20 microns thick but still can generate power even in a dim light!

Imagine this technology saw by men from the 90′s, this should be considered as an Alien technology for them!

According to the source, this Smallest solar cell is invented by Sandia National Laboratory, which is operated by Sandia Corporation of Lockheed Martin Corporation for U.S. Department. The solar cell itself can generate power continuously even without direct sunlight hitting the panel. This mean if the weather is cloudy, this 1/5 human hair’s diameter solar cell can still power up your home in the future.

Because it’s small, it will allow a smaller area of deployment in a house’s roof, while manufacturer can push down the production cost. One stone two birds solution. Beautiful!

[Daniweb, Sandia National Laboratory]

P.S. Above image is for illustration only – It’s not the actual image of Sandia’s Solar Cell

Tiniest Solar Cell Ever Made: 1/5 Human Hair’s Diameter!
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For you who love to stay outdoor taking photos, this solar powered strap for digital camera is a great concept that you couldn’t bear to not owning one when it’s been released. It’s an idea made by designer Weng Jie, where it has put photographer to the state where they will not have to worry about battery problem anymore. The solar powered digital camera strap will provide the juice needed by your digital camera with the help of the bright sunny days.

Further Reading:

• Coated
• Zedomax
• Yanko Design

Solar Powered Digital Camera Strap Concept
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The latest air conditioner from LG has been equipped with a solar panel where it can power up the air purification process without relying to much on home electricity. Codename as LG F-Q232LASS, the air-con is consider as a hybrid solution, where the solar panel equipped on the outdoor unit can generate about 70 Watts of power (per hour). It’s obviously can save electricity bills, however you cannot expect much saved form it.

It looks like a nice idea, however if the outdoor is installed in the alley with less sunlight, the solar panel could be just a decoration only.

However, Beside it can save power, LG F-Q232LAS Hybrid Air conditioner is also eco-friendly as it emit less CO2 where it can reduce about 200+ kg of CO2 in 10 years of usage. Sounds great, but it’s not available yet. According to the press release, this LG F-Q232LASS hybrid air conditioner will be released on July. No pricing details yet.

[Akihabaranews via Winarco]

LG Outs F-Q232LASS Eco-friendly Residential Hybrid Air Conditioner
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This Kiwi Choice U-Powered Portable fold-up solar charger is similar with Solio Solar Hybrid Charger. The Solar charger has three leaves of fold-up solar panel, where when you want to use it you can expand it and fold it up when you are done.

KiWi Choice U-powered Solar Charger can charge gadget through USB, but it’s not the only way it can rejuice a gadget. You can also use it to draw power from car charger, and wall charger. So we can safely say that Kiwi Choice U-Powered solar charger is a 3-in-1 eco-friendly charger.

Kiwi Choice U-Powered Solar charger comes with a 2,000mAh rechargeable battery that can sustain from more than 1000 recharges (similar with Eneloop rechargeable battery). As an additional bonus, you can use Kiwi Choice U-powered USB Solar charger as an emergency light source because it has a built-in LED flashlight.

The solar charger will comes with 11 different connectors that will fit iPhone, iPod, Smartphone like Blackberry, handheld console similar to PSP and many more.

If you want to own this solar charger, you are looking at the $49.99 USD price mark. It’s not really an expensive solar charger to think you can use it as an emergency tool…

[via Ubergizmo]

Kiwi Choice U-Powered Fold-Up Solar Charger
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Over at YankoDesign, we have found another cool concept design with eco-friendly in mind. Named as the ‘Solar Pebble’, the device is a sun-powered eco-friendly lamp that will absorb sun power, store the energy to the rechargeable batteries inside the lamp and then release it when the day gets dark.

This Solar Powered Lamp Solar Pebble is designed by Adam Robinson for Plus Minus Solar Design. The stored energy on Solar Pebble can also be used for recharging portable devices such as cell phone, iPhone, MP3 Player or PMP. Solar Pebble also has a U shaped handle, where you can use it for the stand or turn it around as a handy handle to carry around.

[YankoDesign]

Solar Pebble – New Eco Friendly Sun Powered Lamp
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A wearable vest is now transformed into a solar charger, allowing you to charge your gadgets while wearing it walking across the street on a sunny day. The Solar vest will help you collect sun energy through its 4 solar panels at the back side, and store it onto its 8,800mAh Capacity rechargeable battery. Coded s CVFR-S09, this made in China’s Solar vest is getting a complete set of power connectors and device connectors, so there is no way you can’t find the suitable connector for charging your modern gadgets.

Solar Vest wearable solar charger also offering several power output solution, starting from 5V, 6V, 9V and 12-20V. The rechargeable battery is also can be charged via AC input, and USB power input. You can use Solar Vest to charge mobile phone, camera, camcorder, PMP and even laptop. If you want one, Chinavasion has this Solar Vest CVFR-S09 selling for $126 right now.

[via iTechnews]

Solar Vest – A Wearable Solar Charger
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Eco-Friendly fans might want to check this new release of Solar Charger Case for iPhone or iPod Touch. Released by NovoThink at SolarArcadia, this case inherit the name of NovoThink Solar Surge, a iPhone or iPod Case that can doubles as an eco-friendly solar charger.

NovoThink Solar Surge Features:

• Powerup while walking, running, hiking, or biking
• Powerup while on the beach, camping, or traveling anywhere
• Durable, yet lightweight and slim design
• Full access to touch screen
• USB connection allows you to charge or sync with iTunes without ever having to take your iPhone out of the case
• A color for every personality
• State-of-the-art solar panel technology allows your iPhone 3G and 3G S to powerup with the power of the sun
• Comfortable, ergonomic design with a soft touch, non-slip finish
• LED status light indicators
• Clean, green energy source
• Speaker ports to prevent sound dampening

The iPod and iPhone version are two seperated models, where the Solar Surge for iPhone 3G/3GS cost $79.95 to own one, while the iPod Touch version is cheaper at $52.95 USD only. Currently, there are only two of six color selections available. No iPad version available yet but I’m positive they’ll make one once the iPad has been released.

[via NovoThink SolarArcadia]

NovoThink Solar Surge iPhone Solar Charger Case
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Sunforce company who focus on creating consumer-level of solar power generator has their SunForce 50044 12V 60Watts solar power generator kit available at Amazon. I agree that 60W is not enough to power up the entire home, but it’s better than nothing. this Power Generator kit is designed to work with RVs, cabins, boats, back-up and remote power use, or install it at your home roof to power up and charge some small gadgets or laptops. SunForce 50044 also provides a 12V DC socket for powering 12V products (laptops) and it has included one 200 Watt modified sine wave inverter and one 7-amp solar charger controller.

If you are interested, Sunforce 50044 solar power generator kit is available at Amazon for $299.99. I have included this post as our daily deal because there is a huge 50% discount at Amazon, turning the original listed price of $600 to $299.99 only!

Product Features:

• Amorphous solar charging kit provides up to 60-Watts of clean, free, renewable power
• Designed for RVs, cabins, homes, boats, back-up and remote power use, and more
• Weatherproof, durable solar panels can withstand impacts from hailstones travelling 50 miles-per-hour
• Includes four 15-Watt solar panels with durable mounting frames, a 200-Watt power inverter, a 7-Amp solar charge controller, and a wiring kit with accessories for easy installation
• Built-in, ultra-bright blue LED charging indicator

Sunforce 50044 60W Solar Power Generator Kit Is Now Available at Amazon
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Energizer also introduced another solar gadget that is pretty cool and suitable for emergency situation. When all else fails (I means the power source such as solar light or battery) this Energizer Solar Crank Emergency Torch Light could be powered by hand crank!

The worst situation could be happened and we always need such a gadget to help ourselves. When battery run out of power, when Sun has set to the west, your torch still can light your way back to your home by just a little workout on the little crank handle. This Energizer Solar Crank is just great.

[via UberGizmo]

Energizer Solar Crank Emergency Torch Light [CES 2010]
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