"Juice Bags" Bring the Power

Eco-friendly ware is big these days, with trends like organic cotton clothing and recycled shoes, but now it seems even solar is getting in the mix. The company Reware is taking “green” accessories and solar power to a whole new level with solar-powered bags.

Called “Juice Bags,” these designs all feature a flexible 7 watt solar panel, complete with 52 cells, fitted to the widest side of the bag. These cells captures light while you walk/jog/hike/run. There’s even a beach tote for lazier days in the outdoors.

What the bag is meant to do is power smaller 12 volt electronics, such as a cell phone or MP3 player, using a Car Light Adaptor (CLA), which comes built in to every bag. Other options for solar-energy capture include SolarReady Batteries, which can be purchased separately, plugged into the CLA, and used later on other electronics such as digital cameras.

Hybrid Lights

In the winter most people find the need for sunlight, or any light, a serious need given the shorter days and decrease in time spent outdoors. Usually sun lamps come into play here, giving us the light we need to function, but hybrid solar lighting dishes may be coming not only replace our sunlamps, but all our lamps.

Hybrid solar lighting (HSL) is comparative to solar panels, which convert sunlight into electricity, except these instruments simply channel sunlight directly into a room. No middleman needed. Normal photovoltaic cells used in solar panels only covert about 15 percent of the sunlight collected, while HSL is able to use up to 50 percent of the sunlight collected thanks to direct conversion. In addition, HSL bulbs produce less heat than conventional bulbs thanks to collectors that remove infrared light, which is the main heat-producing spectrum. This not only produces a higher quality of light, but lowers energy costs (not to mention room temperature.)

Apple files solar-patent, opens door for sunshine powered iPods, iPhones

These days companies long to create the next must-have feature. At one time that was merely by combining a cell phone with a camera or by adding mp3 playback (ah those simple times…) But lately things don’t seem so simple, as most people want a portable device that simply does everything. However, functionality comes at a price; consumption, as in power, as in the battery life of this all-in-one is next to none. Concurrently, being tethered to power outlets is not only limiting, it’s almost counterproductive considering how many other devices (essential or otherwise) we hook up to the grid. Recently we reviewed the Solio Mg Edition portable solar charger. As noted in the article the pocket-sized device is capable of harnessing those almighty rays of sunlight and using them to power your Britney Spears albums (yes, we know about your secret obsessions). But what if rather than having a separate charging unit, the portable device, be it a music player, cell phone, etc. was itself capable of converting solar power to digital goodness. Well, there’s potential that Apple is thinking just that as they recently filed a patent for solar power integration into portable devices. But there’s one major twist.

Solio Hybrid 1000

When it comes to the latest gadgets, The Solio Hybrid 1000 is the absolute must have for anyone that is dependent on their electronic devices, from cell phones to iPods, from Blackberries to GPS Units. This is especially good for you if you are the type of person that is always on the go. This little tool is completely chargeable with direct sunlight. However, it can be charged other ways as well. It can be charged by plugging the adapter into a wall outlet or it even comes with a tip that can be plugged into the USB port and charged from a computer. The internal battery will be completely charged with around eight to ten hours of straight sunlight and it will charge in about four hours from the electrical outlet. However, if you are using the sun as the charging force, it can be charged from any location no matter where you are on the planet.

The Solio Hybrid 1000 is a unique, universal, solar powered, compact electronic charger. With only one hour of direct sunlight it can give up to fifteen minutes of talk time for your cell phone or around forty minutes of play time for a music player, such as your M3P Player or iPod.