Hasta La Gadget!

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.

Continue reading UM students make cheap and portable solar charger / light source for developing nations

UM students make cheap and portable solar charger / light source for developing nations originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Much of this stuff was shown off publicly for the first time at CES last week, but we thought it might be interesting to get everything that wireless charging company Powermat has planned for 2011 into one convenient place — and that’s exactly what this here slide deck has done for us. The first products in the pipeline for this year include a charging case for the Nokia N8, targeted for early Q2, along with a two-device portable charging mat that includes a built-in battery (7,800mAh!) that promises up to four full smartphone charges while staying completely off the grid; look for those to run $40 and $130, respectively. Later in the quarter, you’ll get a white two-unit mat (all of Powermat’s gear is black right now, so it’s a nice change of pace), several colored iPhone 4 cases, a BlackBerry Torch case, and an $80 so-called Power! Case for the iPhone 4 that integrates an external 1,800mAh battery for extra juice on the go.

Moving on to the third quarter of the year, you’ll see a dual-power one-device mat that can be powered either from the wall or a USB port for $40, a car mount that inductively charges your Powermat-enabled device, and an iPod touch case. Finally, the 1X Rechargeable Mat comes late in Q3, packing some undetermined (or at least unlisted) amount of juice into a mat that looks roughly similar to the existing one-device mat that’s already on the market; like Powermat’s other battery-powered mats, this one lets you juice devices when you’re not near an outlet, and it’ll be available for $70. Hit up the gallery for the full deck!

Powermat’s 2011 product roadmap: colorful iPhone cases, extended batteries, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 21:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Idapt has its new i4 and i1 Eco universal chargers on the CES show floor, and if you’re not a fan of iGo products but hate the need for multiple chargers you should maybe give these a look. The i2+ simultaneously charges three different devices (plus one via USB), and comes bundled with six tips for charging pretty much any gadget you can throw at it. The tips can be interchanged quickly by clicking on either side, and it even puts your devices on display. The i1 Eco utilizes the same interchangeable tip system, but only has room for one in addition to a USB port. This one has hot swappable end tips for charging in the car or on the go, and costs around $25. Check out both of them in the gallery below.

Idapt 2011 charging systems hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve come a long way since 2008, eh? Not only has the Idapt i2+ seen a massive external makeover compared to the original, but this one supports the simultaneously charging of three mobile / USB devices. The “universal” charging dock ships with a cornucopia of tips, enabling it to juice up a Nexus One, BlackBerry, iPod, iPhone, PSP, GPS system or pretty much any combination of handheld gizmos on the market. Two docking ports are arranged on the top, and a spare USB port allows a third item of your choice to receive new life via a tether. It’ll ship in “an assortment of colors” this spring, but it looks as if pricing won’t be announced until later on. One more look (along with the full PR) is after the break.

Continue reading Idapt’s i2+ universal charging dock rejuvenates your Nexus S and iPhone 4… simultaneously

Idapt’s i2+ universal charging dock rejuvenates your Nexus S and iPhone 4… simultaneously originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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