Solar powered iPhone case may not work when visiting the Sun
Eco-friendly traveler? Check! Hip professional? Check! Outdoor enthusiast? Check! Hip profess--wait a minute! OK, so Solar Arcadia may not have the greatest product pages around but that does not stop them from offering this environmentally friendly piece of iPhone case awesomeness.
The case is essentially a lithium ion battery pack with a solar panel that doubles as a flip cover for the iPhone. The construction is said to be leather, however I cannot imagine this being very kind to Mother Nature. There is also an LED status indicator that informs you of the capacity of the case's battery pack when charging and discharging.
The instruction manual notes that an empty iPhone battery can be re-charged in 3 hours when the included Li-Ion battery pack is full. When the battery pack is empty you can set the case to direct charge mode and get your iPhone recharge on straight from the power of the Sun itself!
Note that it does take a full 12 hours of direct sunlight to fully charge an empty iPhone battery, and in December that much sunlight could be hard to come by (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere). However, it is possible to charge the case's battery pack without being attached to the iPhone. So, if you are on a long flight with a window seat it's possible to charge your backup battery while watching the latest episode of Family Guy that you torrented bought from iTunes.
The case may not be the most attractive and is not to be used in conditions where it gets to be hotter than 150° F -- but these things are unimportant. You care about the environment; this is why you bought a Prius and hold the MPG record for your local hyper-miling club. Now get out there and begin harvesting all of that solar energy! Besides, there isn't a wind-powered iPhone case available... not yet, anyway.
Thanks Kirk for sending this in!
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Eco-friendly traveler? Check! Hip professional? Check! Outdoor enthusiast? Check! Hip profess--wait a minute! OK, so Solar Arcadia may not...
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Still, cases are very important. Your iPhone 3G is pretty and wonderful and deserves to be protected. So your faithful friends at Mac|Life will review every case that crosses our desks .
IMO this solar powered iphone case is just a stunt just like someother solar powered gear. For me, i'd like to choose a beautiful and applied case for my iphone 3Ghttp://www.sourcingmap.com/iphone-cases-c-983_1757.html.
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Is a very cool idea to charge our gadgets from a clean source but this product doesn't work.
I got one of those from solararcadia.com and is totally dead after the first charge. I’m trying to contact them for refund but no success.
If you google it you will find other comments about the same issue.
http://ourmaninside.com/2008/10/07/iphone-solar-charger-case/
Don’t waste your money!
Aron, you're a freak. Please tell us you get all that energy from natural sources (like, the sun, man).
oh, I mean freak in a good way.
All I can tell you is that the Sun is a mass of incandescent gas, a gigantic nuclear furnace.
December 09 2008 at 11:33 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWhy do these new generation "solar powered" devices need to be exposed to direct sunlight? I've owned solar powered watches and pocket calculators since the 1970's that operate with any indoor lighting, even fluorescent.
Is it just a matter of the power consumption on something like a laptop or cellphone being so much greater than a calculator?
Would so called "full spectrum" or "daylight" indoor bulbs power these things?
The case is made from reclaimed sheep skin, so it's still somewhat environmentally conscious in that regard.
December 09 2008 at 8:37 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI bought this for my iPhone 3g: A small battery on solar power but it can also be charged over the wire. Very cheap. I first was a bit sceptical but it actually works. Of course, the iPhone uses more energy than the battery can deliver over solar power so if both batteries are empty you won't get far.
http://mobile.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=03612.
Yeah, but have you seen this one: http://devotecindustries.co.uk/, currently only in the UK, but I got one last week... it works great with my iPhone! In Winter!
December 09 2008 at 2:13 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThis article is awesome, thank you!
Please notify me when the wind-powered thing is available!
I like it!
I could see using it while on a bike tour. Just strap it to the handlebar bag and let it charge up while riding along.
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