Typically, I balk at covering all of the useless solar enabled gadgets that come out for every portable electronic device known to man, but since this latest news effects myself, and the millions of other iPhone/iPod Touch owners around the world, I found it relevant seeing as it’s a slow news day on the sustainability front anyhow.
Giving Your Device That Extra Solar Ummpphh
The new Surge solar charger case for iPhone 3G/3Gs and iPod Touch by NovoThink is the first charging device of its kind to be licensed by Apple. The Surge uses a solar panel on the back of the slide in case to collect sunlight, which it turns into electricity. If your iPhone is not fully charged, it transfers the charge to your iPhone. When your iPhone is fully charged (or when it is not inserted), the Surge transfers the charge to its internal battery. The charge from this reserve battery will transfer to your iPhone’s battery as necessary.
In addition to the solar charger, there is also still the USB charger that connects to your computer or electrical outlet. There are four built in LEDs that indicate at what stage the charging process is at. The built-in LED lights let you know whether you have sufficient light source for solar charging and approximately how much charge level remains in your charger.
The Anatomy Of A Charge
The time in which it takes to fully charge, or maintain a full charge, depends on a variety of different variables and can vary greatly. NovoThink provides a fairly detailed calculation page which will tell you how many hours the charger must be exposed to sunlight in order to maintain a charge based upon the usage and weather condition data you input. For the average user on a sunny day, about 4-5 hours of exposure are needed to maintain a full charge.
While it probably won’t be a replacement for plug in charging, the supplemental solar charging should provide extended daily battery life as well as minutely reduce your phone’s carbon footprint. The Surge is set to sell for $70 later this year. Is it necessary? No. But few things in the consumer electronics sector are these days.
The Good: Well designed for both aesthetics and function. Easy to use. When compared to some other cases that are simply just cases, $70 isn’t that bad of a price.
The Bad: At almost an inch thick, it will definitely add some girth and weight to your iPhone/iPod Touch. Durability and longevity are questionable. Eventually, the Surge will just add more e-waste to your other e-waste.
The Bottom-Line: A well designed, and seemingly functional, case/charger that offers an additional charge boost to your iPhone or Ipod touch.
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