A company named Solar Components is starting to manufacture a rugged, portable solar charger that seems ideal for overland use when you can't count on your vehicle to provide power to recharge your electronic gizmos. Their product is marketed under the Joos brand.
So far, Joos is offering only one model: The Joos Orange. It's waterproof, dustproof and made of rugged materials. The Orange weighs 1.5 lbs and measures about 9 x 6 x 1 inches. The box provides one amp output at 5 volts, the sort of power that cell phones and handheld GPS units need to recharge. The Orange has an internal battery that holds 5400 mAh, and recharges from either the photovoltaic cells attached to the unit, or by connection to a 5V USB power source.
The Joos web site has a comparison with other manufacturers' solar chargers. The claim is that the Joos Orange provides more power for a given time exposed to sunlight (that is, it's more efficient) than competing products.
Price of the Joos Orange is $99. Delivery is expected to start this Fall. I expect larger Joos models with greater capacity to be introduced later.
http://www.solarjoos.com
http://gizmodo.com/5584810/joos-orange-solar-charger-reviewed-solar+powered-gadget-charging-for-real
So far, Joos is offering only one model: The Joos Orange. It's waterproof, dustproof and made of rugged materials. The Orange weighs 1.5 lbs and measures about 9 x 6 x 1 inches. The box provides one amp output at 5 volts, the sort of power that cell phones and handheld GPS units need to recharge. The Orange has an internal battery that holds 5400 mAh, and recharges from either the photovoltaic cells attached to the unit, or by connection to a 5V USB power source.
The Joos web site has a comparison with other manufacturers' solar chargers. The claim is that the Joos Orange provides more power for a given time exposed to sunlight (that is, it's more efficient) than competing products.
Price of the Joos Orange is $99. Delivery is expected to start this Fall. I expect larger Joos models with greater capacity to be introduced later.
http://www.solarjoos.com
http://gizmodo.com/5584810/joos-orange-solar-charger-reviewed-solar+powered-gadget-charging-for-real