Steve Paine at Solar-UMPC.com has an interesting post for all the sun worshipers detailing how his solar charging UMPC setup has changed from one year ago.  As things usually go, his solar charging UMPC setup appears to have become a little less complicated and more streamlined.  Steve decided to use the Samsung Q1 Ultra rather than the Q1B HSPDA .  However, he still employs the Sunling portable solar charger.  This post demonstrates how relying on the sun's energy is still a tedious and bothersome task for most people.  Until this process becomes more convenient, most folks will just plug into the wall.

Photo credit: Solar-UMPC.com

The past week I had the opportunity to test the Soldius1 mp3 player and cell phone solar charger from mysoldius.  This device sells for 89.95 at mysoldius.com and is available in a variety of colors.  They have an excellent frequently asked questions section that might dispel some misconceptions about charging devices with the sun's power.  With the new trends to go green, I wanted to see if this device lives up to the hype of a green-tech lifestyle.

Geeky-gadgets is highlighting a solar charger that lives on your key-ring.  Available now from Lazybone, this little charger can be purchased for £12.99 or around $25.66 USD.  While this device won't give you a ton of juice instantly, it might be handy to have on hand.

Specs (from Lazybone):

• Solar battery electric current 30mA (100,000Lx)
• Charging time for NIMH battery is 10 hours
• Cell phone usage15-25 minutes
• Output voltage: 4.5V~5.3V
• Output current: 650mA~250mA
• LED indication of charging
• Charges cell phone and other electrical devices through USB port (so you can use the same cable you might use to plug your phone into your PC)

These devices remind me of the solar-powered name or promotional key-rings.  I never realized just how many solar key-ring devices there are.  They look cool, but they don't do much.

Being mobile means you have the ability to be connected yet free enough not to be dependent on external power.  The fine folks at mysoldius have agreed to let me test and review their Soldius1  Universal Charger.  They describe the Soldius1 by saying that the unit is light, can fit in your pocket, and has the ability to charge your cell phone or mp3 player in 3-4 hours.  They have a plethora of supported devices, although you might need to purchase an adapter.  The Soldius1 is but one of a new wave of solar charging options to give your favorite gadgets a little juice.  Besides being green and saving a few pennies, solar chargers help you maintain your mobile independence.  I'd forecast that we'll see more of these devices hitting the market and even implemented into our gadgets.  The mysoldius company indicates that they are currently developing a solar-powered charger for laptops-- that'd be a great tool to have.

• Hypothesis:  The unit will fully charge my Motorola Q cell phone in 3 hours with full sunlight.

I'm excited to put this unit to the test and see how it lives up to its claims.  Leave your hypothesis or review suggestions in the comments.