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.

I subjected the Soldius1 to one week of intense use.  The first goal was charging my Motorola Q cell phone.  One good thing about the Soldius1 is that it includes many different adapters to charge your favorite devices.  Additional adapters can be purchased at a nominal cost.  The mysoldius folks sent me an adapter for my Motorola Q but added that it was not officially listed as a supported device.  I wanted to put it to the test anyway and find out what results I might have.

I began charging my Moto Q at 11:26 a.m. with no bars and frequent warnings about no battery life remaining.  I plugged in the Soldius1, waited about 30 seconds, placed the unit into direct sunlight, and saw that my Motorola Q was charging from the sun's power.  I was getting juice off the grid.  After an hour, my Moto Q indicated 2 out of 4 bars of battery life.  Two, three, and four hours of charging all indicated 3 out of 4 bars of battery life.  It might also be noted that during the last two hours of charging (as seen in the video), my Motorola Q was resting on the dashboard of my car.  The sun's power could have been impacted by my car's windshield, although I doubt that had much influence.  It was a very sunny day, and I had overall similar results with my wife's Motorola Razr.

I also put the Soldius1 unit to the test with my old Samsung SCH-A670 cell phone.  This phone had been turned off with a dead battery in my closet for at least two years.  The Samsung, like my Moto Q, was not listed as a supported device likely due to the fact that most of them are no longer used.  I started charging at 4:10 p.m. with no battery, and the Samsung was fully charged after an hour and ten minutes.  It was a super bright day and there was no cloud in the sky.  It should be noted that if there is no sun this device will not work.  There is no internal battery to save additional power accumulated from the sun.  However, when the sun is in full-force, the Soldius1 worked flawlessly.

Pros:

• Solid construction
• Small size, extremely portable
• Lots of adapters for various devices
• Great for making emergency phone calls

Cons:

• No battery to save additional power generated from the sun
• Only works under very sunny conditions
• A little pricey

Conclusion: 

For a vacation where you'll have limited access to power or if you're in need of an emergency source of power, the Soldius1 is worth considering.  It won't be a replacement power source to fully charge your device, but it will enable you to make a few calls if the sun is out.  I was very pleased that it provided enough juice to place a call on a dead battery.  The Soldius1 charger is a well constructed solar charger that would be great for avid outdoors people or folks who live in very sunny areas.  If you live in a cloudy area or don't see much sunshine, I'd suggest looking for alternative power sources.  An area like Phoenix, a city that receives over 300 days of sunshine a year, would make a perfect home for the Soldius1. 

The mysoldius FAQ indicates that they are currently working on a solar charger for laptop computers.  It may be a few years away, but it will certainly have a place in the market with smaller mobile Internet devices. The Soldius1 is a step in the right direction; it is a step towards more green-tech devices that have a practical place in our lives.

Would you consider buying a solar charger?