Solar Technology for On-The-Go

4 technologies that celebrate greener times ahead…

There is quite a bit of talk about solar power in the news lately.

Of course, living on a planet that’s natural resources have been depleted by its inhabitants, it’s time to start thinking green if we expect the earth to survive.

Solar power is produced by harnessing sunlight and converting it into electricity.

Our most common harnessing mechanism for solar power to date has been flat solar panels affixed to the roof of a home or business.

However, advances in solar energy technology have moved far beyond our imagination—in fact, by leaps and bounds. Today, solar power appears in many of our most depended upon mobile devices, such as lap top chargers, cell phones, watches and timers, and e-readers so we can take them anywhere and still use them.

If you’re set on living a greener more eco-friendly lifestyle, the following 4 solar powered technologies are must-have…

1. Go Power! Weekender SW Complete Solar and Inverter System

Who though the day would ever come when we could power our laptops using solar power? We’re lucky to live in the day and age where we can buy this technology conveniently at Amazon.com—for $1,643.99 mind you, but still. The Go Power! Weekender SW Complete Solar and Inverter System provides laptops with power thanks to its powerful 125 solar watt panel and 1500 watt pure sine wave inverter system. This sucker will charge tablets, cell phones, ultrabooks, e-readers, handheld gaming systems and anything else you can throw at it. So you can set it up at the cottage, at the beach, on vacation, or in the middle of the dessert and have power. Now how’s that for convenience?

2. Umeox Apollo Solar Powered Cell Phone

Your dreams of solar powered cell phone activation have come! No super powers required, unless you consider the makers of the Umeox Apollo, an Android-enabled phone that harnesses its power from the sun. That being said, there are still some kinks to work out. For instance, the phone requires about 2.5 hours of sunlight for a quick top up charge and a whopping 17 hours to charge from empty to full. Let’s face it; letting your phone bake in the sun for that long is never a good think. However, if you’re a proactive type, you’d probably remember to top up at 10-minutes at a time for those longer road trips and camping trips. No need to get all excited just yet—the Umeox Apollo is not available in the U.S. It’s only sold in Europe and Asia for the time being.

3. Biblio Leaf Solar Powered e-Reader

Book lovers everywhere can turn green with envy that the Biblio Leaf Solar Powered e-reader is only available for the time being in Japan. Even though the idea of an e-reader that harnesses power from the sun is about as fantastical as the sparkly vampires in the Twilight series, the Biblio Leaf won’t combust from the light—after a single charge it will actually let you read 7500 pages non-stop before another charge. So even though it’s not available in the U.S. quite yet, our literary imaginations can still dream of the day when we can relax on a beach and read without our e-readers dying just when the action starts. Plus, the Biblio Leaf boasts a six-inch e-ink display with 800 x 600 pixel resolution, 2 GB of memory for your personal library, and 3G/Wi-Fi connectivity.

4. Nixon Volta Solar Powered Time Piece

I’m always a little past the mark when it comes to my watch and its ability to die when I need it most. For the life of me, I can’t seem to find batteries that last. But that’s OK now because I’ve found a great eco-friendly alternative in a time keeper called the Nixon Volta. Forget the batteries; I’ll never need to worry them again thanks to this stunning, solar-energy powered gadget. And did I mention that not only does this watch impress visually—it’s got a really cool semi transparent dial and comes in a variety of colors and bands—you don’t even need direct sunlight to charge it. Really, any kind of light source will do the trick!

Bio: Rebecca Keller is a graduate of the Arts and Technology program at the University of Texas. An admitted tech-junkie, freelance writing about Android devices for AndGeeks.com offers the perfect outlet for a tech geek like Rebecca. When she’s offline, which isn’t very often, Rebecca enjoys volunteering for her local animal shelter and off road mountain biking.

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