Saturday, January 3, 2009

Solio Classic

Ok, let's get this party started! I recently had a birthday...well, it was in October, but that's beside the point. The point is that my AWESOME brother and sister-in-law bought me a Solio Universal Hybrid Charger! Have you seen one of these? An amazing idea! I've already started using it and plan to use it much more as the weather warms up.

The Solio Classic is an awesome product that I think we'll see more people begin using in the future during their outdoor adventures (or at least other like products on the market). Outdoor enthusiasts continue to become more aware of their environment while expecting the ability to use electronics while in the wild, both for convenience and for safety. So what is this Solio Charger?? It's a universal hybrid charger that is powerful enough to charge electronic products anywhere under the sun! It's considered a hybrid because it accepts power from either the sun or the wall (via your computer), storing the energy within the internal rechargeable battery. It then allows you to use that energy to power all of your gadgets while running around on this beautiful earth of ours. It also advertises that it holds it charge for up to ONE YEAR. I can't confirm this specific fact yet but so far it's been a really nifty product to own. I can also say that when ordering a new adapter plug for my new LG DARE cell phone they were very easy to work with. Although it was somewhat difficult to figure out what tip I needed to order, they responded to my email inquiry within two days and let me know exactly what I needed. Plus, it was much cheaper than I expected. I was very satisfied with the product and customer service. So, what can you charge with this product? Cell phones, iPhones, iPods, MP3 players, Smart Phones, PDAs, Game Players, GPS devises and digital cameras! What else could you need, right? I can say that during my last camping adventure I could have used this with my cell phone and GPS. I constantly had the fact that I needed to conserve and manage my battery consumption on my mind. The last thing I'll say about the Solio is how sturdy it feels and how the design seems natural to hiking/camping. It's designed to fan out when you want to collect the suns rays while it collapses when in storage or when you're using it to charge your device of choice. It also has hole in the center of the three solar spokes to allow you to prop it up with a pencil, tie it to your pack or hang it on a tree limb. It also comes with a rubber suction cup that sticks through the hole and attaches to a window. Great design. This product will definitely be helpful during my 2009 excursions.

My Solio Classic is just one of three Solio products you can purchase. There's also the Solio Magnesium Edition and the Solio Hybrid 1000. The Magnesium Edition is designed to meet the demands of serious adventurers while the 1000 is the smallest and cheapest of the three. If you want to purchase your Solio product from their website, you can expect to pay:

Solio Magnesium Edition- $169.95
Solio Classic Universal Hybrid Charger- $99.95
Solio H1000- $79.95

Of course, there are other similar products on the market and I think it's only appropriate to take a look at some of these options. One product you might want to take a look at is the Portable Hybrid Solar Charger that I found on the website GoldenGadgets (item #S-ZWT01) for the low sale price of $19.99 (regularly $24.99).
A third website you will want to check out is Solar Style. They're currently having a big sale with several options available. The solarola SC017 is regularly $39.99 but is now on sale for $19.99! Their SC003 Charger, what they consider to be their "Full Kit" comes with 4 connectors and an AC and car adapter. It's on sale for $17.99 from the $35.99 regular price. There are several other options but the one that jumped out at me was their SC001 which is on sale for $4.99 from the regular $25.55! That price is unbelievable! They recommend this product for standard mobile phones, small MP3 players and other electronic devices with lower energy consumption/battery needs. It comes with 5 connectors.

Well, I hope this jump starts your interest in in solar powered chargers. These chargers are obviously a great way to do what we love doing while keeping our devices conveniently charged. However, Solio reports that over the next five years, the US and Europe will import over five billion charger for handheld electronics. Many of these will end up in landfills, creating over 16 million tons of CO2, the most problematic greenhouse gas. Therefore, the more we plug into the sun the happier we'll all be! Be well and stay primed!

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