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Outside of being obsessed with green home decor, I love green gadgets! Especially solar gadgets! Below are my favorite solar technologies for people on the go that are currently on the market or soon to be. While some are more expensive than others, you definitely get some bang for you buck. This is just a small sampling so if you have a favorite solar gadget or gizmo please share in the comments!

Universal Hybrid Charger
There is something so enticing about the latest gadgets and gizmos. Each little item is a shiny new toy that promises to be your best friend in times of technological need! Ok maybe I exaggerated a little but we’ve all felt the impulse to buy the latest and greatest tech items from time to time. For people who are always on the go you never know when your iPod or iPhone will die.

Enter Solio, a universal hybrid charger. What makes this charger hybrid is that it can accept power from the sun or the wind and stores energy in it’s rechargeable battery. The battery itself can actually hold its charge for up to a year!

What else is great about Solio is that you can charge your cell phone, iPod, camera, GPS, or gaming devices all in one device. Long gone are the days of carrying around wire after wire and searching for the nearest outlet. With only an hour of sunshine you can listen to 50 minutes of music or talk for 20 minutes on your phone. There are also a couple of different models to choose from so you can find the best match for your ‘green’ lifestyles.

Voltaic Solar Bags
The Voltaic solar bags are solar chargers designed to charge virtually all handheld electronics. The solar panels are embedded on the outside of the backpacks are lightweight, tough and waterproof. The panels are powerful enough to fully charge a laptop from one day of direct sunlight. Smaller bags produce enough power in 1 hour when exposed to direct sun to last 3 hours of iPod play time or 1.5 hours of cell phone talk time.

All bags include standard adaptors for common cell phones and other handheld devices. Even without an adaptor, you can charge most devices with a standard car charger or USB charger. This one is definitely on my wish-list!

Solar Clothing
This is so cool… Dave Pritchard at Fujitsu, said that ‘within a year it will be possible to design clothing with solar cells on the back or arms, so you can recharge wearable devices.’ The clothing will be most useful for outdoors activities and for the emergency services. It also appeals to those who want to reduce their power consumption. I can’t wait to see where this technology goes, just imagine the different types of applications!

Solar iPod/iPhone Charger
For those of you with the latest iPod or iPhone, soon you’ll be able to charge your Apple gadgets with a new solar case! Novothink, a manufacturer of alternative electronic devices, has just released their Solar Surge.

The integrated solar panel on the back of the case allows you to charge your iPhone or iPod soley from sunpower without the need for any other energy source. Plus there is an additional USB cable for charging your device if you don’t have access to sunlight. How it works…four LED indicators let you know whether you have sufficient light source for solar charging and approximately how much charge level remains in your case. And when your device is not in the case, the Solar Surge stores power in an internal battery.

These chargers are the first to be licensed by Apple and only work on the newer devices unfortunately.

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Resources:
Solio

First Ever Apple-Licensed iPod Solar Charger Case Unveiled

Solar Powered Clothing on the Rack Soon

Voltaic Solar Bags & Solar Chargers