I found the greatest BlackBerry gadget ever! (Besides my Bluetooth GPS receiver, of course)

I just got the chance to check out one of those solar chargers for the BlackBerry. All in all: it is very easy to use and it just works!

With just 76 gram it is a very lightweight device and fits into every pocket. I think it is very useful when you are outdoors and don’t have the chance to charge your BlackBerry (or Bluetooth GPS receiver with which it is compatible as well). For example, when you go hiking or doing any outdoor activity that requires your BlackBerry to work. One more cool thing is the fact that this Solar Charger comes with an internal battery which is constantly charged even if there is no device connected to it. This means, you got an internal extra “buffer battery” which enables you to use the Solar Charger even in the dark without any daylight. Moreover, daylight is not necessarily required for the Solar Charger. You can even use it inside in your office with the normal office light and the Solar Charger charges itself and a connected device using the office light. WICKED! For demonstration photos please see below.

The Solar Charger supports a variety of mobile phones and other electronic devices, but it also supports all BlackBerry models with a mini-USB port.

Supported BlackBerry® devices: 71xx Series, 713x Series, 72xx Series, 75xx Series, 77xx Series, 81xx / Pearl Series, 83xx / Curve Series, 87xx Series, 88xx Series, 90xx / Bold Series.

My BlackBerry Curve 8320 works really well with this neat gadget. Here are some photos from the device in action:

You can get the Solar Charger for BlackBerry for just $29.95 at 100milligrams.

This is an excerpt of the full review by BlackBerryInsight; content used with permission.

Way cool! I may have to look at that.

thanks.

Wow, thats a great price too!

wow this seems like an awesome product...green, inexpensive, practical, what else could you want? I may just have to buy this.

has anyone else used this product before? I would like to hear from more than one guy.

Ye, so cool

It seems I am the only who used this until now. Not everyone gets such a nice gadget into their hands

We've reviewed a few - here are two:

SPECIAL REPORT SECOND BONUS REVIEW: HY MINI “GREEN” CHARGER

Alternative energy sources get personal with solar & wind power storage in this handheld recharger for your USB-port powered gear. The HYmini looks a little bit like those personal cooling fans at the beach, but first impressions of this cool little gizmo are almost always backwards. There’s a rechargeable battery inside the case, with a couple of white LEDs on its face, a 3-position switch & under a rubber cover, a power-only USB connector, a DC coaxial jack & a red LED indicator. Those fan blades aren’t there to create a wind but to capture it & use it as one method of recharging the battery inside; an accessory kit lets you mount it on a car window, bike handlebar or armband. The DC connector lets you plug in a postcard-size companion solar cell array or, if you’re really stuck for green energy, a companion AC adapter; it can also charge through its USB connector. The red LED tells you when it’s charging & turns green when that’s complete; it holds a charge for about 2 weeks. All of this happens when the 3-position switch is centered (off); slide it to the right & those white LEDs act as a flashlight; slide it to the left & the USB port can recharge all kinds of handheld gear. Bottom line: It’s more than adorable; it’s Al Gore-able!

Special Report Bonus Review 3: Brando Solar Mobile Charger

Brando is a Hong Kong outfit with some very clever USB gear; this is the first of 4 reviews of their products, which often carry multiple other brand names, too. For starters, we asked Brando to send their 2600MAH Solar Mobile Charger, aka P110 Versatile Solar Charger. We love this thing. Think about a flat panel with about the same footprint as a paperback book, but only about 30-50 pages tall. The top panel is a solar cell array rates at 0.7W; underneath is a 2600mAH LiIon battery accessible through a USB mini-5 port with a 5.5V (10% over the USB spec) output. If you’re in a “hurry” you can charge it through a USB-A wall wart & matching cable (all the extras mentioned here are included) in about 8 hours. Using the sun alone, you can reach a full charge in about 12 hours (maybe 15 in Cleveland); a green LED on the edge glows during charging & goes dark when charging is complete. It also has a cable for going the other way, mating the mini-5 to a female coaxial barrel connector that can fit any of 5 tips designed to cover most phone models. Bottom line: We like this device a lot for those times when a sunny day can lead to too much time away from a charger (like biking, camping, or some kinds of bus or car travel).

thanks for the reviews... i would really like to get one of these products so I dont have to you my wall charger anymore. has anyone else used one of these? which one should i get?

I don't think you can count on just one letting you forget about your wall charger unless you only tend to need to recharge your BB every other day; you may need 2 or 3 or more so you when you drain one, you can do another recharge with the next if it's before the first gets enough sunlight to get recharged.

And keep an eye on the spec - a BB is happiest with 5V at 700-800 mA - the battery inside the solar gizmo has to be able to deliver that.

The brand that's easiest to find to buy is probably Solio, so start by looking into theirs.

(Solio - if you see this - you owe one to Max - and I should probably remind you of your promise to get me one to review).

i usually charge my bb every other day, and I have a window that get direct sunlight for most of the day. I will look into that brand tho thanks

Hey guys, I got some awesome, wicked, wicked, wicked, awesome news!

My last review was so good that the manufacturer contacted me and asked if I would want a free device because I wrote such a nice review. Well, of course I said “Yeah man!”

Though I already have the black one with an orange stripe (seems to be kind of limited as they don’t have this anymore) I could use another one as well to charge my BlackBerry and my Bluetooth GPS receiver at the same while I am hiking or biking and tracking my GPS positions.

The new Solar Charger they sent me is black as well but it comes with a nice grey stripe. So it doesn’t have this “limited feeling” but who cares… Anyway, I thought it might be a nice thing to just post some unboxing photos of this one. So here they are:


That’s how the original box looks like.


Fancy layout inside


Everything in there: extension cord, power adapter for charging the solar charger’s battery in an emergency at your power plug, adapters for all supported phones (incl. BlackBerry, Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, SonyEricsson).


Solar Charger connected to my BlackBerry Curve 8320.


Solar Charger connected to my old BlackBerry 8700v.

If you want to know more:

• Full review: Hardware Review - Solar Charger for BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
• The product page: POCKET SOLAR CHARGER for BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

nvm

Hey guys,

some days ago I made a real life test.

Check it out: Solar Charger with flattened BlackBerry 8700v - REAL LIFE TEST charging from 0 to 100% | BlackBerryInsight

cool, i saw one too at another thread, it was a tie i think