SOL8 Solar Briefcase

This ought to literally warm the cockles of every tech geek's heart. Personally, the SOL8 Solar Generator Briefcase not only lacks aesthetic appeal, we can't for the life of us imagine why any road warrior would want to lug around a 4.4kg suitcase. And that's without packing a notebook and peripherals yet. Still, if it's to impress your clients, all you have to do is whip out the SOL8 and watch those jaws drop in amazement. It's not clear how long the panels need to soak in the sun's rays, but Velleman claims this power brick's good enough to charge laptops, electric hand tools, GPS systems and--we kid you not--caravans, yachts, and DC refrigerators.

Get the big image

Goes swimmingly with the Solar-Powered Handbag | Voltaic Solar Backpack | "Fusion" Solar Messenger Bag w/ optional PowerPac | Juice Bags

Via CNET News.com Blogs

Price: US$139
Availability: See site
Device: Solar briefcase
Basic specs: 13W solar chargers, adjustable support, 20.1 x 14.7 x 1.6inches, 4.4kg, working current of 750mA

Juice Bags

It's bad enough that vendors come up with tons of portable gadgets to tempt our pockets. That's, however, not as daunting as lugging along all the attendant cables, adapters and plugs to power up these devices. Ever tried carting your handheld gizmos along on a backpacking trip or even outstation? So yes, we want one of these. It's been out a while, but there are now a lot more color flavors for the fashion plate than just standard black. Juices up your portables, from your PSP to laptops, at anywhere from 1 up to 6 hours, depending on the device. Goodbye power bricks, hello Juice Bag!

Click for limited edition Juice Bag

Price: From US$199.95
Availability: See the Reware site
Device: Solar-paneled backpack
Basic specs: 6.3 watts, 16.6 volts, 0.325 amps, water-proof solar panel, weight 0.45lb, 12 x 12 x 0.1 inches, blocking diode to protect portable electronics, Universal CLA/Car Charger Female Socket inside the media pocket, bag comprises stop-rip nylon material

Power-Generating Backpack

Remember the old familiar refrain: "Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag, and smile, smile, smile..." Well, now there's something to smile about. Prof Larry Rome of biology at Penn State Uni has developed the Suspended-load Backpack which harnesses mechanical energy from something as simple as walking. According to Rome, lugging 38kg of weight in the backpack can generate up to 7.4 watts of energy. That's enough juice to power multiple devices ranging from MP3 music player to PDA, to GPS and a mobile phone. The idea is based on a simple magnetic coil generator similar in principal to hand-cranked radios and flashlights that work with some rhythmic shaking. Forrest Gump, here we come!

See: larger image | generator diagram

Other green energy sources: Voltaic Solar Backpack | pee-powered battery | more info

Price: N.A.
Availability: Concept
Device: Backpack power generator
Basic specs: N.A.

Biodegradeable cell phone covers

Here's a blooming good idea. Toss that old handphone cover onto a compost pile (or potted soil for HDB sky dwellers), and weeks later this morphs into a sunflower, thanks to a seed embedded in the cover. The idea, still under germination in the labs of the University of Warwick, biodegradable plastics maker PVAXX Research & Development and Motorola, seeks to ease the burden of recycling on our much-abused planet which faces some 650 million phones being sold this year alone. Why stop at flowers? We could soon be growing our own edible vegetables and bulbs all from discarded cell phone casings.

Image from the University of Warwick

Price: N.A.
Availability: Q2 2005
Device: Biodegradable polymer covers
Basic specs: N.A.

Voltaic Solar Backpack

About time someone combined solar panels with a backpack into a portable solar powerhouse. This should find a ready market here with most Singaporeans already lugging backpacks as part of their street wear, and armed with a minimum of one cell phone, PDA, MP3 player and even a compact camera. While the panels may be waterproof, hopefully the same smart folks have included a rainhood for the Voltaic since it's about as pricey as that iPod it's charging up. A pity the solar backpack isn't capable of juicing up laptops, for now.

Click to see the back of bag | inside bag

Price: US$229
Availability: Voltaic Systems, late November
Device: Solar bag
Basic specs: Three waterproof solar panels that can generate up to 4 watts of power, Li-ion battery pack inside, bag material of UV-resistant, 840D nylon padded with high-density foam, 1.59kg

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