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Solar cells
have been around for a long time, but they have been out of reach of
many due to the cost. PowerTraveller has bought out a new solar charger
not only capable of charging up you mobile phone or iPhone but also
your laptop as well.
The SolarGorilla bears no resemblance to
any primate we've ever seen, but the despite the strange title, it
manages to deliver juice to you electronic gadget as long as it is a
reasonably sunny day.
It is about the size of an A4 piece of
paper when folded and comes with enough adaptors to recharge just about
anything you connect to it. The only thing it appears to need extra
accessories is a MacBook. PowerTraveller recommend that you also buy
one of its Apple MagSafe airline adaptor and universal car charger sockets.
While earlier in the year, the SolarGorilla may not be a great option
of recharging a phone, over the last couple of weeks the intense
sunshine we've had in the UK has meant that charging was a viable
alternative to using fossil fuels.
In tests, it managed to charge up our Nokia 6300 from flat in a few
hours. Our SonyEricsson W910i initially refused to play ball but ten
minutes suddenly vibrated and appeared to charge up normally. If you
want to charge up an iPod a separate tip (also known as a monkeynut) is
required but still won't charge up iPods with Firewire connectors.
The unit itself looks rugged and is scratchproof and the hinge appears
robust enough with the ability to easily attach it to the side of a
tent (handy when you want to recharge at Glastonbury). It also comes
with a neoprene case.
For £140, the SolarGorilla will be worth getting if you intend to spend
a lot of the summer at festivals or outdoor camping, where electricity
is naturally hard to come by.
Rating: 8/10
