Showing posts with label solar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label solar. Show all posts
Sunday, April 5, 2015
OnBeat Solar Headphones charge your phone in the sun
Phone battery always dying on you? The OnBeat Solar Headphones could be the perfect solution to your smartphone woes.
A UK-based Kickstarter campaign is trying to raise funds for a pair of solar-powered headphones that can charge smartphones and tablets in the sun.
The OnBeat Solar Headphones work via a flexible solar panel that covers the entire headband to soak up the rays. This channels the solar energy to a pair of Lithium ion batteries located inside the ear cups.
When its not sunny outside, theres also a USB connection so you can hook your tablet or smartphone and charge it via a PC.
OnBeat claims that the headphones will provide a full battery recharge for a mobile phone however the company fails to provide evidence of the charging performance for specific devices.
In terms of the standard headphone specs, the OnBeat headphones feature 40mm drivers, have a frequency response of 20hz to 20,000Khz and include an integrated remote to control the volume.
OnBeat is searching for £200,000 and with 29 days to go has reached just under £8,000. At the bottom of the pledging scale if you give £5 you can get a mention on the website. If you chip in £89 or more you’ll get a pair of the headphones sent to you if they successfuly launch.
The headphones will end up costing around £119 and an estimated delivery date of February 2014 suggests you will have to wait until next year to see the first pair. You can find out more on the OnBeat Solar headphones Kickstarter page.
Read more »
A UK-based Kickstarter campaign is trying to raise funds for a pair of solar-powered headphones that can charge smartphones and tablets in the sun.
The OnBeat Solar Headphones work via a flexible solar panel that covers the entire headband to soak up the rays. This channels the solar energy to a pair of Lithium ion batteries located inside the ear cups.
When its not sunny outside, theres also a USB connection so you can hook your tablet or smartphone and charge it via a PC.
OnBeat claims that the headphones will provide a full battery recharge for a mobile phone however the company fails to provide evidence of the charging performance for specific devices.
In terms of the standard headphone specs, the OnBeat headphones feature 40mm drivers, have a frequency response of 20hz to 20,000Khz and include an integrated remote to control the volume.
OnBeat is searching for £200,000 and with 29 days to go has reached just under £8,000. At the bottom of the pledging scale if you give £5 you can get a mention on the website. If you chip in £89 or more you’ll get a pair of the headphones sent to you if they successfuly launch.
The headphones will end up costing around £119 and an estimated delivery date of February 2014 suggests you will have to wait until next year to see the first pair. You can find out more on the OnBeat Solar headphones Kickstarter page.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Alcatel to launch solar powered smartphone within 12 months
Alcatel has confirmed that it will launch a new solar powered smartphone within the next 12 months, with the handset’s sun-loving panel to be built within its screen.
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Bringing solar powered portable gadgets in to the modern era, the French phone manufacturer has showcased a concept solar phone that, instead of boasting an ugly light panel on its rear, builds a transparent solar panel within the phone’s touchscreen display.
“A couple of months ago we partnered with a company and said ‘let’s try make a transparent solar panel’,” Dan Dery, Alcatel’s Global Vice President of Marketing told TrustedReviews. “It seemed crazy but now we have a working prototype where we have put solar cells over the touchpanel of a display.”
Discussing the future of the battery-saving technology he added: “We are not going to market with the solar phone quite yet. It is probably going to take us another nine to 12 months in order to make sure that the efficiency of the panel is absolutely fine and the transparency level is ok.
“Today the transparency is not where we want it to be – you can see a slight layer on top – but we are trying to see if we can include this within 12 months.”
With battery life being one of the biggest ongoing concerns for smartphone users, Dery has suggested that the transparent solar panel technology could help revolutionise the market, offering added staying power and reducing the reliance on power connectors.
“If you ask consumers what is there major concern, it is often that they have to carry a charger with them to charge their phone and with LTE coming this is getting worse because the content we enjoy requires more power,” he said.
“The target for the solar phone is that in an indoor environment it should be able to maintain an idol current so your phone battery is not depleting, outdoor under the sun it should charge, those are the targets we have.”
The Alcatel VP added: “We are not too far away from this efficiency but currently not quite there. I think we are the only one in the world to demonstrate that.”
While there are concerns this new technology will add a premium to any handset’s price tag, Dery has reassured that the company’s solar powered phone will not dent your wallet.
“If this would require us to bring the phone to a crazy price we would not do that,” he told us. “Everything is about what we can do for normal consumers, those who are not ready to spend $600 every year for a new phone.”
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