Solio Magnesium Solar Charger Announced

Solio has added a new "Magnesium" model to its lineup of solar chargers, pretty much the same dimensions as the original Solio but with a female USB out, a far greater output of 8 watts from the larger internal rechargeable battery (compared to the 2.5 of the original), and a magnesium alloy shell. I've never used a Solio, but it works on the same principle as the Voltaic Solar Backpacks: Instead of trying to charge your devices directly off the panels, the panels instead recharge a battery, which you can then use when you need the power, whether you're in the sun or not. Ignoring the fact that it requires the manufacture of another battery which negates the overall "greenness" somewhat, it's a very handy system.

The Solio Magnesium will be available in February for around $200, twice the cost of the original model. (The picture above shows a Magnesium model on the left and a regular Solio on the right, but I'm sure the Magnesium will basically be identical in looks and function. They just didn't have an image of the Magnesium in bloom, so I used what I had.)

Company Page (It's not on there yet) [Solio.com]

[#1 posted by Anonymous , January 8, 2008 4:35 AM]

moreover than the environmental impact of the manufacturing of a battery, i thought that a solar panel was costing more energy to make than all the output it would produce in its whole life... so this product is great for independance, self-reliance, a perfect fit for nomadic work, but not an eco-friendly product....