I love the concept of solar energy. Being a Los Angelino solar energy should be part of my earthquake kit so I was really excited about the Solio charger for my cell phone.
At about $100 I decided to wait for the price to come down so when I saw the pink one on Travel Country for $70 with no tax or shipping I jumped all over it.
When I opened the box I was stunned to see so many different plugs. This sucker will work with cameras and phones, iPods and more. It has plugs for US outlets as well as a handful for countries I can't afford to visit will not be going to this year.
Ooh, and did I mention that it's pink. So very bright, with a totally postmodern airline sleekness to it? It's gorgeous!
Too bad it doesn't work.
I mean it works, in that it does what it says it will do. It'll charge your iPhone in about 6-8 hours, if you're not using said iPhone during that time. By contrast the iPhone plugged into a cigarette lighter in the car charges in 25 minutes. The batteries will recharge in the Solio when it's left in direct sunlight (again for 6-8 hours) so if you're ready to take $70-$100 of electronics and leave it out in the elements you'll be much happier, just make sure to avoid shade at all costs. If you plan to leave it in your kitchen window, prepare for disappointment.
It won't charge in car windows and I don't know why but I suspect it has something to do with tempered glass.
Solio, this is sad. I really wanted to like you. I wanted you to be my savior when the power goes out in Los Angeles and I have to listen to my iPod call for help, but this version just isn't going to get the job done. Not even in Sunny Southern California.
Further Reading:
Your Solio needs UV rays from the sun.The car windows block the UV rays from getting in. This is the same for transition lenses
on prescription glasses. They won't react inside a car. I was told this during a couple meetings with 2 different optical companies. I just received a Solio but it doesn't seem to charge my Ipod. I've hooked all the right cords per the instructions but the Ipod won't show the charge signal. After a few emails with a sales rep, they pretty much told me these things never fail and that I was probably doing something wrong. I do digital animation and video so I may send them a video of my situation. The Solio also needed an extra adaptor for my my new Sprint Sanyo phone. I was given the Solio to test for a company and so far I've only been able to charge the batteries and nothing else. I'm not giving up on it, we'll see. As for your Solio in the car, open a window and it should work.
Have a good day,
Scott
Written in January