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The SoliLight SoliCharger is a solar powered battery charging pack for your iPhone. In addition to keeping your phone charged, with the included USB adapter kit, it will also charge most other brands of MP3 players, cell phones, digital cameras, GPS units, etc. But what intrigues me most about this solar charger is the fact that they say it will work with incandescent light as well as the sun. I’ve tried a few solar chargers over the years and have had problems placing them in a location with enough direct sunlight to charge the solar cell. If this one really does work indoors, it sounds like a great free power sourc. Price $59.95.
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Looking closely at their product description, it is meant for you to charge this via usb first (or simultaneously). Then it can be used to charge other things. The solar panel only keeps the battery topped off. Based on its specs it would take 16 hours of direct sunlight (at ideal conditions) to recharge the lithium battery in this charger. The another 1.5 hours to charge an iPhone. I would doubt an incadescent bulb would provide much power to this, you really need direct, summer sunlight to get maximum output from a solar cell.
FREE power source, only $59.95 Wowie
I agree with Jason Fournier (he beat me to it 🙂
I checked this out on the products website and the solar panel is only meant to keep the battery topped off:
“built-in solar panel on the back side that will provide enough power to keep your SoliCharger fully charged (normally, re-chargeable batteries can lose up to 4% of their power every day if they’re not being recharged). Just keep it in the sun or even under interior lights and it will automatically keep a small trickle charge flowing into your SoliCharger.”