Imagine a long weekend ahead of you, and all that you want to do is to take a long drive out of town and pitch a tent in some remote area in order to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Unfortunately, your currently lifestyle is too tangled up with electronics to warrant a divorce from gadgets even when you take a sabbatical away from civilization, which means you will have to learn to conserve energy in these devices as asking Mr. Bear’s permission to borrow his power outlet is definitely out of the question. Thankfully, we have to sun to help us out in such situations and it is devices such as the SolarPort 4.4 that make outdoor activities an enjoyable moment without worrying about your digital camera running out of juice at the most inopportune moment.

The SolarPort solar panel targets devices that are charged via USB, although there is also a generic power jack available for other compatible devices. This means you now have a viable means of keeping your cellphone running, your GPS navigation system online, and your digital camera juiced up at all times. You can toggle the SolarPort between 6 and a dozen volts depending on the type of device that is currently being charged. Up to three units can be hooked up together in order to increase power output.

This lightweight but sturdy solution won’t be able to charge up your device as fast as a power outlet, but at least it gets the job done. One area of concern would be keeping your devices shaded from the searing heat of the sun when charging, as most electronics these days are made from plastic, I fear the unforgiving heat will cause it to warp and go out of shape. Each $119 purchase comes with a BattJack Rapid Charger that works with rechargeable AA batteries.

Source: Ubergizmo