Most gadgets that we report on require some sort of power source. One of the most techie and ecologically friendly ways of powering gadgets is via the power of the sun. This section of Coolest Gadgets is dedicated to gadgets that get their power from the sun’s rays, be it via solar panels or just simple heating.
For the past year, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has tested photovoltaic roofing products on roofs in Maryland. And the results are rather encouraging – with solar power efficiency varying from 6 to about 16 percent.
Based on various kinds of roofing products – ranging from tile, slate, and the single most popular shingle, all have photo-voltaic cells and surrounding inactive areas where roofers can secure them the old fashioned way – with a hammer and nail.
Imagine camping in the wild and an emergency happens. Luckily, you discover you have a cellphone signal! In the wild no less! But the bad news is, you’re battery has just died as you reach 911. Too bad you didn’t have a way wind charge that GPS cellphone so rescue workers could find you.
Well, you have to applaud the effort in creating this wind powered cellphone charger. A mini windmill weighing a feathery 150 grams sits atop your tent.
Being eco friendly is the cool thing to do, so to show off your greenness why not build a wind turbine for your office, with the solar powered wind turbine kit.
As you don’t normally get much wind in an office (depending on who you’re sat next to), the turbines are powered by the power of the sun (or that florescent strip above), so it might not be saving any energy but at least it shows your good intentions.
The kit consists of 11 parts, is said to be “easy to assemble” and is available for ~£22.50 from Gadgets.dk.
This is a cool little product for charging your gadgets, the Freeloader, a solar powered charging station.
What makes the Freeloader different to other solar powered charging devices is that you can charge the Freeloader up in the daytime and then at night connect it to your gadgets and let them recharge off the Freeloader’s battery and if you happen to need to charge the Freeloader at night you can always charge it via the USB port and then use it to charge your other devices - if that makes sense.
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Sony goes green with a bunch of devices that won’t ever need recharging since power can be obtained at a moment’s notice. While this morsel of news sounds great, I’m gutted to know that the devices we are going to touch on today are just concepts and won’t materialize in the corporeal world anytime soon. Known as Odo concepts, the idea behind each device is certainly exciting, and they come with aesthetically pleasing lines to boot. To whet your appetite, the entire Odo range consists of different devices, ranging from digital cameras to an image/movie viewer - basically anything that drains battery power at a much faster rate when compared to the relatively sloth-like analog radio.
This is a great way to ensure your kids are wearing enough sun cream, the SolarSafe, simple but very effective.
To use, you expose the wristband to direct sunlight and it will turn purple, you then attach it to the wrist and when applying sunscreen also apply it to the wristband. The wristband will now change color as the effectiveness of the sunscreen deteriorates. When it turns brown it is time to re-apply whilst the color cream means it’s time to top up on holiday beverages in a local taverna 
.
You can get a pack of 7 SolarSafes For $4.99 (~$10).
At last no more winding, with the Citizen Alterna Eco Drive Watch, you need not worry about changing those batteries or winding it up every evening. Solar power has been a long coming to the watch market, and so because of this, the watch will go and go, no longer limited by the battery and it would appear to have some little extras added to make it a watch for life.
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If you’re a huge buff of solar powered items, then the Soltronix Headphone Radio is just the thing for you. You don’t need to leave it basking under the sun for an entire day before being able to enjoy listening in to your favorite radio stations at night - no siree, the Soltronix Headphone Radio comes with its own solar film technology that is embedded across the top of the headphone and charges the internal Ni-MH AAA battery which is located within one of the ear pieces. With summer coming up really soon, the Soltronix Headphone Radio will definitely be a great outdoor device to tote around.
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