solar-powered cell phone?

[tommy_ed]

wonder why no one has came up with a cell phone that recharges with a solar panel as well as the usual wall charger? seems like it would be very practical... maybe they have and i havent heard about it

 

[byteware]

There have been solar chargers that you can charge devices off of, but honestly, the power from a solar panel that would fit on a cell phone wouldn't be enough to do anything for you at all. You wouldn't even notice it.

 

[thrawn86]

because even a 5-watt solar panel with poor efficiency means you'd need several days of the indirect light provided *inside* an office building to build a full charge.

those tiny panels you see on the back of insect-toys? they produce *milliwatts*. offhand I'd get most modern phones have on the order of half a dozen watt-hours of capacity. that means you'd need something like this Newegg.com - Sunforce 50022 5 Watt Solar Battery Charger a full hour of direct sunlight.

 

[tommy_ed]

i see .... i wasnt expecting it to fully charge it, only to extend the battery life

 

[Eugene]

its been done before, I've seen articles on a couple. The issue is as mentioned already, the small size isn't enough to make a difference in battery life

 

[dan330]

but I do agree.. it would be a nice "feature".. to have a solar panel on the back cover.. not to fully charge the phone.. but to extend the time without needing to get to a wall-charger.

while it is sitting in standbye on the desk... the panel can help it not eat up battery.

issues...
people that use case to protect the phone..
people that dont like to have the phone out in open...

cost.. maybe .. $10 extra to cost of production.

 

[TxGoat]

The only problem I have with this is if it's combined with the tattoo being developed that will vibrate if you're receiving a call. "Am I getting a call, or did I over-charge my tattoo and thus am just itchy from a sunburn?"

Nokia seeks patent for 'tattoos' to tell you who's calling | DVICE