Portable lithium-ion batteries that can charge themselves from an in-built solar panel are nothing new, but they have a tendency to be a trifle weedy – often failing to offer even a single full charge for your smartphone or PDA. Chinavision’s latest promises to put an end to this, offering a massive 20,000mAh battery behind a sizable solar panel.
First spotted by the guys over at 7Gadgets.com, the massive 205mm x 282mm device manages to cram its impressive energy storage into a surprisingly slim 18mm body – while the sizable front is taken up with a large polycrystalline solar panel which is capable of fully recharging the internal lithium-ion battery from flat in around 8-10 hours of strong sunlight.
If you’re not too keen on waiting that long, the device can also be hooked up to the mains or an in-car 12v source – it’s less environmentally friendly, but you’ll be left with a fully-charged battery in just three hours this way.
The device isn’t just aimed at charging up small devices like cellphones and MP3 players, however: with a range of outputs from standard 5V USB to a whopping 24V at 4A and a wealth of charger tips included Chinavision is aiming this gadget at those who want to keep their laptop running while out and about.
The company claims the charger is compatible with laptops from most major manufacturers – HP, Asus, Samsung, Acer, Toshiba, Dell, and Sony are all named – along with cellphones and cameras from all the usual suspects. If the internal lithium-ion battery can really hold 20,000mAh – or even close to it – then it should have more than enough juice available to give even a large laptop several charge cycles. For ultra-portable devices based around the CULV platforms, it could even extend the runtime into the realm of several days.
What isn’t made clear from the company’s product details is whether the gadget can supply the juice required to charge Apples iPad slate on-the-go – although with a claimed 1A available from the in-built 5V USB port, it should certainly be able to have a good go of it.
While Chinavision positions itself as a wholesaler, it’s making the high capacity solar charger available in single units for a limited time – and asking $148 with a carry bag and 12-month warranty. After initial stocks run out, the company states it will be increasing the minimum order quantity to two.
