Entered CNET Catalog: 12/21/2005
SKU: S13-A11E
Manufacturer: Better Energy Systems Ltd.
Manufacturer description
The Solio is the most functional Solar charger ever designed and makes the use of solar technology easier than ever: attach a cable to your device and press the button, that's it!Product summary
The good: The Solio Universal solar charger kit has a compact design and delivers ample charging time, and the internal battery can be charged from the wall or the sun.
The bad: The Solio Universal solar charger kit can't balance on its side when open.
The bottom line: Well designed and high functioning, the Solio Universal solar charger kit is great for power in a pinch on a sunny day.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 02/14/2006
Opening the Solio is a simple process: All you need to do is swivel the panels outward so that they resemble a windmill. We found the mechanism a little loose, however, and the panels didn't snap securely into place. On the side of the rear-most panel are ports for the wall charger and for the cord that connects to your phone. You get adapters for most Motorola, Nokia, and Samsung phones, in addition to adapters for the Apple iPod. Sony Ericssons aren't supported yet, nor are the newer Motorola phones that use a USB charger. The only other external feature is a small power button that conveniently flashes to show the charging strength.
Unlike other chargers reviewed here, the Solio has an internal battery that can be charged via a conventional wall charger or directly from the sun. Charging from the wall is a straightforward process, and you should get a full charge in about 6 hours. But considering this is a solar charger, we preferred to use the sun as our power source. Solio's makers promise you'll be able to fully charge the device with 8 to 10 hours of direct sunlight. Keep in mind, though, that a cloudy day will make charging more difficult, and users in far northern or southern latitudes during winter will have more trouble.
According to Solio's specifications, 60 minutes of sun will power your phone for about 10 minutes of talk time and four days of standby time. We fared somewhat better when we tested the Solio with our Motorola V600. We plugged in the phone and aimed the charger at the sun. In a design flaw, the Solio does not balance by itself on its side, but you do get a suction cup for attaching it to a window. After exposing it to the sun for about 45 minutes, we got enough juice on the phone to make a 20-minute call--impressive. It's worth mentioning that if the Solio's battery is completely dead when placed in the sun, it won't begin charging your phone for about 5 minutes. Also, Solio's makers aren't kidding when they say it needs to be placed in direct sunlight.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13out of 13 user reviews
Solio is crap company!
Pros: Nothing good.
Cons: My product was DOA
Solio waste my time with email, they ask questions, did nothing.
Product uses proprietary connectors.
I find out other users complain too low power to use anyway
out of 13 user reviews
Excellent device. Great step towards a green future.
Pros: Charges easily. Works great with mobile devices. compact enough to carry around.
Cons: Does not come with adapters like the Solio Mono-a. uses completely different adapters than the other solio products. Instructions basic and do not elaborate on how to stand the classic-i up.
out of 13 user reviews
20 hours to charge an iPhone
Pros: Good concept
Cons: It's a poorly designed product if it takes this long to charge a smartphone battery from solar. There has got to be a better solution out there.
out of 13 user reviews
Disappointed
Pros: Great idea, connects with pretty much everything you can think of
Cons: Takes too long to charge, even in bright sunlight; Only partially charges my PalmPre - gives me an extra hour or so of battery life and that's about it.
When I plugged it into my dying PalmPre, it only gave it an extra hour or two of life. I thought that it must have become disconnected because I couldn't believe that it had stopped charging my phone. But, nope, everything was connected correctly. The Solio was drained but my PalmPre was only at 14% battery! 3 days of charging for less than 2 hours of phone life? Not worth it.
out of 13 user reviews
Excellent Concept, the best of it's kind
Pros: Works with most gadgets, attractive and reliable. Good Design
Cons: A bit Expensive
The Solio stands out as the leader of an emerging market of portable, renewable gadget charger.
I have used my Solio for almost a year, and besides an issue of not being able to charge my Sony Ericsson mobile via USB (which was solved by Solio sending me the corresponding SE tip free of charge) it has worked wonderfully.
If you are environmentally conscious, the Solio is an excellent way to power your gadgets with portable renewable energy.
Its not quite enough to be able to continually charge my mobile, iPod and PSP, but it comes pretty close.
I have tried the Free-Loader solar charger as well, but the Solio is definitely better.
out of 13 user reviews
DO not buy this terrible product
Pros: None - absolutely none!!!
Cons: Too many to mention
out of 13 user reviews
Happy but not thrilled
Pros: charges my blackberry great
Cons: not water proof
out of 13 user reviews
Charges cell phone and iPod just fine
Pros: Stores 3 charges; light weight; simple to use
Cons: Must buy iGo adapter tips; takes 2 days to charge in full sun
Wish it could charge more things like my laptop, but a good gadget to have
out of 13 user reviews
Great idea!
Pros: Works perfectly with all USB charging devices.
Cons: None found yet
out of 13 user reviews
I was so disappointed
Pros: charges well, very effective
Cons: not water proof
out of 13 user reviews
Really, really not ready for prime time
Pros: I got my money back. It worked (sort of) with my iPod.
Cons: Fried my phone, would not charge in the sun
On a positive note, I (eventually) got it to work with my iPod, probably because the iPod uses a standard USB interface that is well known to engineers and uses a standard voltage. Unfortunately, it took a lot of tinkering and jiggling of the poorly designed cables and plugs that come with the unit. In trying to be all things to all devices, Solio came up with a smorgasbord of cheap adapter plugs and cables, none of which snap together well, and must be laid out and jiggled just right to make connections properly. I was able to charge the iPod only after much tinkering. But, read on...
After three days of putting the Solio out on the deck and running out every hour or two to re-orient it toward sun, the result: nada. zilch. no charge at all. I had to plug it into the wall to charge it up (which worked fine). I tested it in December so the sun is at its lowest point on the horizon (assuming that matters), but I'm also in NC, not exactly in the nether Arctic regions. Maybe this thing works near the equator, but it sure didn't here in the sunny South.
Finally, the documentation is terrible. The weird collection of cables, plugs, and adapters (necessary to try to be a 'universal' charger) was NOT self-explanatory. Even using the USB adapter took some fiddling around, and (Solio engineers take note) the adapters and plugs DO NOT FIT TOGETHER PROPERLY. You have to push and cajole and jiggle until they finally make contact and complete the circuit. Thus, you may actually have things hooked up right, but the charger doesn't work because there's a short circuit somewhere.
I eventually got my money back, but it took days to get an RMA, then weeks to finally get the charge off my credit card.
At least the people I talked to on the phone were nice.
out of 13 user reviews
It fried my phone
Pros: Good idea, looks cool
Cons: It destroyed my cell phone
out of 13 user reviews
The sexiest, most functional portable power source on the market today.
Pros: Internal battery, design, lighweight, compatibility.
Cons: Doesn't come with a case.
I love to mountain bike and snowboard and with my Solio, I can be on the mountain all day long and be listening to my iPod without skipping a beat - it's so light you don't even notice carrying it at 160g.
During the week I'm on my cellphone for work and my Solio keeps it topped up after a long day of calls and listening to music in transit.
Maybe the reviewer didn't take time to check the compatability because if he did, he'd know that connector tips are available for most phones on the market today including SonyEricsson phones - both old and new models like the K750i. Not to mention its compatibility with PDAs, audio players, digital cameras and GPS units to boot.
And about standing it on its side - don't know about you guys but the sun shines from above for most of the day... and for that reason, there is a hole through the hinge that binds the blades to insert a pencil, twig or this little window sucker thing (included) to keep it pointed properly toward the sun. This is a really well designed device.
The only downside is that there is no case to put this thing in, but if you check out the company behind it - they're called Better Energy Systems - they actually have a line of cases called Tread made from recycled truck tires not only for your Solio, but for iPods and laptops too. Some seriously funky gear - these guys are onto something.
Don't mean to rave but this Solio solves a lot of my problems when travelling, heading outdoors and around town. For anyone with any mobile device, you seriously need one of these!
Oh and did I mention that this is like the sexiest designed charger ever? I mean there are solar panels and there are back up batteries, and then there's SOLIO. Nuff said.
