PICO solar battery charger (From The Northern Echo)

PICO solar battery charger

5:34pm Wednesday 24th March 2010 in

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Price: £16.99

BATTERIES are the bane of my life. When I'm out-andabout, I'm always looking for a plug so I can top up my smartphone, iPod or MP3 player.

And the need to take along a tangle of mains adaptors completely undermines the notion of something small and portable. But this week it looks as though technology has finally come to my rescue.

The PICO Freeloader is a gadget charger that harnesses the power of the sun's rays to keep your music playing and calls coming through. PICO claims it is the lightest and most compact solar charger available, and is capable of powering virtually all portable electrical devices.

It can provide enough power to keep a mobile phone running for 35 hours or an iPod for 14 hours.

And a fully charged PICO will deliver power to your gadget in only 30 minutes.

Even better, the PICO is really tiny - it's not much more than a battery with a solar panel on the back and weighs a mere 49 grams - so at last you can leave all those hopeless leads and adaptors at home.

This stylish unit that flaunts a super slim, white design and looks great plugged into an iPod Classic. However, if you like to pimp and personalise your gadgets, then the PICO's accessory arsenal is sure to please.

Super charge: The Freeloader Supercharger (A£22.99) is designed to freeload more of the sun's power and consequently powers up the PICO super quickly. It is tough, weather resistant and can be fitted to a rucksack or bike panniers, making it the ideal accessory for the hardcore outdoor enthusiast or extreme sports fanatic.

Dress to match: Colour co-ordinate your gadget collection by dressing your PICO to match. Choose from a range of funky gel cases, available in red, green, blue, orange, pink, black or clear. The impact resistant cases also protect the PICO from knocks and scratches. (A£3.99) Back-up your back-up: The Battery Charger, from Solar Te chnology, is the world's smallest AA and AAA charger.

Use the juice from the PICO, or a PC, to keep rechargeable batteries at the ready. It may be small but Solar Te chnology has even managed to squeeze in a handy flashlight.

Using advanced Solar Cell technology the PICO can charge in all daylight conditions.

However, to charge in double quick time, the PICOs internal LiION battery can also be charged via USB (cable supplied).

The new Freeloader PICO is supplied with four connection tips (gadgets that can be charged via USB, such as the iphone, can also connect to the PICO for juice using their USB sync cable), a master cable and a comprehensive user manual. It is A£16.99 from solartechnology.co.uk and online retailers.