The Freedom is built to charge 5-volt electronic devices, including smartphones, GPS devices, MP3 players, and cameras. But with only the USB cable provided–and no options for adapters on the Brunton Website–its range of applicability is limited. When the Freedom displayed just one or two LED indicators, however, none of the connected devices appeared to receive energy from it.

The waterproof, 5.7-ounce, gray-and-orange Brunton Freedom solar charger feels simple and rugged, a good option for people who do “dirty” work outdoors. You could rubberized device face-up on a slippery table, on the dashboard of your car, or in the rain. Sony NP-FP50 battery It can attach to and hang from a hook, but there’s no built-in stand to position the Brunton Freedom at an optimal angle to catch the sun’s rays.

Though you have to turn on the Freedom before you can use it as a charger, you don’t have to mess with any switches or modes. One button controls a small, built-in flashlight, and another button switches on the power and lets you check the status of the 2200mAh lithium-ion polymer battery.

When you press a button along the left edge, four LEDs indicate a full battery. The LEDs fade one by one as the power drains, so you can tell when it’s time to do a solar refill. A lightning-bolt icon flashes green while the Brunton Freedom powers up. A gray cable connects a mini-USB and a USB port on either side of the device and nestles into its body, so it’s hard to lose.

Like the Hymini, the Freedom comes with directions that recommend charging first from a wall or PC USB outlet rather than starting from scratch with the sun. After being plugged into a wall outlet for close to 3 hours and becoming fully powered, the Freedom took an hour to charge a BlackBerry Bold, after which it showed its battery drained to zero LEDs. The device automatically shut off whenever it ran out of power or finished charging.

On an overcast San Francisco day, the Freedom took about an hour outdoors to bring each blue LED to life–roughly 4 hours to fill a near-empty battery. When it was fully solar-charged, it took roughly an hour each to charge an HTC Droid Incredible and an iPod Touch.

This sturdy device is relatively simple to use out of the box without heavy effort, and its helpful power indicator levels make it more practical and painless to use than other chargers. Acer travelmate 240 battery Furthermore, collecting solar energy seemed less of a struggle for the Freedom than gathering wind energy was for the Hymini. Unfortunately, the Freedom isn’t alone in seeming to need a full charge in order to give a lift to other devices.

Owning a solar or wind charger won’t solve the annoyance of having to pack a motley assortment of cables and adapters; in fact, it could add to the headaches–if you were to lose one of the minuscule cell phone adapter tips, for instance.

Reaching the Kodak’s embedded switch was impossible without a pen, a pin, or a twig. The Kodak LED shines red while charging and green when ready to go. Kodak klic-7001 battery You have to switch its power status from In to Out before plugging in a phone or other gadget for charging.

Notwithstanding its small size, the nPower PEG feels about as heavy as a full bottle of water–a deterrent if you want to travel light. It’s too clumsy take along on a jog, unless you need an arm-toning weight.

Also, it’s best to store the nPower PEG upright, which can be tricky if the device is floating around in a bag,  Nikon en-el3e battery though a narrow pocket can work. Unlike the Hymini, the nPowerPEG advertises no optional mounting accesssories. A Velcro tape workaround isn’t a great idea, since the necessary shaking loosens the tape.

Hopefully, the final model of the nPower PEG that ships to customers will work. Something like this could be very useful in a pinch, especiallly as piezoelectric technology improves and can lead to smaller, lighter motion-generated charging.

For professionals who don’t want to bother with powering up a power supply, some off-grid chargers aren’t worth the trouble. A laptop, a USB cable, and any necessary adapters can satisfactorily replenish handheld gadgets, as long as they’re within reach. Hand-crank power packs that slip into a glove box or laptop bag are commonly sold at hardware stores and can give cell phones a short-term boost.

On the other hand, solar and wind chargers offer the added benefit of a longer life span, the freedom of tapping into power outdoors, and the option to connect to a wider variety of devices.

If you want to look green, busting out a tiny renewable-energy device may impress certain clients. But specific professions and work styles seem a better match for off-grid chargers than do most cubicle-dwelling jobs. An environmental engineer testing soil quality, for example, might like the Brunton Freedom as an emergency energy supply for a GPS device, camera, or smartphone. Even a globetrotting business traveler might find a solar charger useful when international wall adapters are unavailable.

Part From: news.idg.no