{"id":9932,"date":"2011-03-02T12:02:36","date_gmt":"2011-03-02T12:02:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gadgets.itwriting.com\/?p=166"},"modified":"2011-03-02T12:02:36","modified_gmt":"2011-03-02T12:02:36","slug":"solar-charge-your-mobile-sounds-good-but-how-practical-is-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itwriting.com\/blog\/9932-solar-charge-your-mobile-sounds-good-but-how-practical-is-it.html","title":{"rendered":"Solar charge your mobile: sounds good, but how practical is it?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Charge your mobile for free while out and about, and also do your bit to save energy: the new <a href=\"http:\/\/www.solartechnology.co.uk\/shop\/freeloader-classic.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Freeloader Classic<\/a> from Solar Technology International has obvious appeal. But how practical is it?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/gadgets.itwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/image1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px\" title=\"image\" border=\"0\" alt=\"image\" src=\"http:\/\/gadgets.itwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/image_thumb1.png\" width=\"244\" height=\"182\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Freeloader has two solar panels, and measures 123 x 62 x 17mm when folded. After 8 hours in the sun, it can deliver power to an Apple iPhone for 18 hours, a Nintendo DS for 2.5 hours, and an Apple iPad for 2 hours. Take care that it does not walk while your back is turned.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/gadgets.itwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/image2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px\" title=\"image\" border=\"0\" alt=\"image\" src=\"http:\/\/gadgets.itwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/image_thumb2.png\" width=\"244\" height=\"182\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It comes with all sorts of tips, and can also be charged via USB in 3 hours in the event that the sun is not shining. For example, if you are in the UK.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/gadgets.itwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/image3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px\" title=\"image\" border=\"0\" alt=\"image\" src=\"http:\/\/gadgets.itwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/image_thumb3.png\" width=\"244\" height=\"182\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>While I like the idea of solar charging a mobile device, it is another gadget to pack, and could end up as more of a burden than an asset. Instead of just charging your mobile, you have to think about charging your Freeloader and then charging your mobile. 8 hours in the sun is far from instant.<\/p>\n<p>Still, if you are planning a long hike in a remote part of the world, this could be just what you need.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Update<\/strong>: I have now been sent a Freeloader for review. The good news: the unit looks great. The bad news: initial tests are disappointing. It arrived 75% charged \u2026 I left it on a windowsill for several days and by the end it had lost all its charge! I am not giving up though and will report in due course.<\/p>\n<p>Freeloader Classic costs \u00a339.99 including VAT.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Charge your mobile for free while out and about, and also do your bit to save energy: the new Freeloader Classic from Solar Technology International has obvious appeal. But how practical is it? The Freeloader has two solar panels, and measures 123 x 62 x 17mm when folded. After 8 hours in the sun, it &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.itwriting.com\/blog\/9932-solar-charge-your-mobile-sounds-good-but-how-practical-is-it.html\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Solar charge your mobile: sounds good, but how practical is it?<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1142,56],"tags":[1267,500,1356,1435],"class_list":["post-9932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gadgets","category-mobile","tag-freeloader-classic","tag-ipad","tag-nintendo","tag-solar-charging"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itwriting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itwriting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itwriting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itwriting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itwriting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9932"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.itwriting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9932\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itwriting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itwriting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itwriting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}