Natural solar power to charge up your iPhone / iPod Touch – the FreeLoader 8.0!!!
I really enjoy it when new inventions take advantage of natural power sources such as solar power! The new FreeLoader 8.0 Portable Solar Charger by Solar Technology (UK) is a smart looking, versatile device that charges a multitude of the latest mobile gadgets for free using Solar Energy. The FreeLoader 8.0 not only charges the latest two most popular gadgets from Apple but also charges devices such as digital cameras, iPods, PDAs, PSPs and mobile phones.
What is brilliant about the FreeLoader 8.0 is that to ensure batteries never run flat, the Freeloader 8.0 has an extra function which allows it to simultaneously charge its own internal battery which holds its charge for up to three months. As seen in the picture below, it features extra sensitive solar panels which are make it especially efficient at absorbing light in cloudy and dim conditions that the UK in particular is prone to 
The FreeLoader 8.0 costs £29.99 – which isn’t actually too bad, click here for more info from Solar Technology.
[via Geeky Gadgets]
I’ve got a Freeloader and it’s rubbish. I bought it to charge my iPhone / iPod while camping and all it does is add a few percent to the charge – it won’t charge the devices from scratch.
Don’t waste your money.
Hmmm… I’ve got one too and it does well what it is supposed to. Keeps my motorola charge topped up no problem and the internal freeloader battery seems to stay charged up pretty well. I live in the uk and to be honest it exceeded my expectations. I reckon it could cope with keeping a couple of phones going.
And it comes with loads of adapters that also happen to be compatible with my wind up charger so if there is no sun at all….
Wow, thanks for your comment Tony. I was actually put off this piece of gadget when Ian posted his comment, guess there’s always two different sides of things. Did you get yours for 30 quid? You’ve tempted me to get one!
Actually I just tried this with my iPhone 3G and found that if the phone is left on that it won’t charge but if I turn the phone off and then charge it works. It’s still charging now but I’ve gone form the icon that indicates that you must charge the iPhone to do anything with it to about 50% charged so far.
A lot of the negative reviews I’ve seen of this piece of kit make blatant mistakes (i.e. complaining the green light doesn’t come on when charging from the sun, which the booklet clearly says will not happen). Which makes me think all the negative reviews are from people who have not read the book. There are a few things that the book says which will make a LOT of difference; you must take the protective film off the panels (not just the little label that says “remove before use”, there is a thin plastic film over the whole of both of the panels). It also recommends a full charge from USB the first time you use it, to condition the battery. I’d recommend doing a few charge and drains from USB myself, before doing the solar charge. I think also a lot of people have unrealistic expectations from solar power too; they think it’s like plugging into the mains, which is it not. But if you’re out and about on holiday and want to just extend the battery life of your phone a bit or, like me, want a bit of extra juice for the PSP or MP3 player on a long flight, this is a great bit of equipment, even if you just use it as an external battery charged from USB. The solar panels are a bonus!
Another thing is that you get something which I presume is like osmosis; if there’s more juice in the thing you are charging than the Freeloader battery, it may not deliver power as well – it’s like going “against the tide”. Best to (as it says in the book!!) only charge things once they’re less than 50% charged.
I’m happy with mine; having a thing that looks like a miniature model of a spy satellite is cool also.
Thanks for your comment Penny on several aspects of the FreeLoader which other readers have previously spoken about, I’m sure other visitors will find your view extremely useful!
the cost of Solar Cells for Solar Energy utilization has been decreasing over the past years. pretty soon, solar energy would be a more viable alternative than fossil fuels,–
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