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Delaware, US-based PV manufacturer AstroPower has come out with a solar cell-phone battery charger, the vanguard of a move to expand its market beyond the rooftop realm.
The cigarette pack-sized AstroCharger Sunvolts 5000A is small enough to fit in a shirt pocket if folded shut. When opened like a book, the AstroCharger is supposed to provide 30 minutes of extra phone use for every hour of sunlight exposure, although AstroPower did not have any information available on which solar radiation level was used to calculate this. Currently, the AstroCharger comes with a 60 cm long retractable cord and can be ordered with one of three adapters for connecting the unit to a Motorola StarTAC, Ericsson T28, or Samsung 3500/8500 mobile phone. Individual adapters for other phones must be purchased separately. At the moment, the AstroCharger is available only for use in North America. »We anticipate that, after testing and any necessary adjustments, we're about 60 to 90 days away from a launch for the rest of the world,« says Cris DiRuggiero, AstroPower's manager of consumer product marketing. The AstroCharger, which comes with a belt clip so it can be kept open for continuous charging, is designed for use with cell phones powered by 3.6 V nickel-metal hydride or nickel-cadmium battery packs. The 5.5 V AstroCharger produces 0.75 W of power, with a charging current of 150 mA. The polycrystalline cells are encapsulated in a clear, plastic coating. The device weighs 128 g and, when closed, measures 69 mm × 89 mm × 23 mm. The cost is $39.99 USD. In January, AstroPower agreed to a six-month exclusive resale agreement with iGo Corp, a reseller of mobile accessories. The AstroCharger is one of the products featured on the cover of iGo's most recent catalog, as well on the iGo web site. William P. Hirshman
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