Solar powered summer adventures

Ethicalsuperstore are now taking pre-orders for the new solar powered Powermonkey eXplorer.

This is one seriously cool bit of kit. We had one in the office last week to have a play with for review purposes and it really is the bees knees.

I’ve ordered one already, so as soon as it’s in my grubby little paws we’ll have a three way face off between this summer’s festival essentials the Solio and the Freeloader and the new kid on the block eXplorer. For now, you’ll just have to console yourself with a few facts about the product after the jump.


If you’re not familiar with the concept of the Powermonkey, it’s a portable battery pack that is used to charge up a mobile phone, iPod, PSP or similar electronic device from the stored charge held on its own internal battery. The original Powermonkey was released last summer and can be charged up from the mains or via a USB cable. All very well, but it’s never going to be as independent as a solar charger like the Solio or the Freeloader. Well, that’s all changed with the launch of the eXplorer and the playing field can now be considered to be level.

The Powermonkey eXplorer kit comes complete with the new solar-slave – a two panel solar cell that plugs into the eXplorer unit to charge the battery from the sun.

This means that you can power your portable electronic devices independently of the domestic mains electricity supply. Powermonkey eXplorer is ideal for eco warriors who choose to live off the grid as well as for people who want portable power while travelling, camping, on a business trips or on holiday.

The kit consists of:

  • Powermonkey eXplorer unit
  • 1x solar-slave
  • 1x universal mains charger with interchangeable heads for use in
    the UK, US, Australia and Europe
  • Connectors for Nokia, mini Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Siemens and Ericsson
  • 1x mini USB connector for Motorola Razr Vseries, Blackberry and Bluetooth headsets
  • 1x USB for smart phones, PDAs and other digital devices
  • 1x iPod connector
  • 1x connector for Sony PSP and most digital cameras
  • Black travel pouch
  • Storage case

The eXplorer unit features a built-in LCD screen that displays battery capacity and the level of charge in the eXplorer unit.

The 2200 mAh lithium ion battery is light (the complete eXplorer unit only
weighs 83 grams) and powerful. A rated output of 700mA max at 4.5 -5.5V
means that it can store enough power to run a mobile phone on standby for
about 96 hours, power a PSP for 5 hours, or take up to 1600 pictures on a
digital camera.

The Solar Slave is a two panel clamshell design that can either charge the eXplorer
unit or be plugged straight into a device to charge it directly from the sun.

If the sun isn’t shining the eXplorer unit will hold its charge, without leakage, for up to a year and can always be topped up with the mains charger that is included in the kit.

To make sure you have power wherever you are in the world, the mains charger comes with interchangeable heads for the UK, US, Australia and Europe.

Together, the Powermonkey eXplorer unit and the Solar Slave weigh only 165g making it ideal for adventure. It’s small, lightweight design makes it easy to carry, while it’s ruggedised, water resistant construction mean that it should be pretty tough.

The Powermonkey eXplorer kit is available to pre-order now at Ethicalsuperstore.com

http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/tango/power-monkey-explorer/

…and we aim to be shipping it out to customers on (or around) 8th July 2007.

Ben

Ben is our resident marketing monkey, and spends an unhealthy amount of time obsessing about keywords, ranking and other marketing voodoo.

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1 Response

  1. Anna says:

    I found your blog as I have been looking for contacts and other blogs on the subject of solar energy. I have a website on portable solar chargers.

    Would you be interested in contributing content to my site, and/or link exchange? My site is http://www.findportablesolarpower.com

    Solar Chargers.

    If you are interested, please contact me (Portable Solar Contact).

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