Solio Classic Solar Charger w/Wall Adapters - 2007 BCS

I have used this thing for the last year, and am pretty psyched on how well it works. You can charge it up at home before you leave to get 1-2 charges BEFORE you need to even put it in the sun. I can keep my blackberry and ipod touch going for a week no problem with heavy use. My friend tried to charge her iphone and had no luck...but for my devices, no problem.

this is an ultra compact solar charger that was key on our backpacking trips this year. even on days that were overcast, we found that it was still charging my ipod and smart phone - no problem. I would recommend this product for anyone that finds themselves off the grid or on the go-and nowhere near an outlet

I spent three months camping and doing small mammal research in the western Colorado back-country. This little device charged my cell phone and iPod.
If you read the directions, it says it has to be pointed towards the sun to have the greatest charge. All I did was mount it on a stick, and turn it towards the sun every 3 hours or so. I got a full charge every day doing this.
You can't go wrong for the size, especially when weight and space are concerns.

I just came back from a 12 day river trip. I was under direct sunlight all but one afternoon. It took two full days of full sunlight to charge the battery. Something to be aware off if you're in less than direct sunlight. The Solio was very finicky on charging. It did work once to charge my ipod and cell phone. Later in the trip it wouldn't do a thing, even though it had a full charge. I was grateful for the two charges it gave me. I was upset and frustrated when it failed, especially once I relied on it. I'm going to work with it now that I'm home and see if it a defective model or if it's just unreliable. It did work for awhile, but if you're going to depend on it, be careful.

A buddy of mine has one of these. Worked pretty well in direct sunlight. Charged his cell and GPS which we used for three days. I liked it but picked up the Solio Mono which was less expensive and its worked out pretty well for my Ipod and cell. Convienent design allows me to loop it to the shoulder strap on my pac to recharge. Neat item!!!

I use this when on the sailboat to keep my radio and phone peaked up. It's been used camping sitting up with a stick, but most of the time we don't stop till it's too dark to be of use. One thing I really recommend: You'll see there is a plasticy film thing on the glass on the charging cell surface. I could never get above 80% charge and it wouldn't keep up with my iphone until I peeled this stuff off. Now 100% is easy and my phone/headset and marine radio are no match for it.

I got this to charge my Garmin Edge GPS for my bike. It barely even added any charge to my gps unit and then wasn't even mildly charged after a day in the sun. I needed to recharge my gps since I was riding in a different country and it failed me.

Sent mine back and think that I'll wait a few years until someone gets it dialed.

I'm not really sure why there has been a number of negative reviews because I have yet to have a problem with my Solio. It's not going to charge a computer, but what would expect from something so small? It holds a charge very well but you just have to be aware that it's facing the sun when you are trying to recharge it. I cannot really attest to the usefulness of the adapters because I only need the USB and the mini-USB connections. I use my solio to charge my Garmin GPSMap 60CSx, my Blackberry, and the new Energizer duo battery charger which effectively allows my Solio to charge AA and AAA NiMH batteries. Being able to plug it in is also convenient if you want to charge it up quickly.

If you are aren't sure if there is an adapter for your phone, go to www.solio.com

rubbing two sticks together to make fire would be easier than getting enough sun power to charge my phone. I put this in a sunny window for a week and it still only charges to half strength. I charged it via a plug and once charged, connected it to my cell phone. It charged that to half strength. I will be sailing soon and will see what if anything happens with the full sun over head all day. Not holding my breath.

Im not impressed. Left it out full sun in Florida for two days (the MONO) charger. Still didnt get fully charged. When it blinked 3 times after two days I decided to charge my phone, it only charged it about 30% then stopped.
If Barbie had an i-phone this would be perfect for her.
It's way to small for a regular phone.
Theres not enough "panel" do get much energy.
It also doesnt charge through the glass in your car window.
So, if you could mount it on top of your car, you would be doing lots better. Im taking mine back.

i took this to africa where the sun is out 95% of the time. it took 2 days to charge a sansa mp3 player, and 4 days to fully charge a motorola i975 smartphone. took 1 day fo get 1/2 charge on ipod. there was another person with one at the camp i was at and he was having the same issues. if you want something to charge a macbook, look into a brunton solaris, it does 26w an hour for only $300 (amazon).

For the small size and versatility of this product, I love it. The availability to charge virtually any USB device or cell phone is not rivaled by many products. Charging can take a long time if you are not in strong sunlight yet it still generates an option to charge those devices you need. The price may seem a bit steel but for solar power, clean power, its a great product.

I've had one of these for about 2 years - it still holds a good charge and the integrated batteries charge my cell phone twice when full. This said, it's not very quick to charge if you stick it on a window and is somewhat expensive for the watt output (the solar panels generate just under 1 watt).

This is great to have camping, day hiking, traveling, and in your car. It will hold a charge almost a year, and will charge just about any personal device except a laptop. I love mine and it has come in handy so many times I never leave home without it. Plus, Solar Power is green