14 DAY TRIAL // I'm sure you're tired of seeing your gadgets slowly die when they're running out of battery. Unless you leave in an area where the sun is rarely shining, having a device like Freeloader around can be real boon. It can be powered by solar energy and can be used on your iPod, digital camera, mobile phone, PSP or GPS device (Laptops will have to wait a little bit longer).
One full charge will power an iPod for 18 hours, a mobile phone for 44 hours, a PSP for 2.5 hours and a PDA for 22 hours. Don't forget to power the Freeloader though. Its solar cells need five hours of sunshine. The device can also be charged if you hook it into a USB port. The good news is that the solar cells can be fed also with indirect sunlight and artificial light. So, bring a flashlight with you in case it's getting cloudy. Better, bring a non-battery powered flash light or some fireflies.
Freeloader can charge devices and can be charged at the same time. It can be full-charged in about 3 hours. The device weighs 185 g and measures 12.3 x 6.2 x 1.7 cm, which makes it a little bit bigger than a normal mobile phone.
Big achievement, all right, but this is not the first portable power solution available on the market. ReCharge 4, for instance, is another device that can power portable devices. But, it's only a battery powered battery recharger. Worst case scenario: ReCharge 4's internal batteries could also ran out of juice. The same goes with Freeloader. If it's getting cloudy, you're back to the primitive boredom!
It's available now for 29,99 pounds.