Gadget Life Saver!

I was lucky enough to get a FreeLoader for Christmas (no not an unwelcome family member that stayed too long): a portable solar-powered battery charger. The principle is pretty simple: the body of the unit holds a battery with power inputs and outputs and a series of indicator LEDs. There are then two small photovoltaic solar panels ‘wings’ that clip together and attach to the body when not in use, or clip to either side of the body to charge the battery.

Between Christmas and now, there hasn’t been enough sun in the UK to test the solar charging capabilities to any great extent, and in fact due to the small size of the solar panels, I don’t expect too much performance in terms of solar charging. It takes all day outside in direct sunlight to charge the battery fully according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and even putting the panels behind glass slows things down considerably.

All this isn’t too say that I haven’t been using the FreeLoader though. Quite the opposite: it’s saved my electronic bacon quite a few times now. It can be charged via a USB port and comes with a large array of power adapters suitable for most electronic devices. I’ve used it for my Pocket PC, Casio digital camera and my girlfriend’s MP3 player so far and it’s worked brilliantly each time.

The FreeLoader is small enough to pack in a laptop bag along with all the other sundry cables and accessories with no problem and so far it’s earning its keep. There are a few similar products on the market, and I haven’t got any experience with them for comparison but I’d certainly recommend one of these for any fan of electronic gadgets.

I’m looking forward to the summertime and using the solar panels to charge the FreeLoader so that I can unplug my phone charger and save a little more energy.