Voltaic Launches Solar Powered Laptop Bag For Charging Lapto

You can find all the latest computer hardware press releases in here.
Post Reply
User avatar
Apoptosis
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 33941
Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2003 8:45 pm
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Contact:

Voltaic Launches Solar Powered Laptop Bag For Charging Lapto

Post by Apoptosis »

Voltaic Launches the Generator:
First Solar Bag Powerful Enough to Charge Laptops
generator-silver.jpg
generator-silver.jpg (38.96 KiB) Viewed 1676 times
New York, NY – December 08, 2008 - Voltaic Systems announces the release of its new solar bag, the Generator. The bag produces enough solar power to fully charge a laptop from less than a day in the sun.

The new Generator features a sleek, high-efficiency 15 Watt solar panel. In about five hours of full sunshine, the panel recharges a custom-designed battery pack, which efficiently captures and stores solar power until needed. The battery holds the equivalent of a full laptop charge and can also be charged from a wall outlet.

CEO Shayne McQuade adds “Since the release of our first bag, our customers have been asking about charging laptops. By using 20% efficiency solar cells, we are now able to pack enough power into a compact case.”

For each hour in the sun, the Generator extends laptop run time by 20-45 minutes, depending on the efficiency of the laptop. An hour in the sun also generates enough power to fully charge most phones, MP3 players and small cameras.

The bag is stylishly constructed from fabrics made with recycled soda bottles (PET) which are tough, waterproof and UV resistant. It includes a protective frame and padded laptop sleeve with storage room for other electronics, notebooks etc. The solar panels come in five color options: a distinctive orange, silver, green, white and a more discrete black.

Pricing and Availability The Generator is now shipping. All 5 colors are available from the Voltaic online store, http://www.voltaicsystems.com, and select retailers. The suggested retail price of $499 includes:

* High-efficiency solar panel that can generate up to 15 Watts of power
* 58Wh LiIon battery, about the same capacity as a typical laptop battery
* Common adaptors for easy connection to most laptops, phones and other handheld electronics
* Versatile computer bag made from recycled soda bottles (PET)

Voltaic was founded in 2004 to develop green energy solutions and sustainable products using environmentally-intelligent designs.
User avatar
geokilla
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 1048
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:46 am
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: Voltaic Launches Solar Powered Laptop Bag For Charging Lapto

Post by geokilla »

It's a good idea, but four things would affect my decision.

1. Weight. The bag weighs over 4 lbs, add that with a 5 to 6 lbs laptop, and you're carrying around a 10lb laptop + bag.

2. Price. If there's no government rebate and stuff, it'd be a bit hard to sell this bag. Plus, there''s the failing economy right now....>.<

3. Design. It's a good idea and everything, but how many of us would actually purchase this bag? Looks a bit weird imo, due to the solar panels.

4. Reliability. What happens if the solar panels break or become less efficient, or the batteries don't hold their charges as well as they did?
Intel Core i5-3570K @ 4.2Ghz @ 1.16V (CPU-Z + LinX)
Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H F14 BIOS
ASUS GTX 460 768MB @ 800/1950
Kingston HyperX DDR3 8GB @ DDR-1333
Corsair AX750
Crucial M4 128GB
Western Digital Black 1TB
Cooler Master Hyper 212+ EVO
BenQ E2420HD
---------------------
I AM CANADIAN!
User avatar
Skippman
Legit Extremist
Legit Extremist
Posts: 2082
Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 10:16 am
Location: St. Louis, MO USA
Contact:

Re: Voltaic Launches Solar Powered Laptop Bag For Charging Lapto

Post by Skippman »

Personally I like it. It is a bit cumbersome but the idea has merrit. I've considered getting a flexiable solar cell for my backpacking rucksack so I can charge my radio's while I'm backpacking. I wondered how much weight it would add, and now I know.
Post Reply