Posted by deepsme
Employees at Apple have filed a patent for integrating solar cells into portable devices.
The patent involves integrating solar cells into the device display under the touch screen. The display on the iPhone is huge in comparison to other mobile devices and even in comparison to some other mobile solar chargers so if Apple can get the display to still work with dual touch like it currently does then this could be a revolutionary improvement and finally address an issue that has plagued mobile devices from day one. With the 3G iPhone rumored to be coming soon, it will be even more power-challenged as 3G data networks consume more power and something like a solar display to charge the battery would be awesome.
The Solio solar chargers are quite small and have the capability to charge a typical mobile phone more than twice or give over 20 hours of music listening capability to a MP3 player. 1 hour of sunshine typically provides 15-20 minutes of talk time or 40-50 minutes of MP3 playing.
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Posted by Kastrula
I know this would be great and all but aren't there flaws in solar power still? I'd had to lose everything in my phone when it dies.
Posted by carkitter
This sounds like Apples push to conquer the emerging markets of the third world.
Smart thinking too.