Powerbag
 

I saw an ad for these in OfficeMax this morning and I am intrigued. Anyone try one?
www.mypowerbag.com

No and not just because I've never seen one this side of the pond. I can get something like the Freeloader Pico I'm then not tied to one particular bag. It can charge from either USB or Solar and having given one to a friend I know how well they work, and I have asked for one for as a birthday present. If the need often arises to recharge very quickly then I will get one of these from the same brand and add it to my own bag. The Powerbag is a nice idea but just not for me given the alternatives available.

Just wondering, would this charge in a plane if there is sunlight?

Never tried one up there but I don't see why not, it worked in an office through a window so it should do.

I have a couple of them (yeah, I'm a geek). Pros are that the charger is nicely integrated; cords come into the bag in padded pouches. You can see the power level on the outside, it can charge four things at a time, and you can swap out battery packs on the go. At CES, Powerbag was the only thing that kept my devices going. With two 6000mAh packs, all my devices were fully charged all day long.

Several of the people traveling with me constantly made use of my bag as well - so I guess the only downside is that there is no coin slot to make them pay :D

That said; if you are a fan of high(er) end luggage, the bag will seem like a bit of a downgrade. It is nowhere near the quality of say, Tumi. Lots of pockets though, and some smart design features like the power plug being accessible on the outside, and a pocket to store the AC adapter (which is worldwide compatible).

I've been through a LOT of solar chargers, and almost none of them were worth their money. The panel on that Freeloader Pico is rated for 75mA (which is its maximum power - that means that on a cloudy day, you'll need about 40 hours of sunlight to get the measly 800mAh battery pack to 100%.

Also, an 800mAh pack is dismal - when you consider the iPhone battery pack, or most of them in an Android device at around 1800mAh.

If you don't want to go the bag route, get one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/New-Trent-IMP5...534480&sr=8-10

At 5000mAh, it'll get you 2-3 full charges of your device. If you want REAL solar power, check out Goal Zero:

http://www.goalzero.com/small-guide.html

If you'll pardon the pun you're more of a power user than me and I suspect need to charge your devices more than I do. I can usually get by for a week between charges on my Berry (9700) and my Samsung B2100 does usually 3-4 days (and I have a spare battery). I only intend to use this as emergency back up and normally it will stay fully charged from the home electricity via USB and if it wants to get some power from solar to keep topped up, so much the better. Take your point though and I wouldn't suggest anyone rely on the solar aspect for a full charge.

Crikey - on a *good* day my Galaxy Nexus still has power left by dinner time. I do remember the days when I'd charge my phone on Sunday, and it would last all week. Oh, how I remember those days...

In a previous life I'd have been the same as you I suspect if they hadn't made me redundant, I got more emails than I care to think about.

I was really disappointed by the new trent not being able to charge a laptop as well. you would think that would be key.

Laptop charging requires a lot of power, upwards of 2A output, so none of those small units can pull that. The Energizer Energy To Go and Tekkeon packs are perfect for this, but cost around $150 for a decent capacity.