Reddit reviews XTG Solar Charger, Solar Powered Back Up Battery (1500mAh, 1A USB Port) for iPhone, Samsung Galaxy & USB Devices. Great for Hiking & Adventure. Includes LED Reading Light and Windshield Suction Cups

Flawless voice and video recording, portable light that doesn't burn, basic math, controlled vibrations, touch screen... couple others that don't require any infrastructure.

Battery life is the only concern, doesn't need anything else than sun for power, really.

Considering we're in theory going back in time, might as well theoretically be prepared for life there :P

The one that I got works for the iPhone but not for the iPad. I really like it and it wasn't too expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00449U3K0/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?ref_=cm_sw_em_r_am_ip_am_us

could i power this thing with one of these?

http://www.amazon.com/Solar-Charger-Powered-Backup-Battery/dp/B00449U3K0

Either this

http://amzn.com/B00449U3K0

Or this

http://amzn.com/B006WV1HV2

For 150$, you could get a 100W solar panel which will generate 50 times as much energy as this device. And you can feed the energy of a regular solar panel back into the grid, while this device will just waste the energy when it is not being used.

Solar chargers are just a waste of money. The only reason to get one is when you want to charge your phone when there is no grid power available. And in that case you want something portable which this device is not. There are much cheaper options available which do the exactly the same thing.

But it looks kind of nice, I guess.

Solar Powered Charger

I did this myself, saving said self a lot of frustration.

yes indeed. they make these in a bunch of different sizes, I have a small one (iphone sized) that will charge 2000mah after a full day of sun, and a bigger one that does about double that.

this is similar to the little one I have. http://www.amazon.com/Powered-Battery-Charger-Portable-Devices/dp/B00449U3K0

http://www.amazon.com/Opteka-BP-SC4000-Powered-Capacity-4000mAh/dp/B005ZSVZRY/ref=pd_sim_e_2

then I have one a little bigger than this one: http://www.amazon.com/Opteka-BP-SC6000-Capacity-Charging-EcoPanel/dp/B00CHQI57A/ref=pd_cp_cps_0

I strap it to the top of my framed pack while I'm hiking, it'll charge all day that way. I use these for my gps/track maker, my phone, my vaporizers, and my camera batteries as well. I tend to go deep country hiking, sometimes alone, for up to weeks at a time, so just carrying extra batteries would get too heavy for my pack. these recharge every day and don't weigh too much.

Halloween Hijinxery

Solar stuff always interests me!

Solar Charger for small devices = super interesting.

there are a lot of solar chargers at REI, although they carry a hefty price tag. I recently bought this or this (I can't remember which one, but I'm sure they are identical) but have yet to field test it. Both are well reviewed and both are a faction of the price of other chargers. Weight wise I was suprised, it weighs almost nothing. On the downside it doesn't really have any way to latch it onto my pack, which is what I would see myself doing, charging up the device's internal battery as I walked. I plan on putting it in a ziplock and punching a hole in it, attaching it to the top of my pack with a carabiner.

I was really considering investing in this its not too expensive and seems it would last the whole time.

Green energy?

http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Solar-Charger-Built-Windshield/dp/B00449U3K0

maybe

I had two fully charged batteries (battery backpack) each are rated to 2-2.5 hrs when in video mode. However in time lapse mode they last much longer, I'm guessing because it's not a constant charged CCD.

Our trip was 6+ hours and I set an interval of 5 seconds and it lasted the whole trip with 1/3 battery life to spare.

And while I haven't tested it, I do believe you can run any 5 volt power into the USB and let it run forever. Trick is you need a skeleton case to access the USB port. Then any 12v to 5v USB car phone charger should do the trick. I also have one of these and these which come in handy anywhere.

edit: time was off. Also a fat SD card is your other limitation. File size on 11 MP mode is 5-6MB, so 32 GB card is roughly 5,333 Photos times 5 seconds is 26,666 seconds or 444 minutes or 7.4 Hrs. Roughly.

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-11288_7-6427792-3.html

http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Solar-Charger-Built-Windshield/dp/B00449U3K0

>Incorporate the delayed Project Silver

Delayed like the Nexus Q updates? I heard it was canceled and there wasn't ever really and official information release about it.

> Google could write the contract in a specific way to allow them to supply Ara phones and accessories through the "Android Silver" line.

Did we really know enough about Android Silver to be making these kind of assumptions about how they will use the "skeleton" of silver to market and sell Ara? And what leverage does Google have over the carrier stores? You do realize that Google early does business with the carriers, just the OEMs, and even that relationship isn't the best.

> But slowly, with the introduction of more competition

I think you can't compare the early smartphone market with a platform launching today. It is a very different landscape and competition doesn't really work that way. Back then everything was new and growing, but if Ara launches tomorrow without a variety of different modules, then it is essentially useless as a device, all drawbacks and now advantages. How can it grow if it can't stand on its own two legs on day 1?

>and innovation should sky rocket past pre-existing phones.

That is asking a lot. Unless you have top people at all the OEMs on board, how will this work? Something has to attract them too the project, and I don't think the profit margins will. See most phones in the US (where this will launch) are sold TO AT&T and Verizon. They buy million as millions of phones and then resell them. There is very little actual direct sales because the OEMs doesn't have those sales channels set up. So unless AT&T or Verizon or T-Mobile get on board with this full steam and purchase the modules, I don't see the OEMs being on board. Selling one device to one customer is easier than selling your 1 device split into 10+ different SKUs to 1 million customers.

>it will be more expensive at first then their competitors

I don't see how it will gain traction though, especially in the 3rd world, which is brought up a lot in these conversations. The Smartphone had to gain traction in the wealthy countries before it could become a commodity and then be available worldwide.

>But there will definitely be options and variety available day 1.

I don't think anyone can say "definitely" with any certainty at this stage in the game.

> Big companies like Toshiba, Foxconn (iPhone producers), Linaro, and Rockchip are developing exclusively for Project Ara

Toshiba isn't a big player in the phone market at all, they made a few phones once and some tablets, but nothing was impressive. Foxconn doesn't design anything of note, but they produce almost everything sold today. Without them, there wouldn't even be a shred of hope. Essentially not a single major smartphone OEM is on that list.

>You don't see the benefit of a sharable phone?

Why can't you share current phones?

>A phone that can be split apart and be in two places at once.

You have to buy the modules for two phones at this point though, don't you? How is that different from buying two cheaper phones?

>A phone that can connect with the internet without a cell tower/carrier

Is this unique to Ara?

>without other government censorship

Google gives data to the NSA, and they bend to EU laws about censoring their own results in search. I don't see how Google frees people from the government.

> without even electricity (solar charger module + Google sailboats).

There are solar chargers right now on amazon for cell phone that cost $20. Why do I need to waste a module on one?

>when Google built a 10 story building to service China, that's when they stopped carrying about the US only.

Google doesn't even have Google search in China right now. Youtube is blocked. There is no google presence in China.

>Android One is going cost much more than a wifi only, non-touchscreen Ara phone (costing ~$50).

Wifi is less prevalent than cell towers right now. And I don't think you know any hard truths about pricing right now.

>Yet*

That is a cop out, man. People said the same thing about Google Glass. "Glass can potentially do everything.... once the developers just develop for it!" And Twitter just backed out of developing for Glass. If twitter isn't supporting your platform, it probably won't end up being a thing.

>How else are these phones going to reach the 5 billion people they've stated Ara phones are going to be able to reach?

If and when Google launches that project, it won't hinge on the success of Ara to be successful. Are and that project are not connected. If you know anything about how Google works, you know that their teams all work independently (to a fault). Shoot the Chrome team put out a sub par borrower on the android platform for years.

> Play-like Store for hardware.

Dude, look at the Nexus Launches, any of them. Mostly they have been disastrous. They aren't good at launching hardware or making hardware popular. a single retail space in NYC or a floating boat don't matter because most customers won't interact with them. Shoot their phone support is horrible. Ask anyone trying to RMA a Google Glass they paid $1500 for. Their support is shit.

>They're either preparing to become a mobile carrier or simply compete with Apple Stores.

Those are wildly different things, you get that right? And Microsoft has been trying to compete with Apple stores, same with Sony and Samsung. How are they doing? Google isn't a hardware style company.

One thing Google lacks is focus. It seems to me that they, and people typing on forums are dreaming big about what they think Ara could do. But I don't see the path making sense. It is a if only device for Africans for their own fleet of satellites, no it is a medical tool, no it is a cool cell phone that you can swap out and have all the latest modules! It is a swiss army knife phone, but I just can't see the market supporting it. There are too many hurtles and Google will get bored before it becomes reality. Toshiba, Foxconn and MIT can't make it a thing. Consumers int he US have to want to buy it first. Google can't seem to make that happen with their own Nexus devices, Why would it happen for the modular smartphone? Something that tis arguably way more technically complicated.

I just don't see it. I think Google has the tech to make it, but they don't have the marketing to make it successful. They are half the brain needed to make it work.

Just do yourself a favor and get some Xminis. What's all the spiel about speakers needing batteries or needing to be charged. What, your ipod doesn't? If you're going to be in Africa just get portable solars. Your rubber cone speakers aren't going to be much use if your ipod is flat.The Xmini has it's own rechargeable Lion that lasts for ages and you can daisy chain other Xminis together ad infinitum. The volume and bass on these are astounding and need to be heard to be believed. Tiny and cheap as chips too. There hasn't been one person who hasn't picked their jaw off the floor after being shown these in action.

I've heard that about the Etons too, but can't verify.
I had a great crank charger that was built by a former coworker, but it has been lost. The crank recharged three AAA batteries, which in turn were connected to a USB port that charged any USB-chargeable phone I tried, including an iphone 3GS and a 4G.

Charging phones from an already charged battery of some sort seems to be the most flexible system, and more apt to work with a given phone than a straight hand crank. I loved that I had three charged AAA batteries on tap in case I needed to swap batteries in my headlamp.

I'm thinking of picking up a solar charging battery that can also be charged via USB and a small handcrank to top it up.

I got this one and love it.

http://www.amazon.com/Solar-Charger-Powered-Backup-Battery/dp/B00449U3K0/