Solar-cell cover for your Kindle or Sony Reader someday?
“Dai Nippon plans to sell their solar cells to computer hardware manufacturers: The company says their technology can serve as an auxiliary power source when integrated into the covers of notebooks, for example.” - CrunchGear.
Question: Would a fifty percent increase in battery life—from the solar cells—make you much more likely to buy Brand X if the price were right? Perhaps no more than 15 percent costlier than otherwise? Meanwhile, if nothing else, this could be a good response to environmentalists fretting over every milliwatt of power that people use in e-reading.
Housekeeping: We’re currently cutting back on use of images because we’re having tech problems.
September 3rd, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Hmm, kind of like this?
http://www.core77.com/competitions/greenergadgets/projects/4597/
I built that prototype in the pics for a design competition earlier this year…
-Holly Gates
April 16th, 2009 at 11:41 am
I’ll buy a Kindle or comparable reader when it includes a solar feature like a calculator, so that in good light I can read without using electricity.
August 24th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I’ll buy many Kindles or comparable reader when it includes a solar feature. Solar power would be great for remote areas…
August 24th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Its a matter of time before flatpanel displays routinely incorporate transparent solar cells as an exterior coating.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090610161004.htm
There’s several companies working on it but the main problem is that the efficiency is low even by solar cell standards (6-9%).
It’ll be a while but it’ll get here.