Solio Magnesium Edition Universal Solar Hybrid Charger

by Solio

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.7 x 2.6 x 1.3 inches ; 6.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000X12Q8A
• Item model number: S224-C41U
• Batteries: 1 Lithium ion batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 1, 2001

Product Description

Amazon.com

The family of Solio the Universal "Hybrid" Chargers, Solio Mono, Solio Classic, Solio Hybrid-1000, the Solio Magnesium, are powerful enough to charge all handheld electronic devices at home or on the move, anything, anytime, anywhere. It is a Hybrid because it can accept power from either the sun, a computer, or the wall storing this energy within Solio's internal rechargeable battery.

Solio uses this energy to power gadgets at the same rate as wall adaptors and will hold its charge for up to a year and is the only solar charger of its kind that has a long-lasting internal, high-capacity battery which may be removed at the end of it’s life-cycle – returned to Better Energy Systems for responsible disposal, and replacement.

Solio limits the need to purchase and carry around multiple chargers and is a one-stop charging solution for all hand-held electronic products from cell phones and iPods, iPhones, to digital cameras, game players, and GPS, and charges these products from a Solio, at the same rate as plugging them into the wall.

About Solio
The sun’s energy is so powerful that in just one hour the amount of energy that falls on the earth equals the amount used by he world’s population in one year’. This realization with the increased demand for portable power, inspired the leadership of Better Energy Systems to design the Solio – a hybrid solar charger for most small, portable, electronic gadgets. It was introduced at San Francisco’s MacWorld in 2005 where it won ‘Best of Show’.

Solio quickly caught the consumer’s imagination and interest because it combined convenience, easy to use renewable energy, with cutting-edge, award-winning design and engineering. Efficient solar cells, a high capacity, integrated lithium-ion battery, easy to remove and replace from its durable recyclable shell, and a sophisticated internal circuitry, with a variety of interchangeable tips, enables compatibility with current and future portable electronic devices including mobile phones, iPods, Iphones, PDA’s music players, digital cameras, GPS systems, etc.

With this combined value and appeal, the company continues to receive prestigious awards and acknowledgements for its family of four Solio models, and has now sold more solar systems than any other company in the world.

Product Description

Solio Magnesium hybrid charger is the world¿s most advanced hybrid charger. Engineered to meet the demands of the serious adventurer, Solio Mg edition combines efficient solar panels and a high capacity battery to collect and store power. With expanded compatibility and a strong yet elegant magnesium alloy shell, this is the most powerful and versatile hybrid charger ever made. Your Solio includes: Charging Cable for iGo tip system; Female USB Cable (powers iPhone, iPod, MP3s); Blackberry iGo tip (A29); Motorola Razor iGo tip (A32); Samsung iGo tip (A62); LG iGo tip (A92); Nokia iGo tip (A105); Pencil; Solio Hemp Bag; Global Wall Adapter. Universal Charger ¿ Powers virtually all your electronic devices. Now compatible with the Universal iGo tip system for use with hundreds of different portable electronics. Stores Power - Charge your devices anytime, day or night Internal rechargeable/replaceable battery stores power for up to one year. (A full Solio Mg will charge a typical mobile phone more than twice or give over 20 hours of MP3 music - just 1 hour of sunshine = 20 minutes talk time or 50 minutes of MP3 music). Hybrid Charger - Charge anywhere on Earth. Plug into the Sun and charge Solio Mg through its solar panels ¿ it¿s free and green! Or plug into the wall to charge from the grid. Technical Specifications Max rated output 8 watts. Solar panel max output 0.85 watts (5.5 V 150mA). Rechargeable 3.7V 1800mAh Lithium Ion battery. Solar Dimensions 120 x 65 x 34 mm. Weight: 6 oz.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars not bad, July 9, 2009

By 

digitalwei (Herndon, VA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Solio Magnesium Edition Universal Solar Hybrid Charger (Sports)

I shopped around quite a bit before buying this solar charger. After using it for a week while camping in the New Mexico wilderness, I have the following to report.

(+) It does indeed hold a charge for a long time. I charged it up to 5 flashes (full charge) via plug-in power beforehand, and it was still full charge when I needed it 2 weeks later.
(-) I couldn't imagine any better condition to charge from the sun, than on top of my car's hood, under a clear New Mexico sky at ~10K altitude. Even then, a full day's exposure would only get about 60% charge (3 flashes out of 5, starting from 0 or 1).
(+) It appears to be water proof/water resistant. I decided to leave it out on my car's hood even during the rain. It still works!
(-) I experimented with charging it on the dashboard of my car at home. Even after sitting on the hot/exposed dashboard for several days, it didn't appear to get any charge. This might be due to my polarized front windshield -- not sure, but after my camping/raining experience, I won't feel bad about leaving this exposed on my porch, from now on.

Over a week's use camping, it did manage (barely) to keep my iPhone charged up. So, all in all, this isn't bad, but it isn't perfect either. It would be even better if there were some real time indicator showing if it was getting a good charge or not.

54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solio magnesium, October 24, 2008

By 

The Mountain Man - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Solio Magnesium Edition Universal Solar Hybrid Charger (Sports)

This product was purchased as a back up energy generator for back-country hiking.It is small,handy and light enough for that purpose.
It is nice that the GPS without batteries can be operated while attached to the Solio daytime and only use the GPS's AA battery at night time.Or have the GPS's AA battery installed and connected to the Solio and have it charged on a bright day while hiking and have it on for navigation.The solar source of energy is not like connecting to a wall outlet so don't expect the charging process being efficient and quick.
It would be nice if Solio would add one more "fold" when closed, to cover the last and exposed solar panel for protection.It is yet to be seen, after closing and storing in the back-pack among other things how soon the last exposed solar panel will be damaged and what detriment will it cause to the overall functioning.It is not an accident that in all Solio's advertisements the closed unit is not shown from the "other" side.I advise, to select and use for protection a better "padded" case, than the flimsy cheese-cloth bag supplied with the unit.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Neat concept, December 18, 2008

By 

A. Bor "http://www.ambor.com" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Solio Magnesium Edition Universal Solar Hybrid Charger (Sports)

I live in an apartment in Australia which gets a lot of sun in the afternoon (and living in Sydney means that we have mostly sunny days thanks to the extended drought that we've been in). When the sun is shining on the Solio, it charges quite well through the window - but if the sun is indirect or if it's even slightly cloudy it wont charge. It takes about 3-4 days of this type of charging to fill up.