Solio Universal Hybrid Solar Charger

The charger works great for me. I do alot of hiking alone and with the dog. The I pod nano has become and almost essential part of my long treks and once it's dead it's a real loss. The fact that I can store 2 full charges from a wall charge or solar is great. It recharges the I pod fast and at any time so gets me through just about anything without even worrying about using the solar. Did fully recharge it in the sun in one full day but you have to be vigilant about aiming it directly into the sun. there is a light that shows when it is charging and it dosn't come on untill it is aimed directly at the sun so you kind of need to do it on a lay over day when you can position it well. Simple to use, a good flashing light indicator to show how much charge, several adapters and you can use your own adapter for anything that plugs into a USB port, packs nicely. Highly recomended if you are going to be away from an outlet for long stretches and want your cell phone I pod etc.....

The Solio works great as an extra battery while traveling with the wall charger. But it takes forever to charge from the sun. If you leave it in the window for about a week you might get half a charge. This will charge your phone at least once. Which was the reason i got it. Im sure it will be better in the summer when I bring it to the park or the beach and use it at the same time as im using my Ipod.The connectors that it comes with are great! and the design is really nice.p.s after impulse buying this I researched and found possibly better alternatives like solar rolls from brunton. Looks like you can get more for your buck.

This item, despite some of the negative feedback posted here and elsewhere, works well. I have charged it once within one day in the sun. It was overcast, and charged about 50% in four hours or so. I did not have to move the unit at all to achieve charge. I connected it to my iPod and it charged halfway in approximately 50 minutes. I am very pleased with this product, and would definitely recommend it! The iPod connector IS included, or at least it was with mine. It is a USB female connector, which, combined with the iPod's USB connector, creates the connection from iPod to SOLIO. Great product, no complaints at all though I was wary at first. My only small complaint is that my cell phone cannot be charged with the connectors and tips included, but that really is not why I got this product.

It's a nicely designed item, but it doesn't work and the manufacturer's customer service is mediocre. I fully charged the Solio and then took it on a trip, hoping to use it to recharge my iPhone when I couldn't plug it into a wall. When I plugged the Solio into the phone, it would start transferring its charge to the phone, but when the phone then went to sleep (after a minute or two), the Solio would stop transferring the charge. Desperate at one point to charge my phone, I kept it awake while the Solio was plugged in, and got some charge. But this was a real bother -- and because I was using battery power while simultaneously trying to charge the battery, it was pretty ineffective, too.I emailed the company when I returned home -- and got a response, and one from a person, I think, too. But an exchange of several emails wasn't helpful. They asked if I'd charged the Solio. (I had.) They asked if I was using the right tip. (I was.) That sort of thing. Once customer service had run out of routine (and obvious) suggestions, they stopped responding to my emails.The Solio isn't a portable charger if it can't successfully transfer a charge to your phone or other device, and it can't.

I reluctantly returned this product after a few weeks. It just does not charge in sunlight the way I expected it to.Even the manual say it takes two days of sun to fully charge the battery. I placed it in a West facing window for a week and it never fully charged. The company said the usual stuff. Window coating can diminish results, clouds, haze, etc. Plus the instructions say it has to be pointed right at the sun to charge correctly. So if you are driving West with the device on the front windshield it still won't charge correctly. You have to point it RIGHT at the sun.I laid it on my deck. It was drenched in sun and still didn't get a good charge.If you plug it into a wall outlet overnight then it will do a good job as a backup battery. But that isn't why I bought it.Plus it doesn't work quite right with iPods. When you plug the iPod in and hit the start button on the Solio, the Solio will charge the iPod. But after a few hours it will quit charging and the iPod will run off the internal battery until you hit start on the Solio again.Solio tech support said this is a known issue.I guess I will try again in a few years.Great idea, just not ready for prime time.

If you're looking to be a little more green, this is a great option. Not to mention the if you're in a bind and need some power. I travel for work and sometimes I'm out in the middle of nothing and this has saved me a few times. Granted I could have plugged into the cigarette lighter but it's cool to know that you're getting some of the energy you use directly from the sun. I wish it had a way to keep the solar panels from getting dinged up when you throw it in a computer bag but I just use an extra sunglasses bag.