Nokia
has announced the availability of a new portable solar charger in
Nigeria. The new Nokia Portable Solar Charger, DC-40. is a pilot product
designed and marketed by Nokia to test the viability of solar charging
as an alternative mobile phone charging system. The technical solution is a thin film panel, measuring 165mm x 237mm
with a long cable and 2mm Nokia plug interface. Weighing only 93 grams,
the solar charger is highly portable. The solution is incredibly simple
and efficient. With one minute of charging, consumers will get
approximately two minutes of talk time.This isn't the first time Nokia has tested the potential of solar charging. In January this year the company reported on a research project that placed a solar charger on the back of a phone.
Problems with that included the limited size of a phone's back cover, which restricted the size of the panel, and the extent to which the battery could be charged, Nokia said at the time. Few people can leave their phone lying in the sun all day while it charges.
Nokia's first attempt at a solar-powered phone came in 1997, when it launched the Nokia 1610 Plus with an optional lithium-ion-and-solar-panel battery. More recently, vendors such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics have introduced smartphones with a solar panel on the back cover. The Samsung S7550 Blue Earth and LG GD510 Pop were both announced in 2009.
The DC-40 solar charger will be most efficient when used in direct sunlight where the average charging time for full charge on a 1000mAh battery would be under four hours. However, the solar panel can also be used behind a glass window, but is less efficient in these conditions. According to Nokia, this solution has been made available to customers in Kenya and Nigeria only for testing. Initial limited quantities of the DC-40 solar charger is now available in Nigeria at retail outlets across Ikorodu, Ibadan, Ojo/Bagdagry and Ijebu-ode/Sagamu at an estimated retail price of N2, 560.
No comments:
Post a Comment