Are you a portable-device junkie? I certainly am. Between my MP3 players, laptop, phone, GPS, XM radio player, PSP, and DS, I am almost always charging some sort of battery. Not only does that mean I have to carry many chargers, but that's a lot of electricity--and let's face it, if everyone used as much juice as I do, then our planet would be doomed.

Enter the Better Energy Systems Solio, a "universal hybrid charger" ($99.95 list; adapter tips, around $10 each)--hybrid meaning you have the option of using solar power as well as electricity. Plug it into the wall to charge your battery quickly, or fan it out and point the solar panels at the sun to charge it more efficiently. The device holds a charge for a year, whichever way you charge it. And combination of adapter tips and wires lets you connect the battery to just about any device.

I was pretty psyched when Solio arrived. The documentation was not the easiest in the world to understand, but eventually I figured out to just plug it in. I let it charge overnight and then connected my PSP, which charged right up. Then I mounted the Solio on my apartment window using the included suction cup, and it started using sunlight. Unfortunately, the suction cup popped off the window and the Solio fell to the floor--but it's constructed solidly enough that it still works.

According to the Solio Web site, an hour of good sunlight will charge the device enough to keep an MP3 player going for about an hour, or get about 20 minutes of talk time on a cell phone. I've been keeping my Solio on the windowsill so it's fully charged all the time. It charges my phone, my PSP, and my DS on a regular basis. If I clip the Solio on the outside of my backpack and carry it while I'm out and about, then I've always got juice on hand, whether I'm near an outlet or not.

The Solio is much more convenient than carrying 6 different chargers, and I don't feel like such an energy hog. Rumor has it that Solio is getting ready to ship a new design that should be even more rugged and travel-friendly. Check back to Gearlog for more information.

Post by Matthew D. Sarrel