Review: Solar case for iPhone 3G

By SmartPlanet on 08 September 2008, 11:38am

This iPhone case should be a brilliant idea. The iPhone 3G has a mediocre battery life, so why not supplement it with a protective case that moonlights by generating electricity from a tiny solar panel? Why not? Because it doesn't work. Read on to find out what happened when I took the Solar Case for a spin.

The concept's simple. The photovoltaic panel converts sunlight into electricity and feeds it either into the case's built-in battery (a 1,500 mAh job, not bad) or direct into your iPhone 3G's battery (and iPhones and iPod Touches, if you want).

It should be a gem for green geeks. According to Mobile Fun, which kindly provided my sample, the case's battery should charge full in three hours under the sun. The supplied manual suggests it'll charge a flat iPhone in ten hours.

And the reality? Well, to test it, I left my case connected to a flat iPhone for five full days last week.

They were grey autumn days and the case was behind glass on a window sill -- you wouldn't leave it in the rain, would you? -- but I hoped it'd produce enough power to chat for a few minutes. Maybe half an hour's juice to rearrange my home screen icons. Instead, it produced no electricity at all. Not even enough to turn the iPhone on.

Before you ask: yes, the iPhone's working happily and, yes, I have reviewed mini solar chargers before. For the record, it worked fine via its optional USB charging option.

So I give the case a thumbs-down for daily use. In a hot dry climate on holiday, it might be useful; if anyone out there's tested it in the Med, let me know in the comments.

The 'Apple iPhone 3G Solar Charging Case' is on sale now for £28 at Mobile Fun. More photos below.