TreeHugger Picks: Solar Chargers

Solar power holds its own as one of a host of TreeHugger's favorite alternative energy technologies; unfortunately, it's still a little on the cost-prohibitive side for most people to implement on a larger scale (like with a flock of panels on the roof, for example). On a smaller scale, however, solar-powered chargers have arrived, giving us all a way to cut back on power consumption while enjoying the benefits of cell phones, laptop computers, PDAs, iPods and more. Here are some of our picks for solar chargers.

1) One charger from Solar Style will power your mp3 player, digital camera, cell phone and more (and Solar Style has lots more designs, too).
2) We can't think "solar charger" without thinking of the slick Solio -- check out our hands-on review.
3) The Soldius1 uses a mysterious technology called Maximum Solar Power Tracking to charge a mobile phone in just 2 to 3 hours.
4) This foldable charger is small enough to fit in most backpacks and laptop bags, and powerful enough to juice up your laptop, PDA, GPS and more; it'll even power up rechargable batteries.
5) Solar bags are great for multi-tasking gadget-lovers; we're especially fond of the Voltaic backpack -- read Bruce Sterling's review to see if it's right for you.