I attached mine to a mini tripod so I could easily swivel it to point at the sun

electronics:

	• Solio Magnesium Edition Universal Solar Hybrid Charger Solio Solio average customer review:based on 15 reviews view larger image
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It works

Charged this up first time with the wall socket. That was relatively quick. Used that charge to charge up a Motorola phone and had a bit of juice left to top up an iPod. The iPod cleaned out the unit (red light indicating no charge).

Today was a nice sunny day here in the Arizona high desert at 4600 feet, the sky was blue and there were no clouds. If you stood in the sun for a few minutes with a pair of black jeans on you could feel the heat. Using the Post that you should now find pictures of above (with notes on the parts), the unit was attached to a Tripod with a tilting head. Put it outside facing the sun at around 9:30 am. There were no obstructions between the unit and the sun.

Adjusted the angle and rotated the unit to face the sun about five or seven times as the earth rotated and the day passed (about once an hour seemed to be sufficient). Left it out there until twilight (just past 6:15 pm today). The charge now reads as full (five green flashes).

Seems like that is generally consistent with the informational material from the manufacturer.

Check out the post thing in the pictures. This is a bit more useful than the pencil and for about three dollars you can not go wrong. Sooner or later something like that is going to come out from a third party manufacturer for at least ten bucks (ok maybe 9.99).

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I attached mine to a mini tripod so I could easily swivel it to point at the sun

I use the Solio to charge my iPhone 3G. I had to buy the special iGo charging tip, but it works fine.

I was a little disappointed that the Solio takes quite awhile to charge, however. In one afternoon on a typical day here in New England, I found it charged only about 20%.

Then I figured I might be able to get a better charge if I kept it aimed at the sun a little better. The only mechanism they give you to do this is a pencil! But I have a mini tripod I don't use very often, so I attached it to a railing and then jerry-rigged the Solio to the tripod using a heavy duty elastic. (See Customer Photos above.) Whenever I go in or out, I just swivel the Solio a little to point it at the sun.

I don't have enough data to say how much faster it charges (the system of "flashes" is not very accurate), but it's a fun and handy way to position the Solio. If I were to redesign the product, I would definitely add a tripod mount!

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Great idea, ok execution.

The solio magnesium charger is one of those products that I probably won't use until the power goes out and I need to charge my phone, but now that I have it I am kind of looking forward to a power outage. Included in the box are, a pencil to angle the solio towards the sun, assorted charger tips , an ac wall charger for filling it up without the sun, and a neat hemp bag to carry the solio and all of the charger tips. The only thing I am concerned about is if it would actually hold up to a camping trip as it doesn't seem to be very durable.

Pro's

Always good to have a backup for small devices, just in case.
Decent amount of charging tips included, many more available for purchase.
AC charger for charging w/o the sun.

Con's

Somewhat questionable durability, front solar panel is exposed. They really should include a cover.
Takes almost a whole day to charge in 100% sunshine.

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Works and cool

I would have to say they only thing I thought that was a bit odd was the word "Magnesium" in the title. I mean I thought I was buying a tuff Magnesium device. This is not made of solid Magnesium but rather a thin Magnesium coat.

The unit works great and is pretty light.

I would recommend it. A top product and looking forward for more things like this to come out.

Casey Schultheis

Easy to use, small to carry, almost perfect

Great product - flexible since the Solio can be charged through an outlet or via sunlight. Big complaint is that there isn't a cover for the bottom solar panel - you can't see this in the product pics. Solio should really design a clip-on cover (or something) to protect that panel, and then this product would be perfect.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

Solio Magnesium hybrid charger is the world¿s most advanced hybrid charger. Engineered to meet the demands of the serious adventurer, Solio Mg edition combines efficient solar panels and a high capacity battery to collect and store power. With expanded compatibility and a strong yet elegant magnesium alloy shell, this is the most powerful and versatile hybrid charger ever made. Your Solio includes: Charging Cable for iGo tip system; Female USB Cable (powers iPhone, iPod, MP3s); Blackberry iGo tip (A29); Motorola Razor iGo tip (A32); Samsung iGo tip (A62); LG iGo tip (A92); Nokia iGo tip (A105); Pencil; Solio Hemp Bag; Global Wall Adapter. Universal Charger ¿ Powers virtually all your electronic devices. Now compatible with the Universal iGo tip system for use with hundreds of different portable electronics. Stores Power - Charge your devices anytime, day or night Internal rechargeable/replaceable battery stores power for up to one year. (A full Solio Mg will charge a typical mobile phone more than twice or give over 20 hours of MP3 music - just 1 hour of sunshine = 20 minutes talk time or 50 minutes of MP3 music). Hybrid Charger - Charge anywhere on Earth. Plug into the Sun and charge Solio Mg through its solar panels ¿ it¿s free and green! Or plug into the wall to charge from the grid. Technical Specifications Max rated output 8 watts. Solar panel max output 0.85 watts (5.5 V 150mA). Rechargeable 3.7V 1800mAh Lithium Ion battery. Solar Dimensions 120 x 65 x 34 mm. Weight: 6 oz.

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