Review: XD Design's Window and Port Solar Chargers
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Box shots of the Window and Port solar chargers from XD Design
The Window Solar Charger is attached to the inside of a window by a sticky silicone ring
The Window charger features a 110 mA rated 7.8 x 7.8 mm PV panel
There's a full-size USB port for dumping charge onto a connected device at 5 V (500 mA) and a mini-USB port to charge up its own battery in about three hours
Despite windows being flat, the PV face of the Window charger has a slight curve to it
The curve to the PV face caused the charger to pull away from the supplied silicone ring, and fall
XD Design quickly replaced a not-so-sticky silicone ring and the Window charger remained secured to the glass for the whole of the review period
When at capacity, the Li-ion battery proved sufficient to fully charge my smartphone, with some room to spare
The new Port Solar Charger features an integrated suction cup for sticking the device to the window
There's a built-in USB charging cable that folds away within the Port charger's body
The bright white upper face is home to five small LED lights, the four blue ones indicating charge status
When charging by bright (sun)light, the green LED will light up
It will take two hours to fully charge the Port's Li-ion battery from empty via USB
The Port's battery wasn't capacious enough to charge a Kindle 2 in one sitting
Gizmag reviews the Window and Port Solar Chargers from XD Design
Article Summary
This time last year, we covered an interesting new solar charger that sought to avoid troublesome shadows from window frames, potted plants and household ornaments by sticking to the glass of the window itself. The Window Solar Charger from XD Design has now been joined by a new, slightly less capacious sibling called the Port Solar Charger, and I've been given the chance to take both for a test drive.
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