SolarRoll Powered LaptopTo be honest with you, I’ve never been a big fan of batteries. The way they run out on you at the most inopportune times is one of their biggest drawbacks, to say the least. I guess my angst towards batteries stems from when I was eight years old. My family and I were on a long road trip from South Florida to Columbus, Ohio when all of a sudden, the batteries in my Gameboy decided to die on me. The worst part was that I couldn’t recharge the batteries due to my father having his radar detector plugged into the a/v socket. Needles to say, it led to 14 hours of Disco sing-a-longs.

Even though battery technology improves annually, it’s still not as versatile as its users, and nowhere near as reliable as it should be. So where do we turn for a cure to this technological ailment? Brunton Inc. decided that we should turn to our Sun for an answer.

SolarRoll

Enter the Solar Roll. The thin, waterproof sheet is made up of a fluoropolymer, provided by Tezfel, that allows the solar sheet to be malleable enough for convenient storage. You just roll it up and place the roll in its tube. What’s truly amazing is that you can use it to power all sorts of gadgets.

Anywhere from car batteries to 2-way radios, the Solar Roll comes in three standard sizes and can be linked to multiple Solar Rolls to meet your needs. The sizes are as follows:

Solar Roll 4.5

  • 12” x 22” open
  • 6.4oz
  • Max output: 4.5 watts
  • Designed for charging small electronics (cell phones, pda’s ect.)
  • Priced at $199.00 @ Brunton.com

Solar Roll 9

  • 12” x 40” open
  • 10.6 oz
  • Max output: 9 watts
  • Designed for running cell phones and charging digital and video cameras.
  • Priced at $349.00 @ Brunton.com

Solar Roll 14

  • 12” x 57” open
  • 17 oz
  • Max output: 14 watts
  • Designed for running satellite phones and charging laptops
  • Priced at $479.00 @ Brunton.com

Though the Solar Roll may seem somewhat pricey for the average Joe, imagine how much you’ll save in electricity and back up batteries. Also, don’t forget that these units can be linked to provide maximum output. This should definitely be on every Tech Geeks Holiday wish list.