Make sure your USB gadgets never run out of power with this one of a kind Altoids Solar USB charger! You can charge up your gadget either directly from the sun, or from the two rechargeable AA batteries we've built into this thing!
Included are two rechargeable AA batteries which you can either take out, or recharge via the built in solar panel. In a pinch you can in fact recharge your gadget from the built in solar panel. We were able to run a dead iPod Nano off just solar power, as well as make a phone call from a Blackberry!
The solar cell is not actually attached to the Altoids case, which means you have a variety of options for placing it. You can prop it up inside the case, as seen in the photos. You can lay it flat. You can even close the lid, run the wires through the USB opening, and have your solar cell hang out by itself.
The time it takes to recharge the built in batteries varies, but expect a full charge to take a couple of days of full sunlight. We recommend that you take them out and give them a full charge from a wall adaptor before going on a trip. Just to be on the safe side of things.
While we have tested this out on several gadgets we know that some things work and some things do not. Things that have worked are: Kindle, Blackberry, Garmin GPS, older USB iPods. Things that don't work for sure: Newer iPhones and iPods.
We do have a very similar solar charger that does work with iPods and iPhone in our store at the same price.
USB cable not included, but we're guessing you have one of your own. iPod also not included as we do enjoy listing to Jefferson Airplane, but we're guessing you figured that out on your own.