08 February 2012
Come Spring 2012, consumers can spend even more time glued to their gadgets, thanks to SolMate, a smartphone power casing packing solar electricity, inductive charging, battery storage and energy management software that ups the ante on smartphone battery life. Developed by GreenSimian, the brainchild of two Seattle, Washington veterans from Microsoft and Texas Instruments, SolMate for iPhone 4/4S is the duo's first product that delivers portable power for power-hungry iPhone users.
Milled from a single aluminium block, the form-fitting SolMate casing sports a group of power harvesting options, starting with a Qi (Chee) inductive charging chip, an 18%-efficient solar cell, a custom 1600 mA lithium-ion battery and proprietary power management electronics and software that replicate a utility-scale solar power plant in the palm of your hand. SolMate's solar technology will generate up to 30% additional uptime of the native iPhone battery in an average day's use, the company says, while its backup battery will double the iPhone's battery life.
GreenSimian says it plans to deliver a slew of additional products in the next 12 months that will address the growing needs of smartphone users who want on-the-go power solutions. The company's SolCurve technology will be used to power its device lineup.
