Novothink Solar iPhone Charger Approved by Apple

What a great product. Novothink's Surge for iPhone and iPod Touch is the first solar charger to be certified by Apple. This slip-on case has its own internal battery and LED status lights, and a mini-solar panel on the back of the unit.

Surge allows full access to the iPhone, with openings to the speakers, USB cable port, and camera. There's even a cord included to hang the iPhone from a backpack or your belt while outside to charge it up.

Novothink is working on a free iPhone and iPod Touch Solar Planner app that will calculate how much sunlight you need to keep the Surge and iPhone charged. The lithium-ion battery in the Surge actually has more capacity than the original battery inside the iPhone.

Surge is fully compatible with the iPhone 3G and 3GS, and will hit stores later this month for a price of $69.95. Many colors will be available, as well as an optional belt clip.

Highlights of features:

Powerup directly from the sun while carrying your iPhone. This sleek, smartly designed hybrid solar charger is convenient and easy to use.

- State-of-the-art solar panel allows continuous charging from the sun
- Custom designed and engineered solar panel outputs 5.5V at 100 mAh in full sun
- 2 hours of direct solar exposure provides about 30 minutes of talk time on a 3G network or 60 minutes of talk time on a 2G network
- Integrated rechargeable 1500 mAh 3.7 V lithium-ion polymer battery offers 120% capacity of iPhone
- Optimized power management system provides continuous charge to iPhone 3G’s or 3G S’s internal battery
- Durable, lightweight hard-shell construction with soft-touch grip side sections
- Clean, green energy source

Although the Surge looks thicker than most cases, at $70 the free and clean power outweighs the bigger size.