About Electronics

Engadget: Why settle for a simple solar-powered table when you can have a table that’s solar-powered and a wireless charger? While you can’t get one just yet, Panasonic will apparently be selling this stylish bit of tech-laden furniture by the end of this year or early next year (in Japan, at least), which will let you charge your Qi-compliant devices simply by placing them on the table. It’ll also be supplying the requisite battery packs for some of its phones at the same time, though there’s few other specifics to be had at the moment. Of course, even if it does actually hit the market it’ll still no doubt be out or reach for most — there is always the DIY route for particularly industrious individuals out there, though.

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Gizmag: Mobile phones and the beach are generally not a great mix, but for anyone looking to stay in touch while soaking up the rays there are a few more details filtering through regarding Sharp’s waterproof, solar-powered phone. [...]. There’s no word on if or when the phone will be released outside Japan.

The new phone will claim a world’s first in being the first waterproof phone to embed a solar panel into its lid. The solar panel can charge up to 80% of the battery’s capacity and can draw enough power from ten minutes of direct sunlight for a one-minute call, or two hours of standby time. Other details about the Solar Ketai are thin on the ground. Going by the picture it won’t be a touchscreen model like Samsung’s previously announced Blue Earth solar powered offering, but with still no release date set for the Blue Earth, it could beat its solar-powered competitor to market.

The Solar Ketai by Sharp is expected to be priced somewhere in range of 40,000 to 60,000 yen, (approx. 300-450 euro) and will be released in June through Japan’s KDDI – just in time for summer.

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SlashGear: Sharp have been demonstrating a solar-powered HDTV at CEATEC 2008, capable of operating solely from the power generated from sunlight. 

The 52-inch set uses an LED backlight and other energy-efficiency technology so as to reduce it’s power requirements to just 220kWh; coincidentally, that’s the same amount as the solar panel generates.

Of course, in its demonstration setup this wouldn’t be much use – unless you watch TV outdoors, or don’t have a roof – but I’m imagining that Sharp intend for the solar panel to go onto the roof rather than at the base of the set.  It’s actually a demonstration of both the company’s high-power solar panels and their LED-backlight efficient TVs.

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