Solar Aa Battery Charger

And Nokia says "Sayonara, Japan"

MANILA, Philippines -- Protestations to the contrary aside, the technology sector is one capricious and fickle mistress. Its past and current whims have been way further than the realms of unpredictability. So much so, that the only thing we can be reasonably certain of is that the future would be no less whimsical.

Products and services win or fall sometimes not due to their merits and shortcomings, but purely based on luck and other hard-to-discern-why and unexpected reasons, such as one aspiring software mogul buying a very unassuming operating system, or a guy in black turtlenecks working his way back to the corporation he co-founded but ditched him earlier.

Of course, this means that sometimes, if not most of the times, the best gadgets and outstanding services do not prosper. Instead, the second rates and the mediocre take center stage and sell millions.

Some would also assert that marketing, as in almost all the other industries, decides everything. This could mean that the better a company's marketing strategies and their implementation are, the greater the chances are of the products or services becoming bestsellers.

Nokia Says Sayonara

Nokia is leaving Japan, one of the few markets where it has consistently failed to prosper. Its mobile phones have never been popular among Japanese consumers who preferred handsets made by local electronics vendors, such as Sharp Corp., and, of course, the iPhone.

Until the high-end Vertu mobile phones became Nokia's last toehold. And now, the Finnish giant finally throws the towel.

Nokia says it plans to focus its energy on priority businesses. By which, it probably means smartphones powered by Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system.

Here Comes Panasonic

The market for solar chargers is getting crowded, with an increasing number of vendors launching their sun-powered charging devices for mobile gadgets.

Japanese electronics giant Panasonic is the latest to make its foray into the solar charger territory with its BG-BL01 charger. Actually a combination device, the Panasonic tool combines a solar battery charger with an emergency LED light.

The 152 x 104 x 24mm tool comes with a USB port, two slots for AA-sized batteries, and three LED lights. It requires about 15 hours to fully charge two AA batteries. Fully charged, its LED lights can provide 10 hours of high-bright illumination and up to 60 hours when at their dimmest setting.

AA and AAA Solar Battery Charger - Charge Your Batteries Via USB ...

AA and AAA Solar Battery Charger – Charge Your Batteries Via USB or Sun Power – Features Also Include a Battery Tester and USB Output for Charging Cell Phones, iPods/mp3s, and More

The Solar AA/AAA Battery Charger and Tester by XTG Technology is the ideal all-in-one charger. This charger can charge AA or AAA batteries using the provided USB cable or sun power via the solar panels. The USB output port can also charge cell phones, mp3 players, and other USB powered devices using the power from the AA or AAA batteries and your device’s existing USB charge cable.

Alternative energy sourcebook 1991

Gaiam Real Goods solar living sourcebook, your complete guide to renewable energy technologies and sustainable living

The Real Goods solar living sourcebook, the complete guide to renewable energy technologies and sustainable living

How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It, Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times

Renewable energy made easy, free energy from solar, wind, hydropower, and other alternative energy sources