If you're like me, you take your Android phone with you everywhere. Sometimes you're stuck with a battery in the red, and no AC power in sight. While there's plenty of gizmos out there that can charge your battery back up, very few are eco-friendly. Enter the Solio Rocsta-i hybrid charger -- a solid piece of technology that can save your bacon, and plays nice with the blue marble we all live on. Hit the jump to see more.
I'll be honest -- I've been through all sorts of battery extenders and 'emergency' chargers. What can I say, I like to stay connected and have been fully assimilated by today's wired world. I know plenty of you can feel where I'm coming from. After watching a documentary about disposable batteries, I decided to look into becoming more eco-friendly with my electronics addiction. The Rocsta-i fits in very nicely and does exactly what you need it to do -- keep your phone juiced up.
The Rocsta-i is very easy to use. Charge the unit (you can charge it via USB or use an AC to USB converter if you're stuck away from the sun) and it's built in 1000 mAh battery will hold the charge for up to a year. In testing the unit stayed fully charged for two weeks. When you need to kickstart your phone's battery, connect the Rocsta-i to the phone via the correct tip and press the start button. Tips and connectors are available to make the Rocsta-i compatible with over 3200 devices, and the USB tip can be used with the USB cable
that came with your phone.
In my testing, the Rocsta-i charges fully using the AC to USB converter from HTC in about an hour. Using USB from a computer takes a little longer, but you'll still go from empty to full in under two hours. Solar recharging is a different story. On a nice sunny day the Rocsta-i charges fully in about 6 hours. Under cloud cover, or on the dash of my truck, it's closer to 10. But it's clean power, the unit holds the charge forever, and needs no attention while it's charging up.
The Rocsta-i transfers its juice to your phone fast. In under an hour you can expect the Rocsta to have your battery back in the green and happy. Your phone is also usable while on the charger, so it's excellent for emergency situations, should you be unfortunate enough to find yourself in one. It's a smart charging device, so it won't waste it's power trickling to a device that doesn't need it. I've been using the Rocsta-i in my vehicles instead of using the lighter socket, and even while streaming Pandora or using Google Navigation the battery stays charged and ready to use when I reach my destination. It also is excellent for topping off the battery in my HTC Evo while filming a little league game on a sunny Spring morning.
Having put the Rocsta-i through the paces for a good while, I have to say I'm more than pleased. This is a great solution for all of us who have a need for off-the-grid power, and I should be the hit of the party on the annual July fourth camping trip. The Solio Rocsta-i is available in the Android Central store for $79.95.
