Solar-powered gadgets enter the light

Technofile: With all the sunny weather we've been having lately, it seems appropriate to squint into the solar rays and see what's cooking.

Specifically, solar power is gradually moving up the world's agenda, not least because the greenhouse effect on the environment is bringing longer and sunnier summers in some places. Perhaps we can harness a little of that sunshine to power our gadget-filled lives?

Solar cells - or photo-voltaic cells as they are also known - are sunning themselves in all sorts of odd places these days and soon they may appear on the backs of the average passer-by.

In the US, the Scottevest (www.scottevest.com) has been generating a buzz for about a year. It's a jacket which has solar cells woven into its back to power mobile phones and MP3 players. A similar firm, Voltaic Systems (www.voltaic systems.com), makes a backpack that has been setting the geek world alight. There is even a project to turn it into a mobile WiFi hotspot.

Luckily, other makers such as Solarstyle, Eclipse and Solio are getting in on the act, producing products which are easy on the eye and useful too.

The latest style contender is the Juicebag (www.reware store.com), which is the first backpack to use flexible panels instead of rigid glass or plastic solar cells. This makes the whole world of solar power far more mobile - since lugging around rigid solar panels is nobody's idea of fun. The 25-litre Juicebag is also slightly lighter than its rigid competitors.

It doesn't charge a battery but rather charges gadgets directly via a built-in female 12V car adaptor - and should charge as fast as the mains in direct sunlight. Even better, it comes in six different colours. Surfwear supplier O'Neill is talking about stocking them at about €290 and they should be on sale later this summer from esc-outdoor.co.uk.

Of course, while you're lugging your backpack around as it recharges your laptop, you may like to consider the solar-powered fan cap (available from gadget stores for about €15), which purports to keep you cool by means of a fan powered by a small solar panel.

Although the points you earned with the bag for looking cool will be lost when people see the cap. And while you rummage around in the bag, there's always the Torch2 Solar torch (www. selectsolar.co.uk, at about €27), which charges an internal battery but can also be used as an AA battery recharger. However, this is somewhat limited as you'll have to keep it in sunlight to recharge. You can earn street cred from solar as well. Rock band Coldplay are endorsing the Solio solar charger, which can power iPods, PDAs and mobile phones.

The Coldplay branded version is €115, but it's a limited edition, so you'd better get in quick (see www.coldplay.com).

However, the ultimate in cred has to be the solar-powered Freeplay Lifeline radio (www.freeplayenergy.com). The Lifeline is a colourfully designed, rugged, all-weather, solar-powered, wind-up radio that receives AM/FM and Shortwave. However, when you buy the radio it won't actually be sent to you.

Instead, it will be sent, via humanitarian groups, to a child in a developing country ravaged by war or environmental disaster. Since radios there can mean finding a child lost after the tsunami or getting reliable health and hygiene information, your solar-inspired radio will warm quite a few more hearts than your own.