https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63211086
Could solar-powered headphones be the next must-have?
By Nick Dauk and Will Smale
If you are the type of person who is forever forgetting to charge your wireless headphones, help may finally be on hand.
It comes as the first commercially available solar-powered headphones are now on sale. The models, by Swedish firm Urbanista and German sports giant Adidas, both have solar panels built into their headbands.
In each case the flexible panels are made by another Swedish company, Exeger, which has spent the past decade working to make them light, thin and powerful enough to do the job.
Could solar-powered headphones be the next must-have?
By Nick Dauk and Will Smale
If you are the type of person who is forever forgetting to charge your wireless headphones, help may finally be on hand.
It comes as the first commercially available solar-powered headphones are now on sale. The models, by Swedish firm Urbanista and German sports giant Adidas, both have solar panels built into their headbands.
In each case the flexible panels are made by another Swedish company, Exeger, which has spent the past decade working to make them light, thin and powerful enough to do the job.
The Urbanista Pheonix earbuds come with a charging case "integrated with Powerfoyle solar cell material" which "continually recharges when exposed to all forms of indoor and outdoor light".
I actually think solar is a good application for most wireless headphones. The batteries in those things are pretty small (on the order of 300mAh IIRC) so a solar charger kinda makes sense. If your headphones would just passively charge while sitting idle (or even while walking outdoors) it wouldn't be bad at all.
So does wearing solar powered headphones make one truly "light-headed"? 🤔
You can't listen in the dark though.
Better if they made charging by shaking. Your headphones would be fully charged by headbanging.
Better if they made charging by shaking. Your headphones would be fully charged by headbanging.
Without the solar charging the Urbanista Los Angeles headphones last up to 80 hours on battery, but the solar charging makes them last almost indefinitely unless you only use them in a darkened room.
https://www.theguardian.com/technol...es-review-solar-charging-headphones-bluetooth
The new Powerfoyle solar cell material works when exposed to all forms of indoor and outdoor light.
And there's a strong possibility it will be even darker this winter! 😱
P.S. I only use wired, over-ear headphones - and always indoors. However, I do find the new technology interesting.
P.S. I only use wired, over-ear headphones - and always indoors. However, I do find the new technology interesting.
Maybe slightly off the solar topic, but I frequently wear Bose noise canceling headphones outside. Not for music but to reduce the noise from machines like the wood chipper, table saw or anything else that's noisy. Much more effective than ear plugs.
No, just another Greenwash going on here, so shame on those Swedes.
Now here's a product I would like: A wearable Bluetooth receiver/headphone amp that I can plug my wired headphones into. This solves two insurmountable problems: a) Bluetooth devices are never loud enough, and b) good Bluetooth headphones are expensive.
Now here's a product I would like: A wearable Bluetooth receiver/headphone amp that I can plug my wired headphones into. This solves two insurmountable problems: a) Bluetooth devices are never loud enough, and b) good Bluetooth headphones are expensive.
A portable headphone amplifier with 5.0 Bluetooth receiver is something that is certainly available.
I see one under the Neoteck brand name, and it's small and light. You would only have to devise some way of making it "wearable", like putting it in your shirt pocket.
https://neoteck.cn/products/portable-3-5mm-headphone-amplifier
I see one under the Neoteck brand name, and it's small and light. You would only have to devise some way of making it "wearable", like putting it in your shirt pocket.
https://neoteck.cn/products/portable-3-5mm-headphone-amplifier
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I find my etymotics damp down the sound enough, but I don't use anything 'that' noisy. But accept that there are adaptive noise cancelling applications where solar might help (if the panels still work covered in sawdust).