Place this smartphone-sized charger in the sun for a day, and it will be able to charge your smartphone or tablet and give you eight hours of reading light, too. That's the claim of the makers of the Wakawaka Power Compact Solar Charger, a Kickstarter project that's far surpassed its original expectations. It's received more than $232,000 worth of pledges, blasting through its $50,000 goal with 8 days to go.
Wakawaka already has an impressive track record, launching the Wakawaka Solar Lamp on Kickstarter last year that's now in use in 50 countries all over the world. That unit, developed in the Netherlands, is currently being manufactured in China. The company calls it "the best solar lamp in the world."
This new product includes similar lighting technology, but its best attribute is its new compact solar charger that's even more efficient than its predecessor. Wakawaka says the device can charge smartphones and tablets -- from depleted to fully charged -- after collecting sunlight for one day. The company claims that's the case even if you live in latitudes as far north as New York (50 degrees latitude).
Wakawaka wants to do the right thing as far as manufacturing goes, too. If the company reaches its stretched $250,000 goal, it plans to manufacture parts of the compact solar charger in Haiti, which is still reeling from a devastating earthquake three years ago. To this day, 370,000 Haitians still live without lights, according to the company. So, the company plans to donate one of its Wakawaka Solar Lamps for every Wakawaka Power that's purchased.
For a pledge of $49 or more, investors can get the Wakawaka Power in either yellow or black, with an estimated delivery date of May, 2013. The device has been so successful, when the Wakawaka Power passed the $100,000 mark, the company decided to offer 25% extra battery capacity to everyone who invested in it.