Vodafone unfurls booster brolly for mobes Vodafone UK will unfurl a “booster brolly” at summer music festivals, to give concert-goers a chance to charge their phones and shout at absent friends even at events staged in muddy fields where reception is thin. Designed by Kenneth Tong of University College London, the umbrella has solar cells sewn into its canopy (the …
To anyone questioning the apparent contradiction that rain clouds can often (but not always) block out the sun, let's not confuse multi-purpose with multi-tasking. But as long as there's daylight, there will be a current coming from the solar panels - just not so much of it.
Since it also contains a torch (see linked article), it must surely also have a battery, and one would expect that through this, it could deliver charge to a phone, even if dark or overcast.
I think that it's an innovative idea, certainly worthy of a trial.
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