So sometimes, you’re out in the middle of nowhere, your car is dead and so is your cell phone.  At times like that you start to wish you were carrying a little lightning in your pocket.  But the next best thing just might be the Power HotSpot from Solis.

The Power HotSpot is, basically, what it says it is, like a WiFi hotspot, only for power.  It’s a portable solar panel attached to a base unit that comprises a twelve volt power supply.  Anything with a car cigarette lighter–from a cell phone charger to a portable car fridge–can draw power from the unit.

Anyone calling this a portable unit is clearly stretching the definition of the term “portable”–it’s portable in the same way a car’s spare tire is.  That is, it fits in your trunk and can actually be carried for a while, but I wouldn’t try a mile walk with one.

Anything that generates solar power is pricey, of course, but this one isn’t too bad at $375.

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