My favorite part about flying is getting to read the SkyMall catalog. A special treat is when I fly once at the end of the month and take a return trip in the following month…thus getting to read an updated copy of SkyMall on the return trip. While this proves I’m a geek, it also proves useful as a retro gamer and blogger (which ironically also both prove I’m a geek…). Check this out: you can get a solar charger for your iPhone. I ripped out the page and scanned it for your viewing pleasure. Solar…green…iPhone…? Quite lovely, huh?
While that may be a cool idea, Naki is way ahead of the game here. Back in 1993, they came up with the Solar-Pak for the Original Game Boy. Talk about a piece of retro gaming history! Solar…green…GAME BOY! How freak’n cool is that?
Let’s do a little product comparison to figure out which solar pack is better:
| Naki Solar-Pak | Novathink Solar Surge | |
| System | Original Nintendo Game Boy | iPhone 3G/3GS |
| Solar Powered | Yes | Yes |
| Battery | 500 mAh | 1,500 mAh |
| Wrist Strap | Yes | No |
| Instructions Languages | English, Francais, Espa?ol, Deutsche, Nederlandse, Portugues, Italiano | Unspecified |
| Indoor Charger | Naki AC adaptor (#55618-USA), (#55543-Europe), & (#55629-UK) | USB |
| Motivation | Extended Gaming (7 hours!) & Environmental Love | Jumping on the iPhone & “Green” Bandwagons |
| Cool Factor | Freak’n 80s Rad | Hipster |
| Cost | >$20 used, >$?? New | $69.95 |
Even without knowing whether or not the Game Boy Solar-Paks works, I’m leaning toward it as the winner. First off, they power an iconic Nintendo gaming system. Secondly, they came out 17 years before the iPhone solar charger. Third, I wouldn’t plug in anything named “Surge” into one of my electronic devices. And finally, there are simply too many other iPhone chargers in existence to justify charging $69.95 for any of them. Thus, the Naki Solar-Pak wins!
I originally blogged about these Solar-Paks after finding one in October. Since then I came across a guy who had a few boxes of them. As any compulsive collector would, I bought them all on the spot! I’m keeping a bunch of them, and the rest I’ve put up in the Video Game Museum eBay Store.
