原创 Check out this tasty solar media player & power bank

This is a funny old world and no mistake. I was sitting in the Pleasure Dome (my office) happily beavering away when someone dropped a package on my desk. When I opened this unexpected container, I discovered an SP-5000 Solar Media Player from the folks at Secur Products.

 

This little rascal is actually rather interesting. First of all we have a rainproof (water-resistant), dustproof, shockproof case for a smartphone. Although you can't see it in my photo above, there's a reasonably rugged carabiner on the back that allows you to attach the case to your belt or backpack or whatever.

The case also boasts a 5.5V / 70mA solar panel and two 3-watt stereo speakers, which don’t sound half bad. When you open the case, you discover a container for your smartphone along with a wealth of cables and connectors. What you can’t see in this image is a 2000mAh power bank, which is mounted in the lid.

 

In the upper-right-hand corner of the above picture we see two cables coming out of the lid. One of these ends in a standard male stereo plug. If you want to use the SP-5000 as a media player, you simply plug this into your smartphone or MP3 player -- I used my trusty iPad.

The other cable terminates in a female power plug, which acts as DC-in if you are charging the power bank from a PC or a wall-mounted supply, or as DC-out if you are using the power bank to charge your smartphone or similar device.

In the lower-left of the above picture we see a USB-to-power cable, which can be used to charge the power bank from a PC or a wall-mounted supply. Alternatively, you can use the solar panel on the front of the case.

In the lower-right-hand corner of the above picture we see four connectors that plug into the DC-out connector and that can subsequently be used to charge your smartphone or whatever. From right-to-left we have a 30-way iPhone connector, a micro USB connector, an 8-pin Lightning connector, and a female USB 2.0 connector.

The cable that puzzles me is shown on the left. This is a male USB 2.0 connector (which could be plugged into the female USB connector we just discussed) feeding a 30-way iPhone connector, an 8-pin lightning connector, and a micro USB connector. The only use I can see for this is to provide a 9" extension cable for charging purposes, which seems a little over-enthusiastic. Personally, I would have omitted this cable and replaced it with a DC-to-mini USB connector, but what do I know?

 

One thing that always bugs me is when you purchase something like a solar media player and subsequently discover that you don’t have the right connector. In the case of the SP-5000, you are provided with a cornucopia of these little scamps.

Last, but not least, the SP-5000 offers a safe and snug haven for most MP3 players and smartphones, including an iPhone 6 and a Samsung Galaxy S5.

The reason I commenced this column by saying "This is a funny old world" is that I'm one of the few people left on the planet who doesn’t actually own a smartphone. About 12 to 18 months ago, I came to the realization that nobody ever called me with a message I wanted to hear, so I stopped carrying one and I've been happier and less stressed ever since.

Having said this, one thing I've been ruminating on is that it might be handy to have a smartphone for use in navigation and also if any unexpected problems arise.

As part of my ponderings, I've been oscillating back and forth between an iPhone 6 and an iPhone 6 Plus, but the iPhone 6 Plus wouldn’t fit in my SP-5000 case, and there's no point in being in possession of a case like this if you also have a smartphone that won’t fit in it. So, the end result is that the folks at Secur have effectively made my decision for me -- if I do ultimately decide to become a card-carrying member of the 21st century and get a smartphone, an iPhone 6 it shall be.