Energizer’s Solar Recharger looks like an odd device. It looks like it could be an iPod battery extender, a AA charger or even a Solar adapter. And it actually is all of the above. Mainly, it’s a battery charger for standard rechargeable AA and AAA batteries and is primarily powered by an AC jack that’s assisted by a flip-out solar panel. The USB port can power your connected gadget and the Solar Charger will act as an extended battery for almost any USB-powered device, like your iPod for instance.

The beauty of this device is that through the use of cheap rechargeable batteries, Energizer sell it for just $50, with 2 AAs included. Some other features include weatherproofing and a rotating solar panel.

Gadget makers love toasters. That’s because gadget buyers love everything shaped like a toaster. Whether it will make toast or not. Just check our archives of everything toaster-related. You’ll see. The latest toast-related item to come across our desk and leave a trail of crumbs is this device for powering-up your gadgets.

The “Toasting Charger” concept by Hyun-A Ko is designed to charge your batteries like a toaster cooks bread to a crispy golden brown. Just slide in a lithium ion battery, push down the handle and wait for it to pop, fully charged, maybe even buttery. There’s a color coded light on the side to show you the battery’s progress.

You may or may not have a place in your car to place a gadget charger conveniently. That’s where this charger, shaped like a coffee cup, comes in handy. Chances are you have a cup holder, so just plug it into your cigarette lighter and sit in your cup holder. It converts the DC power from your vehicle into two 120-volt AC outlets and a USB port.

You’ll always have a spot available to charge up. Fits in any standard cup holder. This great solution is only $29.99. Hopefully you have two cupholders so you can still have your coffee too.

One of the worst things that can happen to a traveling geek/businessperson is to have their gadgets run down before the day is done. Power for your cell phone, MP3 player, or GPS device can be at a premium some days. A new messenger bag from Eclipse gives you a place to store all your gear and can help keep the gear charged at the same time.

The Fusion Solar Messenger bag can charge cell phones, MP3 players, and rechargeable batteries or any other device that can be plugged into a 12V auto adapter. The solar charger itself is removable and can be used outside the bag.

The Fueltank is a charging device that actually has good looks. It’s from tech company Callpod and it allows you to charge two small electronic devices at the same time without the use of an outlet. Which makes it perfect for travel, when you need to charge your gadgets the most.

It contains a rechargeable lithium ion battery that holds more than 7 times the capacity of a standard mobile phone. It will sense the amount of power required to charge your devices and sports LED fuel capacity indicators that display when the charging indicator button is pressed. Fueltank will soon be available from callpod.com for $59.95. Never leave home without it.

The Take Anywhere Electrical Power Source does away with the need for a travel adapter. It features a rechargeable 10-amp battery with more than enough juice to power a laptop not for one hour, not for two, but for three hours. It will power a cell phone for 15 hours of talk time, and even an iPod nano several times supposedly.

As for size, it’s smaller than most briefcases and sports a few AC outlets, a DC outlet, USB port, and is even outfitted with an LED for a flashlight. The internal battery can hold a charge for up to three months so you don’t have to babysit this thing to make sure you’ll have juice. The device will retail for $199.95 and would be pretty handy for those who travel a lot.

Apparently, Angstrom Power is not just working on fuel cells for MOTOSLVR L7 prototypes. The company is also touting its G2 portable fuel cell power source that will keep a whole wide range of gadgets charged. It looks like an mp3 player from a mirror universe, but I digress. This one has eight V60 Fuel Cell Modules that all together provide two watts of power. That can be used to top off any device that charges with a USB connection.

Angstrom says that the G2 itself can also be replenished “in minutes,” by using an Angstrom P2 Portable Refueling Cartridge or an R1 Refueling Station, and it can withstand “several charges” before it needs to be refueled. No word on pricing or availability, but it will likely show up before those fuel cell-powered cellphones, which seem to be on track for a release around 2010.

For some reason it just seems nicer to me when I have some type of cradle, dock or stand to charge my gadgets with instead of just a cord and naturally we were excited to see this charging stand for the Nintendo DS Lite. Sure the docks take up more room on my desk and are difficult to take along when you travel, but with them each items has their own neat and special place.

This stand looks to take up a little less space then it could, holding the DS upright on its side instead of flat. It comes in colors of black or white to match the black and white DS’s, and is expected to be available from PlayAsia sometime yet this month for just under $17 USD.

At NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program Spring 2008 show, graduate students were exhibiting some interesting and unusual projects. Like Oscar G. Torres’s Helios Power Tree, for instance. The leaves are constructed from thin solar cells that are all connected to a battery at the tree’s base from the branches and trunk. The battery uses solar power to charge and powers blue lights around the tree. There are USB outlets on the base.

The idea is that the tree would sit in a public space so that people can use the solar energy that it collects to charge any of their USB-powered gadgets. Money may not grow on trees, same with gadgets, but it turns out that juice to power those gadgets can grow on trees.

Here’s another great gadget for those who are environmentally conscious. The Strapya mini solar cell phone charger is smaller than an iPod, and when it has 6-10 hours of sunlight it becomes a dependable backup power source for your cell phone.

It hooks up to your phone using an adapter and you can get 3 hours of energy. Not only is it useful and environmentally friendly, but the price is not outrageous at about $17.54. So it wont “Strapya” for cash. And hey, sunlight is free.

Computer company Lenovo this week introduced a new 90w AC/DC combo adapter for those who need to charge more than one device at once. This new adapter - the 41N8460 - is priced at around $120.

This Lenovo ThinkPad and IdeaPad 90W slim AC/DC combo adapter is designed to charge either a Lenovo laptop or other electronic devices like mobile phones, PDAs and other mobile music devices with the use of optional connector tips. The adapter is also quite slim, with Lenovo saying it is roughly the size of a deck of playing cards.

You just have to love these gadgets that seem so simple and are so handy. InCase launched a new 2-in-1 charger for Apple’s iPhone and iPods which doubles as a wall charger and a car charger.

The Incase 2-in-1 Wall & Car charger has the connectors to connect to a wall outlet, which can then fold out-of-site when you want to transport it or instead use the cigarette lighter adapter for charging up your iPhone in your car. No more need for carrying two chargers around when you travel.

The MacWorld 2008 week is just about to come to a close but the new product announcements aren’t quite over yet. XtremeMac, maker of Apple product accessories, has launched the InCharge Home and InCharge Travel as the latest addition to the companies lineup of chargers for the iPhone and iPod. The products bear the “Works with iPhone” and “Made for iPod” brands making them Apple approved, which is something we really like to see anytime we connect something between the wall outlet and our multi-hundred dollar gadgets.

The InCharge Home is basically a $30 wall outlet adapter that will charge your iPhone or iPod without the use of a computer and without the risk of burning it up. XtremeMac says that the InCharge Home will bring your iPod or iPhone to a full charge twice as fast as it will through your computer connection.

Griffin has come up with a very handy PowerDock that will simplify the lives of those who have several iPods and iPhones in the house. (Or that crazy guy that has about 10 iPods and uses them all for some reason only he understands.) For now, it just charges the devices, but one can expect more functionality to be added down the road.

The Powerdock will be released in two models: a 4 slot version featured above for $70 in April, and a 2 slot model to come later for $50 in June.

Better Energy Systems, the company behind the eco-friendly Solio Classic hybrid (solar/wall socket) handheld electronics charger, is at CES with a new charger it says packs almost double the power of the original. It’s called the Solio Magnesium and it is being priced at around $200.

The Solio Magnesium is capable of fully charging a cell phone approximately three times. It “combines efficient solar cells, a powerful internal battery, and a rugged, environmentally friendly magnesium alloy shell.” Compatibility exists with the iGo tip system for supporting the charging of multiple types of devices and includes a female USB for an iPod.