Last year, the European Union ordered cell phone manufacturers to standardize their syncing and charging solutions: all phones should use microUSB to transfer data and charge. And let’s face it, to have things any other way is just annoying. The only problem is that the European Union failed to stand tough and at the last minute agreed to allow cell phone makers to comply with the law by shipping their phones with microUSB adapters. That’s crazy.

We can only hope that things go better here in the states, because Sprint CEO Dan Hesse has confirmed that by January 2012, all US phones will use microUSB chargers, which would do us the great favor of making all chargers and syncing cables cross-compatible. Why he thinks this, we have no idea.

There are plenty of tablet cases available for the iPad but how many are lined with solar panels? The Spark Tablet Case by Voltaic can generate up to 8 watts of power to provide about an hour of iPad runtime for every hour in the sunlight. Not bad. It also comes with a solar chargeable battery that contains almost enough juice to give the iPad a single full charge. The battery can be charged using the solar panels on the case, or via a USB port or wall charger.

Other features include a high-power 2A USB port, a regular 650mA USB port to speed up the iPad recharging process, water resistant solar panels, and the case itself is also waterproof. It’s also large enough to fit other accessories with your iPad and the charger can charge other mobile devices.

Here’s a good way to carry our money around without actually having it with us. Hashy Top-In is a Japanese based company that’s come up with a device called the “E-Money Band”. It’s a silicon band that can be worn like a watch around your wrist and users can load up to $600 on it via chargers available at Japanese convenience stores and other places.

Just tap the band against a compatible reader that stores will carry to make your purchases. That’s it. You’re done. The band is priced at about $36, but it won’t even pull double duty by telling the time.

I have never run a car I was driving out of gas before. I have had to drive to pick up my wife a few times over the years when she forgot to get gas and ended up stranded. At least with a normal car you can just put a few gallons in the tank to get you to the station.

If you forget to plug in an electric car and you get stranded on the side of the road today, you are out of luck. A company called Nation-E has unveiled a new charging system in Europe that has a mobile charger in the back of a van called Angel Car. The idea is that if an EV owner runs out of juice the van drives to them to give a charge.

It was not a good day for Farmer Gopal Gujjar of Bandha village in Rajasthan. It was a bad day for Nokia as well. Gujjar’s phone exploded in his face. Nokia initially had a problem with their battery, the BL-5C, that was only rumored to explode while charging.

Apparently that was not the case at all as Gujjar’s Nokia 1209 exploded in his face while he was working with his cattle and having a conversation. The explosion caused severe burns to his left ear, neck, and shoulders which turned out to be fatal. This is the first time a phone has exploded without being hooked up to a charger.

Samsung has announced a lineup of accessories for its Android-powered Galaxy S smartphone. These accessories include a desktop docking station, vehicle dock, and a backup battery charging system. The desktop dock lets your movies, listen to music, and it doubles as a digital photo frame while also charging the device.

The vehicle dock allows you to mount your Galaxy S on the windshield or your dashboard to display traffic alerts or turn-by-turn instructions. Lastly, the backup charger is small enough to fit into a purse, letting you keep your device close at all times, even when it is charging.

Nokia has launched a new accessory that will have you working for that precious juice for your mobile phones. The Nokia Bicycle Charger kit will let you recharge your Nokia mobile phone while you’re riding your bike.

The charger starts charging when you reach a speed of 6KM/H. The kit comes with a Nokia Bicycle Charger DC-14, Nokia Phone Holder for Bicycle CR-124, and a Bottle Dynamo. What the hell, it keeps you in shape right? While keeping Your phone charged.

Green gadgets to keep your phone and other electronic devices charged are common today. A new green charger has debuted called the Kiwi U-Powered. The device has three solar panels and an internal battery.

The internal battery is a lithium polymer unit with 2000mAh of power. The device outputs 600mA maximum and the battery can also be charged from a USB port. Kiwi ships the charger with 11 tips that cover most gadgets from the iPhone to other major mobile phones.

There are lots of people out there who would like to be able to share connectivity from a 3G USB modem between multiple computers. Back during CES Trendnet showed off a new WiFi router that could do just that and promised it this month.

Trendnet has announced that the router is now shipping for $99. The router is called the TEW-655BR3G and can work with modems from AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon. Modems using 3G and 3.5G networks are supported.

The MiLi Power Skin and Pocket Pal want to up the ante a bit when it comes to thinness. The MiLi Power Skin is a case for the iPhone that is supposedly the world’s thinnest external battery for the 3G & 3GS. It should provide twice the amount of power for your device with its 1200 mAh lithium polymer battery. The case is available in eight two tone colors for $69.95.

MiLi also has what they claim is the world’s tiniest cell phone charger with a foldable plug. It is good looking, we’ll give them that. The Mili Pocket Pal mobile phone charger also comes in 5 colors. The Pocket Pal retails for $19.95.

The eco friendly Sony Ericsson Naite is a nice looking candybar phone. It’s now available on the Sony Style website ( “out of stock” at the moment though). The unlocked and unsubsidized phone will cost you $159.

That’s not too bad when you consider that the case made of 50 percent post-consumer recycled plastic and has an ultra-eco charger. Might be a good backup phone. And besides, you are doing your part for the environment. If you don’t, who will?

Novero makes Bluetooth headsets for mobile phones that are attractive to look at and work well. The company has announced three new products this week with the typical odd names Novero prefers. The new gear includes TheTalkyOne, TheTravelOne, and TheCarOne.

TheTalkyOne is the most interesting of the items and is a Bluetooth speakerphone designed for use in the car and the home. It can speak text messages out to the user and can pair with two phones at once. The device has 180 hours of standby time and 15 hours of talk time per charge.

MWC is always a hotbed of new products ranging from hardware and components to handsets and accessories for mobile phones. This year a bunch of accessories have been seen including the latest Bluetooth headset from Novero that is aimed at men.

The headset is called the Lexington and has an understated black with brushed steel design. The device has a stainless steel clip to connect it to a shirt pocket when not in use. Novero ships the Lexington with a charging carry case.

Netgear’s MBRN3300 comes from a collaboration with Ericsson. The unusual device can use an internal 3G modem which includes HSPA+ at about 20Mbps, while sharing that link via 802.11n Wi-Fi or through one of the four 100Mbps Ethernet ports.

Owners can also switch off the 3G, Wi-Fi or both when not in use. The MBRN3300 is for households where regular cable, DSL or fiber isn’t available, and for those who rely on just mobile local networks. You can even charge it up in the car with the optional car charger and a battery pack. Nothing on pricing yet, but Netgear primarily intends the router as an option for carriers.

When we are on the go with our mobile devices, no one wants to run out of power. There are all sorts of gadgets on the market that are designed to keep our gadgets powered up and usable. Scosche has announced its latest portable battery pack called the solBAT II.

The device is a solar charger and back up battery with two LEDs on the top to show when it is making power from the sun and when it is charging a connected device. The charger can recharge any device that connects via USB. That means Blackberrys, iPhones, and iPods are all compatible.