Source: WeWi Telecommunications

WeWi Telecommunications, a Canadian company based in Ontario, will release on the last week of August a solar-powered laptop priced at $350. However, the device may also land in North America as a Chromebook, reported Computerworld.

Aptly named SOL, which is Spanish for sun, the device aimed to solve problems in developing countries where electricity is either insufficient or too expensive, said WeWi founder and Chief Executive Officer David Snir.

Weighing five pounds and two inches thick, the laptop has four solar panels smaller that the device's 13.3-inch LCD screen and opens in a butterfly fashion. A clamshell cover protects the solar panels.

Original Source: Computerworld

On a sunny day, it takes two hours to fully charge the replaceable battery which has about 8 to 10 hours life. On a cloudy day, the charging could take as long as three hours.

However, the user need not be under the sun all the time while using the SOL laptop. He could detach the solar panels, stay indoors, and connect the panels by wire and place it under a sunny area.

WeWi tested the system using the Ubuntu Linux which is installed on the laptop, but it could also use other OS, including Chromebook, which the firm sees a huge potential.

Since it was designed for outdoor use also, WeWi used fiber-reinforced polymers for its shell and it installed shock absorbers inside to protect the system from falls. A $400 version of the laptop coated all electronic parts with hydrophobic nano materials that totally repel H20, making that model submersible.

SOL support 3G and 4G networks as well as Wi-Fi. It has a SIM card support, Intel Atom chip and 320GB hard disk drive.

Mr Snir said WeWi has little mark up on the sun-powered laptop because "We really want to get Africa connected and we really want to help developing countries ... We're not out to make a huge amount for money from our laptops."