Roberts solarDAB radio - Best Solar Powered radio (Review)

The Roberts solarDAB Radio is one of the best innovations I've seen in
the DAB radio market for sometime. Whilst most radio makers try and
compete with the iPod by offering you the ability to stream music from
your computer Roberts has taken a step back and produced a radio
that's proud to live up to it's DAB title with a little twist.

As I said this is a true DAB radio with one special feature, a solar
panel.  Whilst at first it may sound gimmicky it's actually quite
useful.  Once you get the radio you'll need to leave it to charge for
24 hours then your set to go. Leaving it in a sunny spot for a few
hours won't use any of it's internal battery, just as long as you have
enough solar 'juice'.  A  handy level indicator on the display shows
the power level generated by the solar panel.

From a design standpoint the solarDAB is very functional and good
looking. With five buttons and two giant rubberised knobs this would
be a great gift to give to a family member who isn't much of a techie.
Whilst it's been pointed out to me that the screen is a little small
it does make up in clarity and brightness and you'll have no problem
using this out in the garden without having to cover the screen to see
what you're looking at.

The aerial is detachable which is great for people who travel and
comes with a standard headphone jack and a line in socket for iPod
playback.

The speaker is good for a small radio and like most Roberts radios the
sound is rich and warm. The radio is best suited for people who leave
radio 4 on all day.

Whilst the green ECO badge isn't officially accredited mark it's
certainly a lot cheaper to run than any other DAB radio on the market
today.

You can pick up the solarDAB radio in white, black, red, green and of
course the obligatory pink. Amazon are currently selling the radio
for �68.00 but you'll be able to get a better deal on the web if you
do you do a bit of digging.

I'm really impressed with the solarDAB and whilst I have a few niggles
I'll defiantly be recommending this radio to all and sundry. This is
a clear step away from the norm for Roberts who are synonymous with
making those 'old' looking DAB radios and this can only be a good
thing for a company renowned for it's excellent sounding radios.

The Good

One of the best looking radio's I've seen in a long time.
Being able to charge the device whilst using it at the same time.
The retractable ariel, great for taking the device away on holiday.

The Bad

It's only DAB, no FM which isn't great if you plan on taking it abroad.
The small screen can be an issue for some people.
We live in Britain, so finding sufficient sunlight can be an issue.

Specifications

Does the solarDAB work? Yes it does. There's a little sliding scalethat appears on the display when the product is exposed to usablesunlight, with the number of bars displayed representing the amount ofpower being delivered by the unit’s solar panel. Roberts says if lessthan half the ten bars are showing, then there's enough power beingprovided to assist the unit’s rechargeable batteries, and the radiowill operate for longer than it would if just relying on therechargeable batteries alone.
If more than half the bars are illuminated, then the photovoltaiccells can power the radio on its own and have some juice left over torecharge the batteries too. If all the little LED bars are lit, well,you're laughing. The radio can operate without the battery pack at all,but this doesn't produce very satisfactory results.

We found that the panel was pretty sensitive. We placed it behind aheavily frosted window on a moderately sunny day and there was stillaround half the bars showing. Indeed, a nice sunny windowsill is theradio's preferred spot. But it is outside that it really comes into itsown.
Even moderate sunlight means the radio can keep going for reallylong periods of time, even at a decent volume. On its own, withoutassistance from the panel, the radio can manage around a quoted andbasically accurate 27 hours of playback. If the weather is really good,it can keep going as long as the sun shines, in theory at least.
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