Something to look forward to: Blue Tiger recently unveiled a headset that uses solar power for unlimited use without needing conventional charging. The company positions it as a high-grade headset for on-the-go use. It garnered some notice at CES 2022 this week and is set to launch this spring, though with no word on pricing.
Blue Tiger's Solare headset uses a Powerfoyle solar cell headband to stay continually charged under indoor and outdoor lighting. Blue Tiger designed it for constant use while driving.
According to Exeger, Urbanista and Adidas also have solar-powered headphones that use its Powerfoyle technology. Cycling apparel company POC uses Powerfoyle for the solar-powered integrated lights in its bicycle helmet as well.
The Solare features 97 percent noise canceling, can operate at between minus-40 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit, and uses Bluetooth 5.1 with a range of 300 feet. It's compatible with Siri and Google Assistant. Blue Tiger also claims the headset meets the MIL-STD-810 military specification for ruggedness in extreme environments, but that doesn't necessarily mean it has gone through actual military testing.
The CES 2022 Innovation Awards recognized Solare as an honoree, calling it a military-grade headset running on sustainable energy. Other honorees include AMD's Ryzen 6000 series mobile CPUs, an autonomous drone for taking selfies, some of LG's new TVs, a vehicle passenger vital sign sensor, a reading lamp designed to help people with dyslexia, and many more.