Sneak peek of 'green' solar radio with 30-hour battery life

Unannounced until now, the radio with the ultra long battery life will sold starting next year in the US and a number of other countries for about $100, said Rahul Sharma, the VP for North America for Freeplay Energy, an affiliate of the Freeplay Foundation philanthropic group, in an interview with Betanews.

Founded in 1999, Freeplay Energy sells electronics products in the areas of digital audio, lighting, mobile power, and medical devices. Through its humanitarian division, the company also distributes radios in third world countries via the Freeplay Foundation, UNICEF, and other not-for-profit groups.

"To the best of my knowledge, this will be the first solar-powered radio with a status bar," according to Sharma, who also showed the new radio during a presentation at Greener Gadgets called "Panel Discussion: Green Design for Good."

Sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Greener Gadgets is being held in New York City for the second consecutive year. The one-day conference is a spin-off of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).