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2013

Spreading Solar Power Around the World with Skype
- May 6, 2013
  
  New York-based Voltaic Systems, and a handful of other companies, are creating wearable and portable solar panel technology aimed to make solar power a viable reality for everyone, whether they live in Manhattan or Malawi.
  
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Voltaic Systems Demonstrates Solar Backpacks and Accessories for the Traveler
- January 30, 2013
  
  At The Connected Traveler Technology Showcase at the New York Ties Travel Show, Jeff Crystal of Voltaic Systems showed the company's solar chargers and batteries that produce and store their own power so you can run your electronics anywhere.
  
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Voltaic USB Touchlight
- Uncrate, January 19, 2013
  
  This waterproof USB light features a stylish silver body and a patent-pending lens that you tap on to cycle through three brightness levels.
  
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Trade Your Heavy Flashlight For this Flexible USB Touchlight
- Gizmodo, January 17, 2013
  
  If you're on the hunt for a more hands-free lighting solution when you hit the great outdoors, consider Voltaic's new USB-powered Touchlight...
  
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2012

Gift Guide: Good Gifts for Men
- Goodlifer, December 10, 2012
  
  A Goodlifer favorite, the NYC-based Voltaic Systems has updated their line of portable solar charging accessories, and this portable zip-up fold-out model, their most compact, is on our wishlist.
  
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Help Sandy Relief Efforts with Voltaic's "Buy One Give One" Solar Charger Program
- TreeHugger, November 8, 2012
  
  When you buy an Emergency Portable Power Kit from Voltaic, they'll give the same kit to someone in need on the east coast.
  
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Voltaic systems looking to help folks still in need #sandy
- Adafruit, November 5, 2012
  
  They have deep discounts they can do direct donation as it makes sense.
  
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Welcome to the jungle: The best tech when going off the grid
- ArsTechnica, September 2, 2012
  
  "I was able to not only charge my own phone, but also the phones of my family members. It was invaluable, and I still travel with my Voltaic backpack whenever I go to the Kenyan countryside."
  
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Give kids a high-tech edge with school gadgets
- Today, August 20, 2012
  
  DIY Network's Rob Van Winkle, aka Vanilla Ice, shares age-appropriate gizmos that will give your kids an edge as they head back to school, including a solar-powered backpack and a pen that is also an audio recorder.
  
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Top Green Back to School Backpacks for a Sustainable Academic Year
- Inhabitat, August 16, 2012
  
  Voltaic's new Array Backpack features a powerful 10-Watt photovoltaic panel that can generate enough energy to charge a cell phone, tablet, camera, or even a laptop!
  
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Voltaic Outs New Solar Laptop Charger
- NotebookCheck, March 23, 2012
  
  Voltaic Systems introduces a solar laptop charger which can charge the laptops along with other mobile devices.
  
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Play-Well Solar Lego Car
- Play-Well, January 19, 2012
  
  You know it is going to be a good day at work when you get a solar-powered Lego Car in the mail. The folks at Play-Well sent it to us after choosing to use our panels for this project...
  
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2011

Voltaic Launches New Solar Powered Backpacks
- Treehugger, November 2, 2011
  
  The company's most recent launch includes new solar chargers that can power up your laptop while latched on to a durable backpack.
  
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Interview with Jeff Crystal and Phillip Stearns
- EEWeb, October 10, 2011
  
  Interview with Jeff Crystal, COO, and Phillip Stearns, Lead Product Development and Testing Technician, of Voltaic Systems.
  
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Green Gadget of the Week: Voltaic Spark Solar iPad Case
- ZDNet, June 24, 2011
  
  Voltaic Systems has just introduced a $299 bag for your Apple iPad or other tablet computers that doubles as a solar charger.
  
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Voltaic Previews Solar Tablet Case at CES 2011
- Butterscotch.com, January 15, 2011
  
  While at CES 2011 Kate Abraham gets a chance to talk with Jeff Crystal of Voltaic Systems. On display at the show were the Voltaic Systems Spark Solar Tablet Case and the Voltaic Systems Generator Solar Laptop Charger...
  
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2010

The Peace List: 10 Must Haves for Fall
- Huffington Post, August 26, 2010
  
  This is one of the coolest things ever.
  
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Voltaic Systems Launches Slick Stand-Alone Solar Chargers
- Treehugger, August 26, 2010
  
  It seems we might finally have small, personal chargers that make practical sense.
  
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2009

Joy of green giving: High-tech, environmentally friendly gifts
- New York Daily News, December 14, 2009
  
  More of those dreams about a white Christmas will likely include the color green this year.
  
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Gifts That Keep Giving
- Sierra Club, November/December 2009
  
  Voltaic solar backpacks and messenger bags, made mostly of recycled plastic bottles, can convert a day's worth of sunlight into a full charge for a laptop, cell phone, or MP3 player.
  
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Solar-Sexyness gegen Akku-Angst
- Spiegel Online, December 1, 2009
  
  Der Akku ist eine Erfindung, die uns das Leben erleichtert und uns zugleich stresst.
  
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Going Green
- Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP Newsletter, July 2, 2009
  
  This nerd-chic backpack is something my friend swears by. It has solar panels on it and will charge all of your electronics while you're on the go.
  
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Lighten that Heavy Load
- New York Magazine, May 31, 2009
  
  A local tech expert helps a constantly touring musician streamline his gadgets.
  
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2008

CNet Product Review
- CNet, November 21, 2008
  
  The Voltaic Backpack's thoughtful design and solar-charging features shine.
  
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Holiday Gifts for Green Travelers
- LA Times, November 2008
  
  These bags are futuristic in design and function.
  
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Top 10 Green Products
- Popular Mechanics, August 13, 2008
  
  While solar-powered bags have been around for years, this is the first to generate enough power to charge a laptop (up to 17 watts), using only a day's worth of sunlight.
  
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SmartPlanet: Voltaic Converter Review
- SmartPlanet, March 6, 2008
  
  We like solar bags, and this is one of the cream of the crop. It's relatively cheap as far as solar backpacks go, and Voltaic's experience -- it started making them in 2004 -- shows in the small details.
  
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Video Interview with Shayne McQuade at CES
- Microsoft Channel 9, January 22, 2008
  
  Laura Foy chats with Voltaic CEO Shayne about the laptop charging Generator, solar panels and the history of Voltaic.
  
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CES: Voltaic's Solar-Powered Backpacks To Get Greener
- Wired, January 3, 2008
  
  With panels that crank out 4 watts in direct sunlight, one of Voltaic's backpacks or messenger bags can add 3 hours of battery life to your iPod for every hour it sits in the sun.
  
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2007

Lime.com Daily Video
- Lime.com, July 2007
  
  Get a charge out of these stylish backpacks that double as an energy source.
  
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John Q. Daily
- John Q. Daily, June 2007
  
  If carrying around some solar panels wasn't enough to make those Greenpeace gals quiver in their Birkenstocks whenever you walk by, you can also tell them that the bags are made with recycled PET, a heavy duty fabric made from post-consumer plastic products.
  
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Clothing That Takes Action
- Treehugger, January 2007
  
  Here are some picks for clothing and accessories that do more than just hang off your shoulders. Add a solar-powered accessory with Voltaic's backpack or their newer bags
  
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2006

Leading By Example - All The Way To China
- Inc, Magazine, October 2006
  
  Shayne McQuade's company, Voltaic Systems, makes backpacks and messenger bags faced with solar panels that can charge things such as cell phones and PDAs. They're made in China. McQuade would like to explain why that is an environmentally progressive approach.
  
  It's precisely because so many things are made in China. By sourcing his bags there, McQuade accrued a little influence. He told his manufacturer that he wanted the bags to be made from recycled PET plastic--soda bottles, essentially. The manufacturer couldn't find a supplier. So McQuade went to Taiwan and found the supplier himself. And here's the thing: Now his manufacturer makes products of recycled PET for lots of clients. Big clients...
  
  "By working with these factories, we have a hope of changing the manufacturing systems and making those materials and that fabric available through mainstream channels," says McQuade. "And that's where you change the world. If I'm doing some artisanal project in the U.S., it's not the same."
  
  McQuade dreamed up Voltaic, which is based in New York City, while bumming around Spain. He was looking for a change after a stint as a consultant at McKinsey and later as an entrepreneur during the dot-com boom, and he needed a way to recharge his cell phone. He ultimately devised a bag designed around lightweight, durable solar panels and a small rechargeable battery Next up: bags with enough light-harvesting technology to charge a laptop.
  
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2004

Packing portable power
- CNN, December 17, 2004
  
  From houses, cars, and even clothing, solar power is bringing new innovations to light. The latest bright idea is the solar backpack -- and two hit the market this year from companies Voltaic Systems and Eclipse Solar Gear.
  
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