Solar thumb drive and MP3 player to be revealed at CEBit

A-Data Technology of Taiwan and Micro-Star International (MSI) are launching the Solar Disk thumb drive, a flash-based memory device equipped with solar cells.

The new product is the answer to the ever increasing popularity of reusable energy. The Solar Disk thumb drive, available in 128MB, 25MB, 512MB, 1GB and 2GB variants, does not have any built-in battery. Its solar cell module powers its LCD display to indicate users the remaining power of the device.

The Solar Disk thumb drive, which is based on USB 2.0 connectivity, will be first seen at CeBIT 2006 in Germany and has a tentative market launch date of April 1.

MSI will also be showcasing a concept MP3 player at CeBIT featuring solar cells. The solar module will power the built-in lithium battery of the MP3 player and provide the supplementary power to lengthen battery life. If users rely only on the solar cell to power the battery, it would take two days for the process (assuming ordinary outdoor light conditions are present).