Now this makes sense. One of the main selling points of e-ink powered e-book readers is that you can read them in full sunlight, as opposed to traditional LCD displays which are often hard to read outside.

LG have taken that idea and applied the next logical step, and stuck a solar cell on it creating a Solar Cell eBook Reader. A 4-5 hour snooze in the sun would extend the reader’s battery by a day. It’s a thin-film solar cell so it’s not as efficient as the crystalline ones but it only weighs 20g (2/3 oz) so it’s perfect for a handheld gadget. It’s only a prototype but hopefully this is the start of a great new trend. [Via Engadget]

The thin-film solar cell featured in the e-book measures 10 centimeters in width and length, it was developed to perfectly fit the 6-inch display panel for e-book currently mass produced by LG Display. The solar cell measures 0.7 millimeter in thickness and weighs a mere 20 grams, the less thickness of a credit card and the weight of a fountain pen.

Tags: gadget, ebook, e+ink, ebook+reader, solar+power, solar+powered+ebook+reader