Didn’t even get into the convention center before our attention was captured by a big alien pod looking thing. My words don’t do it justice, so here is a picture.

It’s an LG Sky Charger. What the heck is that? Good question. It’s a solar & wind powered station that takes the energy captured and allows you to recharge your cell phone on-site. It’s made in the UK, and this was their first stop in the US, and man does it capture your attention!

You go “into” the pod, and there are a series of drawers with keys- similar to lockers at the gym. You find an empty drawer, attach your phone to the cord inside, lock it and put the key around your neck with the lanyard they provide. While you walk around, your phone is safely locked, and charging! A great idea for all the gadget heads around here.

LG says they’re going to start featuring it concerts and similar outdoor events. There was no wind in Vegas today, but there was plenty of sun! And just the solar side provided plenty of juice. My colleague Laura popped in her BlackBerry, walked around for 2 hours, and was happy to return to claim her now fully charged BB.

This is tied in with LG’s Eco Mobilization program. It involves cell phone recycling, and they mentioned the average person has 4 old cell phone sitting around their house. Makes sense, I know I have at least 2-3 kicking around in old boxes. They’re actually dangerous to throw out, so LG is among many companies stepping up to improve recycling efforts. They even have a program called “LG 4 U” which lets you take home an already addressed envelope from one of their mall events to mail in your old phones. Very smart.

For more info, check out http://www.gotwind.org/. Cool stuff!

-- Peter Szabo