Solar power for your mobile gadget?

Speculation is high this week that Apple could be working to tap into solar power to charge its growing range of wildly successful gadgets. Patent papers involving installing solar cells behind a LCD panel were filed, though it must be said that Apple tried to be discreet by not listing itself as an assignee. They might have gotten away with it too, if not for the quick-witted folks over at MacRumors--who noticed the names of Apple employers listed in the patent applications.

Personally, I think that you need to get a new job--and fast--if the amount of illumination at your cubicle is sufficient to keep your iPod running the whole day. I could be wrong, but it is hard for me to envision how the energy efficiencies in the current generation of photovoltaic cells are able to service the demands of high-drain music players and phones. In the meantime, I'll just stick to Lithium-ion batteries, and just keep my mobile phone in my hand.

Meanwhile, the saga of the Indian government's insistence that RIM allow them to snoop on email continues, with RIM now telling the Indian government that it just is not technically possible.

I am not sure if others caught this, but I found it interesting that an RIM spokesperson "was not sure whether or not it [BIS] is protected by the same security architecture." Is there something else to it, or just a case of a non-techie being stumped by a technical question? - Paul