Now you'll have no excuse for shirking your work, even if you're out in the middle of nowhere. This Earthtech Solar Laptop Charger's 150-watt portable power system keeps you going whether you like it or not, harnessing the sun's rays to give your laptop about three extra hours of run time. Unfold and spread out its 12-watt solar panels, and it soaks up enough sunshine to fully charge in eight to 10 hours.

The power unit has a convenient carrying handle, and on the side it has an ordinary 115-volt power receptacle into which you can plug anything that uses under 150 watts of power. That means you can listen to a clock radio, power your cellphone for up to 20 hours, or even jump start your car with its built-in jumper clips. Or you could save yourself the $283.95 cost of this thing and truly get away from it all. Go ahead, it's summer. You can tell the boss it was raining all week. — Charlie White

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