October. Possibly the 28th. Maybe it was the 29th. We definitely recall having to shade our eyes when we stumbled off the bus... yep, we're pretty sure that was the last time we saw the sun.
We had feared that the UK's winter months would be the undoing of Helios, the "world's first" wireless, solar powered powered headphones. Mercifully, its designers assure us that its photovoltaic solar film even works in environments with cloudy skies. We don't understand how, but we're thrilled all the same.
The Helios look like a very unassuming pair of headphones: no bulk is added by the solar cells, which sit discreetly on the top band of the headphones. All of the energy collected by the cells go into powering the speakers and a low-energy Bluetooth 4.0 unit, allowing you to connect the Helios to your chosen smart device.
When fully charged, they can keep churning out your tunes for 15 hours, with one hour in the sun equating to half an hour playtime (there's an AC charger to top you up in case you're spending your day indoors). Should the weather fail you, there's also a standard headphone jack, and a built-in microphone for phone calls.
Currently charging its way to a Kickstarter funding goal, you can order a pair of Helios for a discounted price of £100. Shipping in July 2015, they might arrive just in time for the sun's return.
