We have reviewed many power banks on this page but never one with such a radical, innovative look and feel—and yes, it is designed, developed, and manufactured in India by a 4-year-old Mumbai-based start-up, Elixier Tech after crowd funding at Indiegogo. ET Stone looks like a smart phone with an adjustable stand—and weighs about the same. One entire face is taken up by a bank of solar cells, though you can’t see them, for the black film on top.
But face to the sun or to bright light and a tiny red bulb lights up to tell you the power bank is charging.A full charge could take more than 15 hours, so you have the faster option of charging from a laptop or PC with a USB cable provided (or from mains if you have an adapter). Usefully the ET Stone lets you charge and discharge at the same time—i.e. while you are charging the power bank through one USB port, you can use a second port to charge your phone, tablet or music player.
Other thoughtful additions are a 3-intensity LED lamp, which can also double as an SOS flasher and an LED torch. Also included is a fixture for mounting the power bank on a car window. The whole thing is a desi marvel of ergonomic design, which might make what is basically a 3100-mAhpower bank worth the asking price of Rs 3,999.