Sure, buying new batteries for your handheld is a hassle. But so is remembering to juice up rechargeables. And heaven forbid you not fit your PDA or cell phone just right into the recharging plug before you hit the sack.

Luckily, UK company Splashpower has a recharging solution that's simple enough for us scatterbrains so confused that we actually need an electronic organizer.

Working rather like a solar-powered calculator, Splashpower recharges your your electronic whatevers with light. You attach the thin recharging module to your gizmo, and set it down on the lighted Splashpad. As the module soaks up the rays, it recharges the device's batteries. And one Splashpad will recharge as many games, cell phones, PDAs, toys, or personal massagers as you can fit on it.

No further plugging or unplugging of anything is needed, at least until your rechargeable battery itself needs to be replaced. As long as you can remember "shiny side up, light-absorbing power module down," you can't accidently mis-connect it.

And hey, the lighted Splashpad means you'll always be able to find your cell phone in the dark.

http://www.splashpower.com

-- Robert Myers