The Vodafone Booster Brolly umbrella certainly works in the rain and at the park, but it's the other things that make it useful, even if you are not a gadget aficionado.

What Does It Actually Do?

The Booster Brolly brings a few interesting things to the party, or outdoor festival as the case may be. First, it is fully capable of charging a smartphone within three hours.

Second, it stores additional energy for later use in powering or charging a phone or other device.

Third, it acts as an antenna and pulls in useable signal, even in many locations where the phone would be useless otherwise.

Fourth, it amplifies that signal and makes it available to the umbrella user's phone, and the phones of those within about a meter of the Booster Brolly.

Fifth, it makes it possible to use a phone hands-free.

Sixth, it acts as a light-source

How Does It Do It?

1. The Vodafone Booster Brolly umbrella has twelve flexible, lightweight, triple-junction, amorphous-silicon solar-cells, in the form of thin rectangles on top of the double-layered canopy.

2. Electrical energy is transferred via a voltage regulator, to a high capacity rechargeable battery mounted on the central, carbon-fiber pole, and then made available to a phone or other device through a USB connection.

3. The umbrella's folding support struts are made of aluminum, and incorporate a high-gain, receiving antenna at the top of the central support pole.

4. Incoming signals are boosted by a low power, signal-repeating transmitter.

5. A clasp on the central carbon-fiber pole secures a phone for hands-free operation.

6. An LED flashlight is built-in to the Booster Brolly's central pole, and powered by the rechargeable battery.

Who Designed It?

Dr. Kenneth Tong, a University College London (UCL) specialist in microwave technology and antennas, worked with a team of grad students to design the Booster Brolly for British telecommunications company Vodafone. Keep in mind, this gadget is currently only a Vodafone prototype, but may actually become available in the foreseeable future.

Recommendation

Do an internet search, in quotes, for the original audio of "The rain, the park, & other things", by The Cowsills. Listen to that song, and you'll be happier in two minutes, even if you cannot immediately order the Vodafone Booster Brolly umbrella.