Ardica battery-powered vest offers heat, USB charging

I spent last weekend in Lake Tahoe, and while my cabinmates froze their butts off, I was nice and toasty. Why? Because I was wearing a prototype of Ardica's battery-powered vest whenever the temperature dipped down.

Ardica is a creator of innovative power solutions, and what they've done here is place a high-capacity battery, integrated heater, and USB charging solution into a simple, streamlined vest, turning you into a bipedal generator.

Just charge up the battery pack via A/C power then slip the slim, flexible pack into the back of the vest and connect a couple of wires. You're good to go: A rubberized button on the front of the vest lets you control the heat level, offering three levels of warmth (I found even the low level kept me pretty comfortable).

But the really cool part is found in the left-hand pocket: A standard USB connector to which you can attach anything you'd like to charge that needs less than 10 watts of power (which is pretty much anything that can charge or operate via USB). Need a quick top-up or urgent revival for your phone, iPod, or GPS device? A fully charged Ardica pack will offer up to 20 iPod charges, enough to get you through just about any day-trip emergency.

During my time with it, I had no problems with the vest at all, and the battery is still going strong after five days of off-and-on use. (Officially, the battery is rated for 3 hours of heat on high and 8.6 hours on low.) And the glowing red LEDs on the front of the vest were total conversation pieces. Though the power pack is noticeable, it's still quite comfortable to wear, which I'd have not thought would be possible with a battery pack strapped across my upper back.

Unfortunately the vest is not yet for sale (and a whole host of jackets and other powered outerwear garments are likely in the works), but the retail price for the entire kit, based on numbers Ardica has provided, would likely be in the range of $200 to $300. Fancier jackets would cost more, of course. No word yet on availability, but hopefully before global warming makes the whole thing irrelevant. (UPDATE: It's coming out this fall.)