Samsung Throws Down the Eco-Smartphone Gauntlet

sameco

I don’t generally put up posts on every single thing that might compete with Apple products in the market place. After all, when you’re number one, everyone is always gunning for you.

But Samsung is a major player in the global mobile phone market and when the company floats an idea such as the Blue Earth Solar Powered phone, I have to sit up and take notice.

Designed to symbolize a “flat and well rounded shiny pebble,” according to the marketing material, Blue Earth features a full touchscreen front and charges up via a solar panel on the back of the phone, purportedly generating enough electronic power to make a call anytime.

What’s more, the case is made from recycled plastic water bottles and the thing has a built-in pedometer that calculates how many CO2 emissions you’ve reduced (and therefore how many trees have been saved) by walking as opposed to taking the car.

The handset and its charger are both free from harmful substances such as Brominated Flame Retardants, Beryllium and Phthalate. Screen brightness, backlight duration and Bluetooth can all be adjusted in an energy-efficient mode called “Eco mode”.

It would be pure speculation on my part to say whether this phone will pose a serious challenge to iPhone’s preeminence in the touchscreen smartphone market, especially as there’s no word yet on its OS and, as everyone knows, the iPhone’s hardware design is elegant and all, but it’s the OS that sets it apart from all others. So, until we know more, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Blue Earth is supposed to be available in the UK in the second half of this year; no pricing or full tech specs available at press time.

DON'T MISS

As the guys at SlipperyBrick put it, “this is a serious eco-hippie phone.” And even though I’m not a serious eco-hippie, I’m going to go pour myself a bowl of granola and ponder Blue Earth.

Via SlipperyBrick, via PocketLint

7 comments »

About the author

Lonnie Lazar is a writer-musician-web designer-attorney. He writes about Apple for Cult of Mac and Mac|Life, and about VoIP and telecommunications for Voxilla. Follow Lonnie on Twitter @LonnieLazar, join the Cult of Mac on Facebook, and find Lonnie's photos on Flickr.

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Posted in First impressions, Opinions, Rumors |

Lauren
Very cool. But do you just leave it sitting in the sun to charge? Usually, my cell is in the deep recesses of my pocketbook. I think my cousin Eric is working on iPhone apps, BTW.
Great post, thanks!
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I like the design. I can envision this phone getting much media attention because of the features but I wouldn’t trade this for my iPhone.
gershon
UK, it rains alot there!! Not too much sun to suck up!
JAmie
What a moronic idea! Greenwashing has passed onto a new level.
I wonder when this fad finally passes, I cant take it anymore.
Brendan
Very cool! It reminds me that we aren’t too far removed from the stories that phones would have circuits printed on paper, and we’d just through them out when the minutes were used up (like a disposable camera). It’s nice to read about a swing away from that, and to recycled component(s).
It doesn’t seem to me as though this would compete with the iPhone. It sounds more like a phone that could create it’s own market though.
imajoebob
Another phone designed by the marketing department.
I think I’ll take this more than a grain of salt. I really like lines line “made from recycled plastic water bottles.” Is ALL the plastic from bottles? Is all the plastic recycled? Or is it only guaranteed >0.001%? And the specific use of “water bottle.” Soda bottles not good enough for Samsung? Maybe they’ll use Coke, but not Pepsi bottles.
Mechanically/operationally this is just bogus. Solar cells are almost useless. My phone is in my pocket or my rucksack all day. The only place it’s out for any extended period is on the night stand, which isn’t an efficient time for recharging (unless the TV is bright enough to recharge it). Putting the cells on the back of the phone means you have to lay it on its screen to charge. And it can’t recharge when you use it because your hand is covering the cells.
Ian
I use a Samsung right now. They famously WILL NOT SYNC WITH A MAC.
Very annoying, that means this phone is just out of the question.