Samsung unveils solar powered handset

Korean gadget vendor Samsung has unveiled what it claims is the world’s first solar powered phone, to be launched at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week.

The Blue Earth device has a solar panel located on the back of the phone, which Samsung claims can deliver enough juice to allow users to make a call anytime, anywhere.

Taking a leaf out of Motorola’s book, the unit is actually made from recycled plastic water bottles and in line with Samsung’s green strategy, is free from harmful substances such as Brominated Flame Retardants, Beryllium and Phthalate. The included charger is a 5 star energy efficient model which uses standby power lower than 0.03W.

Designed with the aesthetics of a flat and rounded pebble in mind, the Blue Earth boasts a full touch screen, a built in pedometer and an eco friendly energy efficient mode, which reduces screen brightness, backlight duration and Bluetooth.

More details will be unveiled next week.

In related news, it is believed that Samsung is also experiencing delays in getting its first Android-based handset to market. Many had expected the Korean firm to launch a device based on the Google-backed operating system at MWC, but it now looks like that launch has been pushed back to the second half of the year.