As it does with most trends, Samsung is pursuing eco-friendly cell phones with vigor. It already gave us the Samsung Reclaim, and now we finally have a chance to review the Samsung Blue Earth. Like the Reclaim, the Blue Earth's shell is made from recycled materials--specifically, plastic water bottles--but it goes a giant step further with solar panels on its rear face. The solar panels actually work and can charge the phone in a pinch.
The Blue Earth is also free of harmful materials like polyvinyl chloride, and you can minimize battery use by adjusting the display settings. Outside of being green, the Blue Earth offers a functional feature set, but its small touch screen hampers its usability and there was static during calls. Check out our Blue Earth review for a more detailed look.
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EPISODE 158
Giorgio Armani extends designer touch to new mobile
Samsung Blue Earth sees light in Sweden
http://dvice.com/archives/2009/10/lgs-pop-touchsc.php
Dolce Gusto single-cup coffee maker is a beautiful thing
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Samsung Blue Earth
(Credit: Samsung)The solar-powered Samsung Blue Earth handheld was finally released to the public today--in Sweden, at least. The touch-screen phone with the solar charger on the back is also set to launch in other countries soon; they are France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Portugal, just to name a few.
We first saw this eco-friendly phone at GSMA 2009 and then our colleagues over at CNET Asia finally got their hands on it at CommunicAsia 2009. We're actually getting a review unit of this phone for ourselves soon, so we'll let you know if it truly does live up to its green promise.
(Via Engadget Mobile)
The Blue Earth: CNET Asia gets to touch it.
(Credit: Samsung)Every June, the bigwigs of the cell phone world journey to Singapore for the annual CommunicAsia extravaganza. Though not as big as the Mobile World Congress held every February in Barcelona, Spain, CommunicAsia stills brings us plenty of cell phone goodness from the continent where so much mobile innovation happens.
While we at Crave can't make the trek across the ocean to Singapore, our colleagues at CNET Asia are braving the convention floor to scope out the newest and hottest handsets. They've make an impressive haul so far, even getting their hands on the elusive LG watch phone and the Samsung Blue Earth solar-powered phone. We're more than a little envious considering last time we saw the Blue Earth and the watch phone we couldn't touch either.
Of course, that's just a sampling of the sights in Singapore. So for the full story, head on over to CNET Asia.
Samsung first announced its eco-friendly Blue Earth phone at the Barcelona-based Mobile World Congress in February. It's been awhile since the announcement, but we finally got to spend a little personal time with the solar-powered handset here at CommunicAsia 2009 in Singapore.
Get ready for some frantic hand action in our, well, hands-on video. Fret not, we were just testing to see how many calories we've burned.
(Source: Crave Asia)
(Credit:
Crave Asia)
The Samsung Blue Earth phone is an amazing piece of technology that brings solar charging to mobile phones. However, the Korean company has bigger plans than simply fusing solar panels to the back of a handset. It intends to create an ecosystem of "green communication" with a range of accessories.
Recognizing that not every country has ready access to sunlight, a dynamo-powered charge is available to convert kinetic energy to electricity. The popular Bluetooth headset has also been given a solar makeover, though we do not know how long it takes to charge the device using the sun. These are currently concept models whose availability remains unknown at this time.
(Via Crave Asia)
Related story:
(Credit:
Samsung/Inhabitat)
I have a few friends (who shall remain nameless) who are often unreachable because they don't charge their phones when they should. These same friends should look into the new Samsung Blue Earth, which is to be unveiled in a couple days at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The phone is green, despite its blue color, and it's not just the integrated solar panels that make it so. The Blue Earth is made of recycled plastic, features a pedometer, and even software that reaffirms just how much you're helping the planet by using it. If Al Gore had one of these mobile devices in hand, it would likely explode.
Besides being handy and eco-friendly, the phone appears to be gorgeous. The solar panels reside on the back, and the front is a full touch screen. Despite the new technologies, it should fit nicely in your pocket. We should know more about pricing and availability next week.
Another group that might find this phone attractive would be those crazy outdoorsy types: campers, hunters, fish enthusiasts, and other sportsmen could extend their trips into the wilderness while remaining in contact with the outside world in case of emergencies. We'd like to see other phones with practical solar panels just for this.
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