Crave

(Credit: Samsung)

If you're an outdoorsy type, you might never have to worry about your phone running out of juice again.

Samsung announced Wednesday its first solar-powered GSM mobile phone, the E1107, also known by the catchier name Crest Solar. The phone is a dual-band GSM (900MHz and 1800MHz) and can be charged anywhere the sun is shining.

The phone is about the same shape and size as most regular compact cell phones, but with one big difference: on the back it has a solar panel that's capable of providing enough juice for about 5 to 10 minutes of talk time for each hour of charging.

Of course, this depends on how sunny it is. ... Read more

(Credit: KDDI)

Sunbathers in Japan will have another beach- or pool-friendly keitai (phone) to carry around this summer. Simply known as the Solar Phone SH002, a 10-minute exposure to direct sunlight will yield one minute of talktime or two hours of standby.

Of course, the mileage you get is dependent on factors like the intensity of solar radiation and cloud cover. But you should be able to juice up the battery to 80 percent of its capacity if left outdoors long enough. There's even a Flash animation app that tells you how fast your phone is charging with a growing number of animals onscreen as the radiation gets more intense.

The SH002--available only from KDDI in Japan starting May 29--is waterproof as well. In other words, you won't have to worry if the handset takes an accidental dive. Also interesting are the sports-related applications. You can configure a health and fitness program tailored to your lifestyle, learn to play golf on 2,300 preset courses, and check the number of calories you've burned. Too bad this doesn't measure the UVs you're soaking up even as it's charging up.

(Source: Crave Asia via Akihabara News)

The SolChat retails for $100.

(Credit: Scosche)

Hot on the heels of announcing that it would be making accessories for the third-generation Shuffle, Scosche has "gone green" with a $100 solar-powered Bluetooth speakerphone for cars.

SolChat's backside.

(Credit: Scosche)

If you haven't seen one before, these types of speakerphones represent one of the better applications of solar-charging in a consumer device. The device adheres to your windshield and collects sunlight to charge the internal lithium ion rechargeable battery. A USB charging cable and car adapter ships with the device so you can charge at night and on days with insufficient sunlight. A windshield suction-cup mount and sun visor clip are also included.

What's nice about the Bluetooth is that once you set up a pairing between your cell phone and SolChat, they will automatically connect once you enter your car and turn on the speakerphone (the SolChat automatically turns off once the pairing is broken). The speakerphone also has voice-announce technology that enables it to announce calls as they come in "so users can keep their eyes on the road while driving."

(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:

Samsung's Blue Earth solar phone is ultra-green

(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.

A solar-paneled Prius done by Solar Electric Vehicles.

(Credit: SEV)

Toyota is developing a solar-powered Prius, the Nikkei newspaper has reported yet again.

It was interesting when we heard about this in July.

But it seems to us that someone over at Toyota has now been fake-leaking/hinting news about a solar-powered Prius in one form or another for at least the last year.

This wonder-car-in-the-making has gone from being a Toyota Prius that uses solar roof panels from Kyocera to power its air conditioning unit, to "a vehicle that will be powered solely by solar energy" to quote one recent Associated Press article.

You may find it interesting that this rumor always comes floating by on the heels of bad news from Toyota.

In July, it accompanied news of a series of Toyota plant closings/reorganizations in the U.S.

This latest rumor seems to be timed to follow Toyota's December news that it, too, has succumbed to the world auto industry slump, reporting its first annual operating loss in 70 years, and a series of consolidations and changes in its organizational structure.

Of course, there is already an available solar option for some Toyota owners in the U.S.

Solar Electrical Vehicles (SEV) has been offering an after-market Prius solar overhaul since June 2007. It includes a customized solar panel for a Prius roof that can improve the car's efficiency by about 29 percent. SEV also offers kits for the Toyota Highlander, Rav4 EV, and Ford Escape Hybrid.

For those who just like reading about the idea of a solar car, Canadian engineer Marcelo da Luz and his team have been blogging about their attempt to set the world long-distance record for a solar-powered car with the Power of One (Xof1) vehicle.

The Xof1 does kind of look like the Land Speeder from Star Wars...

(Credit: Newlaunches.com)

I'm gonna file this one in the "Really?!" folder. Marcelo da Luz has been driving his Xof1 (short for "power of one") across North America in an attempt to set the world distance record for a solar-powered car.

When he reached Alaska earlier this week, a concerned citizen apparently thought the invasion had begun. The person spotted Marcelo diving around and promptly called 911 to report a UFO sighting.

Alaskan police quickly chased the Canadian solar pioneer down--the Xof1's max speed of 75 mph should have been their first clue as to what they were seeing--and after a quick interrogation, they promptly let him go.

This is actually the seventh time Marcel has been pulled over while driving this thing, according to Newlaunches.com. Why am I surprised by this? I don't know. I guess I just can't believe that someone mistook this obviously land-based vehicle for a flying saucer. Perhaps I need to get away from my sheltered, high-tech, green San Francisco life.

(Credit: Sudia Design Labs)

Sun worshippers now have further reason to worship that great big AC main in the sky: the SunTable, which automatically stores backup energy.

Brooklyn designers Devang A. Shah and Mike Low were inspired to make the SunTable since a table has a nice, big surface area perfect for those photovoltaic cells to snag the sun's power.

Less inspiring is the $2,200 sticker price, though for the money, you get a teak and stainless steel table table with an integrated 64W unbreakable solar panel that will still charge if partially covered. We like the idea that you can hose this down to clean since it's weather- and moisture-resistant. Anything that low maintenance gets our vote.

For power, this delivers 13 amp hours at 12 volts, which equals 156 watts/hours, sufficient to run a laptop or portable TV for more than four hours. With the included inverter, you have a regular wall outlet.

There's even a hinge to tilt the table's surface toward the sun for even more power, while meter displays show the battery voltage and total hours the table has been on. Watch your guests' reaction when the garden table starts to beep as it runs low on juice.

(Via Crave Asia)

A hinge lets you tilt the table's surface toward the sun for even more power.

(Credit: Sundia Design Labs)

Soon even more star power than usual will be absorbed by the Staples Center and Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

In an initiative to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the two venues, Solar Power Inc., or SPI, has been hired by AEG to install its line of photovoltaic solar-panel power systems on their roofs, beginning in October.

The Staples Center, which seats approximately 20,000, is home to the LA Lakers, LA Sparks, and LA Clippers basketball teams, the LA Kings hockey team and the LA Avengers arena football team, as well as host to concerts and events such as the Grammy Awards.

When installation is complete, approximately 24,196 feet of the Staples Center roof will be covered with 1,727 of SPI's photovoltaic modules, which include cells made by Motech Industries, adding up to a 345-kilowatt solar-power system.

The famous roof "surfboard," bearing the Staples logo, will not be removed, but rather will be incorporated into the new design, according to SPI.

The Nokia Theatre LA Live is a slightly smaller, 7,100-seat venue that has hosted the 2008 American Idol finals, the American Music Awards, the ESPY Awards, and numerous concerts. Approximately 836 photovoltaic modules will be installed, covering about 11,663 square feet of its roof and supplying a 167-kilowatt solar-power system.

"Our investment to purchase these state-of-the-art photovoltaic solar-energy systems for both Staples Center and Nokia Theater LA Live, making them the first facilities of their kind to do so at this level, reaffirms our commitment to ensuring that our venues are the most environmentally friendly in the industry," Zeidman said in a statement.

The solar installation can be added to the venues' list of "green efforts," which includes things like waterless urinals and energy-efficient fluorescent and LED lighting.