Samsung today unveiled the “Blue Earth“, the first solar powered touch screen phone.
Samsung Blue Earth - The first Solar powered touchscreen phone
This latest attempt at an environmentally friendly mobile phone sounds promising. As well as being able to charge itself from sunlight, the Blue Earth is made from recycled plastic which reduces the carbon footprint of production. The packaging will be smaller than usual and made from recycled paper, whilst the charger is 5 star energy efficient too.
Some of the Blue Earth’s more tenuous claims of eco-innovation include a user interface which encourages you to be more green. You can switch the phone to an energy efficient ‘Eco mode’ that eases battery drain by reducing screen brightness, backlight duration and Bluetooth power. The ‘eco walk’ function uses an in-built pedometer to calculate how many trees you have saved by walking as opposed to driving due to causing fewer in CO2 emissions. A bit preachy perhaps?
There are a few questions that still need to answered. The inclusion of a charger suggests that the phone cannot rely on solar charging alone – the detail is a little light in Samsung’s press release. Just how much energy does the solar panel save?
There’s also a risk that this announcement is a pure PR exercise. Samsung will need to work hard at promoting the Blue Earth if it is to reach the High Street and become a success. It’s not easy to push eco-credentials in a market obsessed with cutting edge phone features and an economy in recession. Without a keen price and plenty of marketing it could disappear between the cracks like the Nokia 3110 Evolve.
My cynicism aside, the Blue Earth is a step in the right direction. It’s great to see another manufacturer seemingly embrace the need to produce more environmentally friendly mobile phones, and the innovations in the Blue Earth will surely trickle down to other Samsung mobiles in 2010 and beyond.
The Samsung Blue Earth mobile phone will launch in the UK in late 2009.
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