Green Theme at Mobile World Conference 2009
It’s a green theme at this year’s Mobile World Conference.
LG are showcasing an eco-friendly prototype phone with a built-in solar panel, that’s made of recycled plastic. The phone will be showcased in an Eco-Friendly Zone within the WMC exhibition floor.
An Eco-Friendly Zone shows how much the environment has come to influence phone manufacturers and their marketing departments.
At Vegas’ Consumer Electronics Show last month, Koren manufacturers LG Sky Charger went all-out with the eco-friendly product premiers. There were low carbon TVs, Sky solar charging tents and complimentary solar car chargers dished out in the press room. This time around, their solar-powered phone boasts 3 minutes of call time after only 10 minutes of charging.
LG aren’t the only ones trying to cement themselves as a green company this year. Samsung will be showcasing their Blue Earth solar-powered, eco-friendly phone at the MWC.
They guarantee their pebble-like, ergonomic handset is energy efficient without the spec or the UI being deminished. With this one Samsung have one of the first solar-powered touch screen handsets that can keep up with the rest of the touch screens on the market.
Included in the phone is an accelerometer that calculates your steps as you walk and tells you how much CO2 would have been released had you made the journey by car. This is all shown by a cute display showing the number of trees you’ve saved on your journey.
The big manufacturers are taking the green theme and running with it. Companies like LG and Samsung may have the best of intentions but there is a real gap in the market for cheap solar-powered phones in areas where mobile uptake is only just taking off. Solar-powered phones are on a par with the clockwork radio in terms of how they could for improving the infastructuer of devloping countries.
A partnership between two relatively unknown companies, ZTE and Digicel, may change things. They’ve produced the world’s first solar-powered, low-cost handset that will allow those without access to electricity to open up their communications. The details on this one are still to be clarified but the press unveiling is next week so we’ll let you know the details as and when.
Tags: mobile world conference, MWC, samsung, Samsung Blue Earth, Solar powered phones
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