South Korea's Samsung today unveiled a solar powered mobile phone made from recycled plastic water bottles. Dubbed 'Blue Earth,' the touch-screen phone is charged with a solar panel located on the back. It is made from recycled plastic that is extracted from water bottles, helping to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions in the manufacturing process.
Designed to symbolize a flat, rounded pebble, the handset and charger are free from harmful substances.
The packaging is also made from recycled paper, and comes with a 5 star energy efficient charger that uses standby power lower than 0.03W.
Users can set Blue Earth to 'Eco Mode,' reducing screen brightness, backlight duration and Bluetooth to an energy-efficient mode. With 'Eco Walk,' users can count their steps with an in-built pedometer, even calculating how much CO2 emissions have been reduced by walking as opposed to motor transport.
"Samsung's 'The Blue Earth Dream' demonstrates our small but meaningful commitments for the future and our environment," said JK Shin, Head of Mobile Communication at Samsung. "We are committed to achieving the highest eco-status with our customers and business partners by providing the best eco-products and promoting eco-activities."
Blue Earth is the latest in a series of eco-friendly products. Samsung previously introduced a biodegradable phone made from corn. Sony Ericsson announced a program to research green technologies using bio-plastic housings and recycled plastic keypads. Last month T-Mobile released the Motorola Renew, a similar eco-friendly mobile phone also made of recycled water bottles.
Samsung Blue Earth will be showcased at Mobile World Congress 2009 next week