Samsung unveils Blue Earth, a solar-powered mobile phone

Samsung's Blue Earth handset might just be taking the green thing to a whole new extreme. Made from PCM, a recycled plastic from water bottles, the phone boast an "eco" mode for efficiently adjusting screen brightness, backlight duration and Bluetooth usage, and an "eco walk" app / built-in pedometer to tell you how much CO2 emission you've saved by walking instead of driving. The best part? It's got a giant solar panel on the back that'll apparently charge it enough to make a phone call anytime the sun's peaking out. Of the form factor, Sammy says it "symbolizes a flat and well rounded shiny pebble" -- which we hope means it can skip puddles with the best of 'em. It'll come in recycled packaging with an energy efficient charger. What we don't know, unfortunately, is what makes this phone tick, neither OS nor hardware specs. Not a word on price yet, but UK environmentalists can look forward to this one second half of this year.

[mrhett @ Feb 12th 2009 4:06PM]

it should come free with a Tesla!

[Saad Rabia @ Feb 12th 2009 4:40PM]

In California, Blue Earth comes with you.

[Jake Paul @ Feb 12th 2009 4:07PM]

The homescreen looks a lot like android, but that would be too good to be true. The solar-panel bit is sheerly for clout when you're trying to hook up with green peace chicks; I can't see it being very effective.

[urandom @ Feb 12th 2009 4:12PM]

it wouldn't be too unheard of if it is indeed android. they have the source, they can customize it any way they see fit.

[Skrying @ Feb 12th 2009 4:17PM]

It's not Android. The UI is Samsung's TouchWiz setup.

[Oli D @ Feb 12th 2009 4:17PM]

but the specs required wouldnt make sense in an eco phone, i would imagine the mobile equivalent of an atom in this thing.

(yes an atom is mobile, please respect my analogy)

[letstakeawalk @ Feb 12th 2009 4:07PM]

I'm very interested in this. I'm a walking tour guide, so I spend almost my entire day outdoors. The pedometer function is kind of fun, but the integrated solar panel would be a very nice thing to have!

[dgpublic @ Feb 12th 2009 4:08PM]

Same shape as the Palm Pre. In fact ... looks quite a bit like it.

[Jon A. @ Feb 12th 2009 9:46PM]

Samsung has been making devices that were the shape of the "Pre" before the Pre was even thought about.

[Shattered Ice @ Feb 12th 2009 4:09PM]

Both fighting for overpriced bumb phones category.

[coyotej @ Feb 12th 2009 4:09PM]

Unfortunately it doesn't work well in caves.

[Look_Around_You @ Feb 12th 2009 4:18PM]

Or during solar eclipses.

[BigD145 @ Feb 12th 2009 4:20PM]

Were you talking about the phone or the solar panel? I'm pretty sure neither works well in a cave.

[Ross Miller @ Feb 12th 2009 4:22PM]

Of course, if it's a solar eclipse, there's bound to be some superpower-wielding person nearby who can harness electricity. Isn't that how those things work?

[Oli D @ Feb 12th 2009 4:32PM]

doent work well in caves, or in dark bedrooms inhabited by WoW players

from now on, the two are synonymous.

[Oli D @ Feb 12th 2009 4:33PM]

Oh hey dude, you picked up your phone!

Yeah im not in my cave atm.

That sucks, wanna play WoW?

--line goes dead--

[Saad Rabia @ Feb 12th 2009 4:42PM]

Lol, Oli D. It's funny because it's true.

[MackinZach @ Feb 12th 2009 6:15PM]

god i hate WoW so damn much

[michas_pi @ Feb 12th 2009 4:10PM]

Here's my logic: since this device is made from eco-efficient/friendly materials and because recycled materials are cheaper to produce, it should be cheaper then many phones on the market.

Ten bucks says that there's going to be an "eco" premium tacked onto the price when this thing launches.

[steveg @ Feb 12th 2009 4:13PM]

Not necessarily - Nokia has a new "green" phone out and that's only $10 (with contract) on T-Mobile. Now, this looks like a nicer phone, so I'm sure that's going to up the price, but 'green' doesn't have to mean expensive.

[Romesh @ Feb 12th 2009 5:37PM]

That's not necessarily true, recycled materials are cheaper, but I can easily imagine the 'eco-efficient' materials costing a fair bit more to produce- after all, if they really were that much cheaper, they would already be in common use not for the environmental benefit but for the profit advantage

[AchipA @ Feb 18th 2009 8:41AM]

Nobody said recycled material is cheaper, in fact, most of the time it isn't (with notable exceptions like aluminium, paper and glass).

[Daniel Pachinger @ Feb 12th 2009 4:10PM]

hah! have fun while polar night, iceland!

[Shattered Ice @ Feb 12th 2009 4:10PM]

That was supposed to be dumb phone but it sounded better the first time.

[fanik @ Feb 12th 2009 4:13PM]

looks like a good solution for emerging countries - you get rid of the power plug.

[mithinco @ Feb 12th 2009 4:17PM]

Now that's wireless charging!

[Oli D @ Feb 12th 2009 4:16PM]

Oh yes, well done. The universe is saved.

Why don't samsung put all the money they make off this gimick into proper sustainable development, instead of palming us off with a token solar phone?

How much environmental damage does a phone cause with all the charging in its lifetime?
Compared to the microwave masts that support it?

Sorry about the rant, this just winds me up, which is useful because i just bought a Samsung wind up laptop.

[BigD145 @ Feb 12th 2009 4:22PM]

All it takes is one big company to push out a concept and get the public to accept it before other companies jump on and work to make the process cheaper than ever. The competition to go as "green" as possible will be a welcome sight.

[BigD145 @ Feb 12th 2009 4:23PM]

Seriously, I'd rather have companies do this than push out some Blood Diamond encrusted Prada phone.

[Oli D @ Feb 12th 2009 4:25PM]

yeah of course, but its the pretense that gets me so irritated, its just like the prius, its a good idea, but not nearly as eco-friendly as you think.

[Mike @ Feb 12th 2009 4:35PM]

Samsung does have proper development periods. I've never purchased a bad Samsung product for the last 20 years or so, and I own quite a few of them.

Emerging markets, tree lovers, outdoorsy people, people who hate chargers, and people down south would love this phone. Its not very useful in the North, but I'm sure that down in Texas it would be nice to have.

If everyone plugs their phone in every night in the US, thats alot of phones and alot of energy. If you could leave it by the windowsill and let it catch 2-3hrs of sunlight, and then take it to work and catch some more, you'd have a phone without a need for a charger.

Power users could never really use it, but I can imagine it being useful to quite a few people....

[coffee @ Feb 12th 2009 4:37PM]

mmmm blood diamonds

[Mike @ Feb 12th 2009 4:39PM]

Also, while the processes used to make the parts for a prius aren't good for the environment, sipping on fuel instead of being a gas guzzler will lower our dependancy on foreign oil which is a major export of money that we will never get back in the US. I love driving my civic hybrid...it feels alot better than the prius does.

[Saad Rabia @ Feb 12th 2009 4:50PM]

Actually Oli D, for people who go on lots of desert safaris, I see this as a great phone to carry with them. I live in Abu Dhabi, where sun shines almost everyday for the whole year, so this thing could be a great addition to the life style in here.

[bot @ Feb 12th 2009 10:05PM]

"Why don't samsung put all the money they make off this gimick into proper sustainable development, instead of palming us off with a token solar phone?"

Because their business is making electronics. This is how they can best invest in a 'proper sustainable' way of business. How many phones these days are using recycled plastics? Very few, while millions of phones are being used. That's alot of plastic.

It's kind of like when the cheap laptop for developing countries idea was started. Alot of naysayers were like "why don't they give them food instead of laptops, it's what they really need." But their business isn't food distribution, it's electronics. So yeah, they can't give them what they immediately need, but they can give them tools to help them in other aspects of life.

Having said that, I do agree with you that alot of this is gimmick. But hopefully it'll grow into something more than that, where all phones are using more sustainable materials.

[bungsana @ Feb 13th 2009 1:14PM]

"...sipping on fuel instead of being a gas guzzler will lower our dependancy on foreign oil which is a major export of money that we will never get back in the US..."

Mike really? if your concern is not where your money goes, but the fact that money is exported to any and all foreign lands, maybe buying japanese really isnt the way.

[Malikye @ Feb 12th 2009 4:22PM]

i bet this phone has copy and paste. i bet it can also record video and transfer files via bluetooth.

[junkmailmistry @ Feb 12th 2009 4:24PM]

User guide excerpts:
"If the battery is low while you're driving, stick it on the wind-shield or the wipers."
"While in Vegas, spend more time out-doors and stick it on top of your hat. (Hat not part of this package)."
"When traveling to deserts, purposefully forget your charger and STICK IT to your friends! Bbwwaaahhahhahah."

[Jimbo @ Feb 12th 2009 4:27PM]

Ok, silly question: wouldn't your hand be covering up the solar cell when you're talking on the phone?

[Oli D @ Feb 12th 2009 4:31PM]

not with the new Samsung Eco-hand mirror device.
It straps on the back and uses recycled mirrors to reflect the light into the panels from round your hand

[ecco6t9 @ Feb 12th 2009 4:29PM]

For the first time since the 1st Razr it's a phone I can honestly say I want.

[Amon @ Feb 12th 2009 4:59PM]

lol, on a lighter side, you have a lot to catch up with!

[Kinger @ Feb 12th 2009 4:57PM]

OK, so keep the solar panel and throw in a gyroscopic charger and the phone may never see a plug... we're gettin' somewhere now.

[Nikonov @ Feb 12th 2009 4:58PM]

Cool.

... What? Not every post has to be some stupid reply about iPhones and internet memes.

[Josh @ Feb 12th 2009 5:01PM]

It looks decent and sounds plausable. The question is if it can hold up to the details they are leaking now when it comes out.

[nate @ Feb 13th 2009 11:48AM]

Can you say Motorola Pebble? Lawsuit waiting to happen over that "pebble" comment.

[Jomolungma @ Feb 12th 2009 5:08PM]

i don't get it... how does it charge if it's in your pocket all the time? what do you have to do, stand there and point the phone at the sun like some caveman discovering sunlight for the first time? i guess this is one of those niche-market phones. i just can't see this being useful for, say, business cell phones.

[morcheeba @ Feb 12th 2009 5:11PM]

I hope that camera can stand up to the sun burning a hole in it through that lens.

I had one of the first camera phones... actually, it was phone-sized camera that you took pictures with, and then attached to the phone. I left it in the car one day, with the lens pointed up ... after that, it required extreme light to take a picture at all (it gave a beep error if there wasn't enough light).

[TareX @ Feb 12th 2009 5:11PM]

This is going to be popular here in Michigan, where it's sunny all year long.

Seriously, why go that direction with cellphones? Even in summer, who carries his/her cellphone in the hand? It's either indoors or in a pocket.

[Tim @ Feb 12th 2009 5:40PM]

if done right this could be awesome