Samsung S7550 Blue Earth reviewed, Monkey Wrench Gang unavailable for comment
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Sep 17th 2009 11:04AM
posted Sep 17th 2009 11:04AM
We're not sure if the recent trend for greener gadgets comes from a wish to save the planet, assuage consumer's guilt, cash in on a trend, or some combination of the three, but we'll tell you one thing: it's not going anywhere. Of course, with a product named "Blue Earth" you know that you're not just getting a handset, but some vaguely eco-friendly ID, including: an outer shell (mostly) fashioned from recycled water bottles, a solar panel, and a pedometer (you know, to encourage walking / discourage driving). Of course, these are all things we can abide, but the question remains: how does this handset hold up, you know, as a handset? Well, GSM Arena recently put one through its paces and was kind enough to let us in on its findings. As feature phones go, says the author, this one stacks up quite nicely with something like Nokia's 5530 XpressMusic -- and even does it one better by throwing in a GPS. On the other hand, this isn't the thinnest phone in the world, the lack of HSDPA will be a deal breaker for some folks, and the 3 megapixel fixed focus camera leaves something to be desired. And how about the solar panel? According to Samsung, one hour of solar charging is good for 2 hours of standby and a little over 15 minutes of call time in 2G (or 10 minutes of talk time in UMTS). Also, it seems that they make the phone bulkier and harder to handle -- although we imagine it can't be as bad as whatever users of after-market solar panel attachments are experiencing. Other features include a 3-inch capacitive touchscreen (quite responsive, apparently) and WiFi. But that ain't all -- you really need to wade into this review yourself if you want all the juicy details. Luckily, it's but one click away: hit the read link to see for yourself.
this could start a new trend...probobly not
http://boomfizzle.mybrute.com
Wouldn't even need a trend if people werent so damn lazy, selfish, and greedy.
Wow, that wallpaper looks like the old Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper inserts they used to sell when I was a kid. Snow leopards on the moon FTW!
first i laughed at the reference to the monkey wrench gang.... then i saw the trapper keeper comment. i'm still chuckling.
+1 for a solid dose of flashback
So long, and thanks for the fish.
* and thanks for ALL the fish.
Too bad a *completely* different book is referenced in the title.
Well then don't panic
I am only going to explain this for 42 more times. The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
egg shaped electronics = fail.
Yeah, cuz the Palm Pre is a miserable failure right?
Why can't they just use earth-friendly practices to make phones that people will actually want? Or just adopt these practices for all phones and gadgets? I don't see much point in making one crappy feature phone that nobody will buy just to claim that you're being "green"
The real solution is external solar panels mounted everywhere, from the windows of cafes, car rooves, home roofs etc where a larger surface area is feasible. You then plug your gadgets in to top them up or charge them up in full.
If we can run most of our devices from the sun, we're going to make a big difference.
We'll be adding more info on this to http://www.lifemachine.com in due course where we will soon ONLY be listing products and services that are 100% self sustaining. (Very few currently, but we'll get there. Necessity is the mother of invention!)
I've never before seen a green gadget named blue that looked so purplish.