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bioplastic posts

Samsung and Sprint introduce the Reclaim -- a cellphone made from corn

by Joshua Topolsky posted Aug 6th 2009 @ 9:53AM

We love the Earth, and apparently so do Sprint and Samsung. The two companies have just introduced the Reclaim, a super-eco cellphone made from 80 percent recycled materials. The device -- a stout, sliding, QWERTY message-friendly model -- is constructed from "bio-plastic" materials made from corn, is free of PVC, and mostly free of BFR (brominated flame retardants)... which are apparently pretty bad. The phone also has a 2 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, can accept microSD cards (we assume) up to 32GB, and has Sprint Navigation onboard. The packaging will be eco-friendly as well, as it's constructed from 70 percent recycled materials and printed with soy-based ink. The carrier will be selling the Reclaim in "Earth Green" or "Ocean Blue" come August 16th for $50 (after a $30 instant rebate and $50 mail-in rebate) with a two-year contract. Additionally, $2 of that profit will be funneled to the Nature Conservancy's Adopt an Acre program. Finally, a phone that goes with your Prius.

Samsung debuts corn-based E200 Eco cellphone

by Donald Melanson posted Aug 14th 2008 @ 3:03PM

Samsung's new E200 Eco cellphone may not stand out very much based on its specs, which include a 1.3 megapixel camera and MP3 player functionality, but the company is hoping that folks will take notice of it for another reason: its casing is made of corn. Or, more specifically, a corn-based bioplastic, which has some drawbacks of its own but is becoming more and more commonly used these days. No word on a release 'round these parts just yet, but the phone (which also comes in packaging made from recycled materials) will be available in Europe sometime next month.

[Via HotHardware]

New plastic from NEC foretells thinner phones

by Chris Ziegler posted Apr 9th 2007 @ 11:14AM

We kinda thought phones were thin enough, but NEC begs to differ, and it's showing off a new plastic to prove it. NEC's unusual bioplastic -- made primarily of corn -- is unique in that it conducts heat better than stainless steel, allowing manufacturers to forgo the use of other heat-diffusing materials inside handsets. The result is a thinner phone that is far more biodegradable than those whose cases are made from less science-fictiony materials. Paper-thin phones that get hot to the touch? Count us in!

[Thanks, Allen]