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solar posts

i.Tech's SolarVoice Bluetooth headset could save the environment, not your look

by Tim Stevens posted Oct 28th 2009 @ 8:41AM

Those looking for another excuse to wear a Bluetooth headset all the time just got it: iTech's $75 Dynamic SolarVoice 908. That awfully long title is applied to a conceptually simple device, a headset with a tiny solar panel on the side rated at five hours of talk time when fully charged. Sadly, though, there's no mention of how long you'll need to bask in the sun to get it there. (AC and USB charging are also naturally on offer.) Unlike earlier examples it's A2DP compliant, so it'll stream your tunes, and boasts integrated noise cancellation, so it's perfect for making your drunken barroom conversations a little more garbled.

Samsung's solar Blue Earth launching in Sweden this month, elsewhere soon

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 14th 2009 @ 1:32AM

First, the good news: that slide we saw back in August promising Blue Earth deliveries in October was spot on, seeing how Samsung just made an official announcement to that effect. Now, the bad: unless you're in Sweden, that doesn't mean much -- at least, not yet. The HSDPA-equipped full touch handset with an integrated solar charger is set to launch in the Nordic nation this month, with France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Portugal, and "other European and Asian countries" following on shortly; notably missing is the US, which wouldn't benefit from the 900 / 2100MHz 3G radio anyhow. Pricing hasn't been announced, but does it really matter when you'll be saving all that cash on your power bill?

Video: LG GD510 touchscreen 'Pop' is heavy on hype, light on specs

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 30th 2009 @ 5:23AM

Gotta hand it to LG, it pulled out the big hitting hyperbole with the launch of its otherwise simplistic GD510 touchscreen phone. LG begins with a reminder that it launched "the world's first full touchscreen phone" -- the Prada -- back in January 2007. A claim that Ericsson, Nokia, and others would rightfully dispute. LG then calls the brushed-aluminum GD510, or "Pop," the "most compact 3-inch full touchscreen phone ever made," while boasting of its simplicity. That latter claim is achieved by removing "unnecessary features" that apparently include burdensome WiFi and 3G radios since modern consumers want to browse the internet over GPRS/EDGE. Spec-wise, you get a WQVGA (note the "Q") display, 3 megapixel camera, 8GB of internal memory, and a single home key that glows green to call or red to hang-up / cancel. They've also ditched the S-Class UI in favor of something that's presumably less convoluted. There's even an optional solar-panel battery cover which we hear is the number one requested feature on touchscreen phones... right. It does look pretty though, which is saying a lot for a phone packing a solar panel. Hitting Europe in mid October and the US at the end of October if the Bluetooth SIG entry is to be believed. Video promo after the break.

Gallery: LG GD510 touchscreen 'Pop' is heavy on hype, light on specs

Read -- Bluetooth SIG
Read -- LG press release

Continue reading Video: LG GD510 touchscreen 'Pop' is heavy on hype, light on specs

Novothink unveils first licensed solar chargers for iPhone, iPod

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 4th 2009 @ 3:19AM

We've seen plenty of solar chargers in our day -- and we're somewhat fond of them as a concept. Novothink's just unveiled the first chargers for iPods and iPhones that's officially licensed by Apple. These attractive little guys have integrated solar panels on the back with LEDs to let you know the state of your charge. If the sun fails you, there's also a USB cable for standard, non eco-friendly charging. These chargers only work with the 2nd generation iPod touch -- which will be available this month, while versions for the iPhone 3G and 3GS will be outed in November. They'll run you $70. Hit the read link for more photos.

[Via Inhabitat]

Samsung's E1107 with built in solar panel gets a thorough shakedown

by Jacob Schulman posted Aug 11th 2009 @ 11:32AM

Sure, a cellphone made out of 80 percent recycled materials might be considered pretty environmentally friendly, but a cellphone with a built-in solar panel? Now that's something with the potential to make Al Gore cry. Enter the Samsung E11077. It's solar panel-equipped back cover comes in at 1.2-mm thin, and is said to revive a dead battery after just 15 minutes in the sun. Besides the FM radio and flashlight features, the only other noteworthy addition is an "Eco" profile, that essentially just changes screen brightness and shuts the Bluetooth off. If you're interested, the cost of entry is a reasonable $59, but you'll probably have to find an importer, as we don't expect this tree hugger to land stateside any time soon.

[Thanks, Vadik]

NTT DoCoMo succumbs to the solar trend, announces Sharp's SH-08A

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 15th 2009 @ 1:04PM

For Sharp's domestic carrier partners, solar power is all the rage right now, and now NTT DoCoMo is hopping up on the exceptionally eco-friendly bandwagon with the SH-08A. Bearing the same SOLAR HYBRID badging as its sister device on SoftBank, the 936SH, the SH-08A flip features IPX5 / IPX7 compliance for splashes and submersion up to a meter, an 8 megapixel camera, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, and -- of course -- a wide VGA display. You'll get one minute of talk time for every 10 minutes of time spent baking in the sun, which certainly isn't bad when you're in a pinch and there's not a wall outlet for miles. The SH-08A will go on display at Wireless Japan this month with sales following on in September.

Samsung Blue Earth finally gets a hands-on treatment

by Laura June posted Jun 17th 2009 @ 12:39PM

We've been hearing about the Samsung Blue Earth -- an eco-phone, if you will -- since way back at MWC. Now CNET's finally gotten its hands on one at CommunicAsia in Singapore, and we have to say that we're pretty intrigued with what we're seeing. The back of the phone is covered with a solar panel, and Samsung says that one hour of sunning time for the mobile equals about 10 minutes of talk time. The handset also has a built-in pedometer to count steps for the Eco Walk carbon footprint app -- certainly something prospective buyers of the Blue Earth might be interested in. We still don't know full specs, pricing or availability for the phone, but we'll let you know when we do. Hit the read link for a video.

Samsung's E1107 packs solar power, not much else

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 11th 2009 @ 10:26AM

ZTE already proved that solar power can make a ton of sense in the low end of the market, so we're not sure why Sammy thought it could get away with the "World's First Solar Phone" tagline here -- but at any rate, Asian, European, and Latin American locales can look forward to the E1107 hitting retail this month. The ultra-basic candybar claims to get 5 to 10 minutes of talk time for every hour sitting in the sun, and depending on how much you talk, that could be enough to take the place of a wall charger altogether. One look at the phone should tell you that there isn't much going on here gizmo-wise outside of the solar cells, but one nifty feature is a built-in fake call app that'll let you call yourself in a pinch to get out of an unwanted conversation. Sure, the iPhone already has an app for that, but is the iPhone solar? We didn't think so.

Sharp slings out industry's thinnest solar modules for cellphones

by Darren Murph posted May 26th 2009 @ 10:56AM

Timely, no? Just a month after Sharp aided in producing the planet's first waterproof solar cellphone, the aforementioned outfit has just announced the industry's thinnest solar module for handsets. Checking in at just 0.8 millimeters thick, the LR0GC02 shouldn't take up too much space on your ~~daughter's~~ great-granddaughter's smartphone, and while Sharp isn't handing over too many details just yet, we figure it'll pretty much do what it says. You know -- charge the handset it's integrated into whenever sunlight is available. As for when we'll see these in cellphones everywhere? Take a wild guess, tree-hugger.

[Via Akihabara News]

KDDI au unveils summer '09 lineup: e-books, solar power, and 720p recording

by Chris Ziegler posted May 24th 2009 @ 11:54PM

Japanese carrier KDDI au has now followed Softbank and NTT DoCoMo in pulling the red velvet cover off its summer 2009 devices, and as always, there are some neat tricks in here. From Toshiba, the Biblio is billed as an e-book reader; granted, it's using an LCD instead of an E-Ink display, but it's a doozy at 3.5 inches at 960 x 480. It features 7GB of user-accessible storage on board for books, and also has a slide-out dynamic keyboard that can display a numeric pad in the portrait orientation or full QWERTY in landscape. Moving on, the Sharp Sportio Water Beat -- as its name suggests -- is a waterproof sports-oriented set with advanced calorie and distance tracking (a la Nike+), but you're still never too far from your true destiny as a couch potato thanks to the phone's one-seg reception. Next, the Hitachi Mobile Hi-Vision Cam Wooo is the latest in the multimedia-centric Wooo series, becoming KDDI's first phone capable of 720p video recording at 30fps -- and there's HDMI-out on board for when the time comes to enjoy your footage. Finally, the SH002 is the realization of Sharp's solar phone concept from earlier this year, delivering one minute of talk time for every 10 minutes of charge time. There are other announcements in the mix here -- eight new phones in total -- but those were the killers of the bunch, and as always, this post is about as close as most North Americans will ever get to them.

[Via Engadget Japanese]

Sharp's solar 936SH and 934SH with "memory LCD" headline latest SoftBank lineup

by Chris Ziegler posted May 19th 2009 @ 2:03AM

As you might expect, Japanese carrier SoftBank's summer 2009 lineup contains the usual science-fiction array of ridiculously well-equipped handsets -- plus 3G photo frames and a Lenovo IdeaPad S10 with embedded WWAN -- but the real news here might be a pair of lovelies from Sharp. The mirumo 934SH (pictured left) features a 3-inch external display that can display time, date, weather, news, and other information without consuming any power between changes; sounds like E-Ink, though Sharp describes it simply as a "memory LCD." You've also got an 8 megapixel camera, a waterproof shell, and a UV sensor that can help you determine just how quickly you need to slather on the SPF 30. Next up is the Solar Hybrid 936SH, a phone suspiciously similar in concept to the device Sharp is working on for SoftBank competitor KDDI au. Clearly the big draw here is the big solar array up front that'll give you one minute of call time or two hours of standby per 10 minutes of charging, but you've still got IPX7 water resistance, an 8 megapixel camera, and a full wide VGA display at your disposal. Look for the 934SH in June and the 936SH in August -- if you happen to be in Japan, anyhow.

Gallery: Sharp 934SH for SoftBank

Gallery: Sharp 936SH for SoftBank

World's first waterproof solar cellphone from Sharp makes Somalian pirates say arggg!

by Thomas Ricker posted Apr 20th 2009 @ 7:19AM

In continuation of a recent trend of major manufacturers announcing a new-found interest in ~~making a buck off developing nations~~ solar-powered cellphones, AU (KDDI) and Sharp have announced the June launch of this unnamed solar handset. Besides being the world's first waterproof solar handset, it charges to a minute of talk or 2-hours of standby after just 10 minutes in the sun. No other specs were announced though we seriously doubt it'll be a power-sucking feature- or smart-phone. Naturally, it'll still be a boon to people where electricity is scarce but what about the industrious guy who owns the village car battery?

[Via Akihabara News]

Scosche unveils solar-powered solCHAT Bluetooth speakerphone

by Darren Murph posted Mar 17th 2009 @ 4:14PM

If you happened to snag one of those Iqua Sun solar-powered Bluetooth headsets a few years back, you'll probably have no need whatsoever for this. For everyone else, listen up. The Scosche solCHAT Bluetooth speakerphone boasts an integrated solar panel and rechargeable Li-ion, and when installed within one's vehicle, it simply pairs up with BT-enabled handsets when in range in order to give drivers the ability to talk handsfree. The simply styled unit has just three visible buttons -- volume up, volume down and the all-important answer / hang-up key -- and it can be yours right now for $99.99. Oh, and just in case you live in some shadowy place like Seattle, a USB charging cable is also throw in -- just don't tell Mother Earth, alright?

LG shows off solar phone, battery cover at MWC

by Chris Ziegler posted Feb 21st 2009 @ 11:31AM

Proving (as usual) that it's not too big for a little tit-for-tat with its crosstown rival, LG showed its own concept solar phone at MWC this week to match up with Samsung's Blue Earth. The prototype LG handset doesn't have a name -- takes a whole team of high-priced consultants to christen a product like that, we'd wager -- but we do know that the slider can eke 3 minutes' worth of life out of a 10-minute charge in natural light. The thing looks like it was thrown together in a week, but hey, as long as it works, we know LG can take care of the design side of things by the time production rolls around.

Gallery: LG shows off solar phone, battery cover at MWC

Samsung's Blue Earth is saving the world from behind glass

by Paul Miller posted Feb 18th 2009 @ 7:30AM

The entirety of civilization seems fairly well and dedicated to one-upping each other in the "green" department, and Samsung is looking to up the ante once again by stating that "blue is the new green" and putting out the new Blue Earth solar phone to prove it. Sadly, the Blue Earth isn't quite ready to go -- currently it's only to be seen in non-working mockup form, though the hardware is certainly looking good. Samsung's showing off its eco-packaging and built-in energy-saving functionality, including an "Eco Walk" function to let you know how many trees you save by walking places. The phone itself is built from castor bean extract and recycled plastic, and Samsung claims the integrated solar panel saves up to 34.6% of the battery's energy. They're also showing off a hand-crank generator, external solar chargers, and even a solar-charged stereo headset. It's clear that Samsung isn't just playing lip service to green (or blue, as the case may be) but at this point in time this technology is likely to act more as a gimmick and promise of things to come than a truly life-changing device.