Solar Mobile

ZTE of China was set on Wednesday in Barcelona to unveil the world’s first low-cost solar-powered mobile phone targeted at the two billion people who have no or limited access to electricity, a spokeswoman said. The first solar phone was put on display by South Korean rival Samsung earlier this week here at Mobile World Congress, the industry’s biggest trade show, creating a buzz around the alternative energy source. Samsung’s phone, called Blue Earth, has mini solar panels on its back and is to go on sale later this year. The handset will be expensive, however, and targeted at ‘green’ conscious consumers in developed countries. A spokeswoman for ZTE said the company’s version, to be unmasked at a press conference later, would be the first ultra-low-cost solar handset pitched at the poor. It is expected to have a screen and buttons on one side and solar panels on the other. South Korean manufacturer LG has also put a prototype solar-powered phone on display here, but it has not been named and it is not yet ready for the market.
A salesman for Samsung claimed 10-14 hours in the sun would give a user four hours of talk time on the Blue Earth, which can also be plugged in.