Samsung's Solar Guru - The World's First Solar-Powered Mobile Phone

This past month, Samsung (SEO:005930) launched the world's first solar-powered mobile phone, The Solar Guru E1107, to the Indian market.

Also called the Crest Solar, the new Guru is not about high-tech bells and whistles. Instead, the phone is about energy efficiency in design, charging, and consumption.

Users can charge the phone whenever and wherever the sun is shining -- at their convenience.

"The Solar Guru has been developed keeping in mind the needs of Indian consumers, especially customers residing in areas where the electric supply is unstable, so that the consumers can rely on solar charging to remain connected." states Mr. J. S. Shin, President & CEO, Samsung South West Asia Headquarters.

Last year, there were rumors about Samsung releasing an eco-friendly Blue Earth phone, but it appears the Solar Guru has beaten it to the punch.

Some Solar Guru Specs:

• 5-10 minutes of conversation per one hour of charging.
• It supports dual GSM bands (900/1800MHz)
• Includes a 1.52-inches 65K CSTN screen,
• Features FM Radio, MP3 ringtones, Mobile Tracker, and the always entertaining "get out of a date early" Fake Call.
• Contains a 800mAh battery.

Worth Mentioning:

Yes it's a gadget, but it does have some interesting big-picture ramifications. A few months back, I noted India's transition to solar-powered cell phone towers -- citing the some 500 million cell-phone subscribers being supported by over 250,000 towers.

The Solar Guru has big potential in lessening e-waste and energy consumption, not to mention being marketed at an affordable price. The Solar Guru is set to retail at about US$59.

Learn more about Solar Power on eBoom’s Solar Energy Learning Page