New Phone: Samsung Blue Earth (Solar Phone)

So we’ve heard rumors about the Blue Earth phone from Samsung for a while now, but it seems that they are finally releasing it… in Sweden. It should be available in other European markets shortly after and as of yet they have no plans of a release in the US (we’re not green enough I guess).

Now the Samsung Earth is a solar powered eco-friendly phone. How eco-friendly is it? Well, it is made from recycled water bottles, has an ultra low power consuming DC charger (if its rainy out?) and comes in a reusable box made entirely of recycled paper.
Not enough eco-friendly-ness? Well here are few more eco friendly features:

• You unlock the phone by picking up a can on the touch screen and dragging it into a recycle bin (seriously)
• Can calculate your steps and then tell you how much CO2 you saved by walking instead of driving.
• It can calculate the above CO2 and covert it into how many trees you save (and keeps a long running total if you want)
• Solar power panel is not enough to charge the phone on its own but it will keep it running on low power for a while if needed.
• Box can be use as a photo frame or other items instead of thrown away (not like we would ever through a phone box away, but better than putting it in the closet).

All in all, this is a neat concept to get the message that they are trying to get across – think green. And I’m sure there is a market for it as it isn’t without some normal mid range features (capacitive touchscreen, GPS, Wifi, 3G in Europe, etc.)

So now I wouldn’t buy the phone myself, but the guy down the street from me who is obsessed with his Prius just might 🙂