Not to be outdone by LG’s solar-powered phone we saw yesterday, Samsung have announced their own solar handset that can supposedly generate enough power through its cells to “call anytime, anywhere.”

The phone, like the LG model, is being showcased at Mobile World Congress 2009 and is quite an attention-grabber with its full-touchscreen display and uncompromising styling. The rear of the phone is covered in solar cells that integrate well with the design and following with the “eco” theme, the casing is made of PCM plastic extracted from recycled water bottles.

The phone includes an “eco-walk” function that presumably aims to encourage people to walk more often, calculating CO2 emissions you’ve saved by not driving on-the-fly with its built-in pedometer. This function is extraordinarily gimmicky and largely inaccurate – how on Blue Earth does it know what kind of car you drive and its emissions? Many of the people this would appeal to would, I’d imagine, have either downsized their car or upgraded to a hybrid or even an electric model, which, depending on where they source their electricity, could render this function worthless.

On a positive and practical note, the phone does have the ability for a user to switch off Bluetooth and dim the screen when trying to charge by solar power alone. The handset will also come with an energy efficient charger to top you up on days with little sun, or for users in sunless countries.

Samsung’s Blue Earth will be free from Brominated Flame Retardants, Beryllium, and Phthalate and will apparently see a European release in the second half of this year.

Full Press Release Below:

Samsung Introduces “Blue Earth” – The First Solar Powered Full-Touch Phone Barcelona, Spain, February 16, 2009 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. today unveiled the innovative solar powered full-touch screen phone “Blue Earth” at Mobile World Congress 2009, alongside Samsung’s vision for environmental sustainability. Under the slogan: “The Blue Earth Dream: Eco-living with SAMSUNG mobile”, Samsung reinforced its commitment to protect the environment through the design of eco-friendly products and a programme of activities for its customers. Designed to symbolize a flat and well rounded shiny pebble, Blue Earth is the first solar powered full-touch screen phone. By charging with the solar panel located on the back of the phone, users can generate enough electronic power to call anytime anywhere. Blue Earth is made from recycled plastic called PCM, which is extracted from water bottles, helping to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions in the manufacturing process. The device, including charger, is free from harmful substances such as Brominated Flame Retardants, Beryllium and Phthalate. The latest in a series of eco-friendly products, Blue Earth comes with a unique user interface which is designed to draw attention to preserving our fragile environment. Simple to set screen brightness, backlight duration and Bluetooth to an energy-efficient mode, this new user interface allows the user to be energy-efficient with just one click of ’Eco mode’. Through the ‘eco walk’ function the user can count their steps with an in-built pedometer, calculating how much CO2 emissions have been reduced by walking as opposed to motor transport. This unique function allows user to calculate the value of this footprint through the number of trees that have been saved. The packaging for Blue Earth is designed to be both small and light, made from recycled paper, and comes with a 5 star energy efficient charger which uses standby power lower than 0.03W. As part of the Voluntary Agreement of European Commission IPP (Integrated Product Policy) pilot program, Samsung has agreed to start using rating on energy consumption on the no-load mode of the mobile device charger. “Samsung’s ‘The Blue Earth Dream’ demonstrates our small but meaningful commitments for the future and our environment,” said Mr. JK Shin, Executive Vice President and Head of Mobile Communication Division of Samsung Electronics. “We are committed to achieving the highest eco-status with our customers and business partners by providing the best eco-products and promoting eco-activities.” Get in touch with Samsung Mobile! Learn more about ‘The Blue Earth Dream’ and other eco-friendly initiatives at www.samsungmwc.com and visit us at Hall 8, Stand 8a139 at Mobile World Congress, Barcelona. About The Blue Earth Dream The Blue Earth Dream conveys hope and sets goals for sustainable growth and life. In increasing environmental awareness, Samsung is developing ways to reduce CO2 emissions and to save energy at every stage of the product life cycle, as an effective response to climate change. Milestones have been put in place to eliminate hazardous substances from handsets and packaging will be designed from recycled materials. Samsung will encourage its customers to recycle handsets at a growing number of special take-back points worldwide.

Sources:

Samsung (Press Release) via SlashGear