Samsung Has Unveiled That The Solar Panel-toting E1107 Will Be Released This Year.
Until now, Solar panels were used to channel energy to power watches, water heaters, lamps, mobile chargers but now a mobile phone from Samsung is powered by the light of the sun. The concept of an eco phone is nothing new but this is Samsung’s first solar panel equipped offering, although it comes with a regular charger too. Also known as ‘Samsung Solar Guru’ in India, E1107 Crest is a solar powered basic mobile phone that is built on the ‘green’ concept and has finally lined itself in the array besides Nokia and Sony Ericsson which have also designed models on the ‘green’ earth concept; even if they are not Solar.
“The Crest Solar represents our effort and commitment to strengthen our leadership in the solar panel mobile market,” said Executive Vice President JK Shin, head of the Mobile Communication Division at Samsung Electronics.
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd has made impressive claims that the E1107 can be brought back to life from a completely dead state with just 15 minutes in direct sunshine. Outside of optimum direct sunlight conditions the phone will still charge, although the speed of charging is reduced significantly; worst case scenario is reported by knowyourmobile.com as taking a lengthy 55 hours for a full charge in dull conditions.
The Crest E1107, for eco-friendly, budget conscious types that don’t seem to be concerned with practicality, apparently can generate enough power for 5-10 minutes of talk time with one hour of exposure to the sun. Not surprisingly, the additional features are basic: a 1.52inch screen with a CSTN display that offers 65K colors at 128×128 pixels, FM radio, MP3 ring tones, embedded games and a powerful torch light. For consumer safety, the phone offers Mobile Tracker, which automatically alerts when the SIM card is changed or sends out an SOS message in an emergency. The Crest Solar also has a fake call feature, so users can pretend they have an incoming call to escape unsafe situations.
The Crest Solar E1107 is headed for India, South East Asia, Europe, and Latin America and is reported to cost a very reasonable $59. And, to satisfy Crest Solar users in various markets, Samsung offers localized features for different countries. For instance, it offers profile screening for bikers in the Southeast Asian market that provides incoming call alerts only from selected contacts for safe riding. The Crest Solar also provides specialized features for different religions, such as alerts for prayer time.