It seems that our friends at Samsung had some environmentally happy news to share at the Mobile World Congress.  They announced their first eco-friendly smartphone, the Blue Earth.  It is made from a recycled plastic called PCM, which itself is made from plastic bottles.  Plus, there are no harmful chemicals in either the charger or the phone casing.  One of the coolest new features is the fact that the back of the device is a solar panel.  This will give you enough power to make a call from any place at any time.  I do love this feature!!!  I cannot tell you how many times I have accidentally left my phone charger at home.  If this solar panel is strong enough to keep your phone charged, it would make life so wonderful.  As long as I am not in the Artic during the 6 months of darkness, the sun will be there.  The Blue Earth phone is a five-star Energy Star rated product, using less that 0.03W in standby.  The phone also has an extra special feature to promote healthy living, a built-in pedometer.  It displays your step account, as well as, how many trees you have saved by walking versus driving.  Overall, this phone has some outstanding features.  There is no time table for its release, but I look forward to seeing it in the wild.  I hope this is the first of many greener products we will be seeing.  I know the pandas are very happy to see major companies like Samsung joining the fight for a better planet.  Check out the press release after the break….and a cute picture of pandas….

Via SlashGear

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.