Reference: http://www.au.kddi.com/english/au_design_project/models/2008/solar/
News Picked From The Tech Herald:
f you’re keen on hitting the beach for extended periods during the summer months, but want to be properly equipped and always available when it comes to mobile communication, then perhaps you should raise an eyebrow at the new solar-powered phone being developed by KDDI and Sharp.
While they perhaps can’t offer you advanced factor sunscreen or a sculpted body, the Japanese boffins at KDDI Corporation are presently hard at work on waterproof mobile phone technology that relies completely on the absorption of sunlight for continual usage while out and about.
Expected to be ready for retail this coming June via a handset being manufactured by Sharp Corporation (which has not yet been detailed or priced), the phone will convert a 10-minute solar charge into around one minute of actual talk time, or provide some two hours of standby time.
Tokyo-based telecommunications specialist KDDI also claims that by utilising the power of the sun through storage technology embedded within the handset’s front face, Sharp’s pool and beach-friendly device will be able to gather enough power to charge up to 80 percent of its internal battery.
The joint collaboration between KDDI and Sharp, which is part of the ‘Green Road Project’, has presently only been earmarked for release in Japan. It remains to be seen whether any resulting success sees the solar-powered handset granted a more global roll out.
While likely to be the first such solar-powered handset to reach market, news of the KDDI/Sharp device comes in the wake of similar environmentally friendly solar phones unveiled recently by the likes of Samsung and LG.
