China Develops 1st Solar-Powered Mobile Phone

Chinese telecommunications supplier Hi-Tech Wealth claims it has developed the world’s first mobile phone that utilizes solar power to recharge its battery. The company adds that the phone can get 40 minutes of talk time after sitting in the sun for one hour.

The solar panel has a scale-like look and sits on the top side of the clamshell-designed phone. In addition to solar-power, the phone can also recharge from other light sources such as candles and has a battery lifespan 2.5 times longer than traditional batteries.

Zhang Zhengyu, chairman of Hi-Tech Wealth, said the company began researching light as an energy source back in 2000 and has invested hundreds of millions of yuan over the years to perfect the technology that could save China an abundance of energy each year.

“With more than 400 million mobile phones in the country, China would save a great amount of electricity if all its mobile phones were recharged by light.”

The phones were first presented in March at CeBIT, the IT and telecommunications product trade show, in Germany. The company intends on releasing six solar-powered mobile phones into the market this year and another 30 in 2008.

Although we’re not likely to see this technology stateside anytime soon, it’s encouraging to see it approaching real-world use elsewhere. One of the biggest complaints people tend to have about mobile phones is battery life, and this would certainly help out with that problem. Can you imagine never having to worry about a dead battery or plugging in your phone again?