Apartment Therapy Unplugged | Solar Powered Cell Phones: Sustainable Phones for the Future?

Solar Powered Cell Phones: Sustainable Phones for the Future?

Until solar panels are harnessing a lot more power out of the sun, electricity will always be a precious commodity. Solar energy is a way to take things out of the hands of the Man and back into yours. I've read reports of people using solar panels on their houses and selling their excess electricity to the utilities companies. Sure they had to invest $20,000, but in the long run, they'll be saving money. Now after having said all this, is there a way for our precious gadgets to also become sustainable?

KDDI has launched a design project in order to come up with new ideas for solar powered phones. We recently featured the Mile phone. This latest concept phone is called GEM and looks pretty particular. It looks like a slab of obsidian with strange futuristic shapes. The form factor is surprisingly organic.

This phone was created by Japanese designer Takumi Ota hasn't got a lot of details for us, but he does say that his concept will charge itself thanks to its solar panels. For some reason, it seems quite thick. Still, it's plenty sexy and if it gets made, I'm sure a lot of people will appreciate it's sustainable features. [via KDDI]

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Comments (2)

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posted by charmac on February 20th 2009 at 7:34pm
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But, really, this isn't about sustainability. Sure, that's how they sell it, but if it's ever truly feasible, it'll be about the convenience of not having to plug in a cell phone. After all, the real environmental impact of a cell phone is in the energy, chemicals, and shipping of all the materials involved with it's creation and in the permanence of it's toxic, heavy-metal and plastic laden existence. The couple of watts it draws while plugged in is nothing.

posted by charmac on February 20th 2009 at 7:42pm
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