Electronics major Samsung today launched the world's first solar-powered mobile phone, priced at Rs 2,799 in the Indian market.
The handset, 'Solar Guru' (Guru E1107) enables users to charge the battery using solar energy.
"The Solar Guru has been developed keeping in mind the needs of Indian consumers, especially customers residing in areas where the electric supply is unstable," Samsung Country Head (Mobile Division) Sunil Dutt told reporters here.
The handset has the capacity to provide around 5-10 minutes of talk time with one hour of solar charging. This is apart from the normal electric charging.
It has other features such as FM radio, MP3 ring tones, embedded games and torch light.
"The handsets would be imported from Korea and will be available in the Indian market from the middle of this month," Dutt said adding that in the next few months, Samsung would also look at manufacturing the handsets from its facility in Noida.
The company plans to extend the solar-power feature to its other handsets and would use the technology in its high-end phones as well.
"We are looking at introducing Samsung Blue Earth in the fourth quarter of this calender year, which is a high-end touchscreen phone," Dutt said.
Samsung Blue Earth is a a pebble-shaped, solar-powered touchscreen phone, which was showcased by the company at the Mobile World Congress 2009 in Barcelona.
The company claims that the handset is free from harmful substances such as beryllium and phthalates, and is made out of recycled material.
