If you've ever had your cellphone die when you're miles from the nearest outlet, any phone that can be charged without needing a plug is bound to have some appeal.
These days it seems like anything solar powered will sell, so why haven't we seen moresolar powered cellphones? Perhaps it's because most cellphone chargers only draw a few watts, so you're not exactly going to head off to Tahiti on the electricity bill savings. Still, as Al Gore would point out, every little bit helps, so if millions of cellphones had solar recharge, it would make a difference.
The real appeal however is the way this phone could get you out of a jam when you're away from civilization. If you're out backpacking in the Rockies there might not be any outlets, but there's a good chance you might be able catch a cellphone signal.
The Umeox Apollo was just launched at the Mobile World Congress, and includes a * 3.2-inch 320×480 display, 1GB of internal storage plus a microSD card slot, FM radio, Bluetooth 2.1, and a 3 megapixel rear camera. That makes it sound kind of 2009-ish spec wise, apart from the solar power feature of course.
No word yet about US availability, although a US market GSM (AT&T, T-Mobile) version is being prepared.
Via MobileCrunch
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