Sharp's new solar-powered mobile phone

Forget the wall charger: two hours of solar rays will provide you with enough battery life to fight over the phone with your significant other for 10 whole minutes

By Mark Hiratsuka 20 June, 2009

That solar panel not only generates energy but screams to your friends "Ask me about the solar panel on my phone."

Tokyoites eager to save the planet while yakking on their Japanese mobile phones might want to look into Sharp’s brand-new SH002 handset with a built-in solar panel.

The phone -- available as part of KDDI au's summer collection -- needs just two hours in the sun to generate 10 minutes of talk time or another 140 minutes on standby, making it ideal for folk not tied to their wall sockets. The 002 is also waterproofed and able to survive 30 minutes in one-meter of water, making this the ultimate beach phone for the summer season.

Throw in the usual J-tech suspects -- five-megapixel camera, RFID e-cash chip, Bluetooth, pedometer, mobile TV tuner, WiFi and a GPS-assisted golf caddy (yes, course maps are pre-loaded) -- and you’ve got a serious reason to chunk your iPhone in the deep end of the pool.

The SH002 costs around ¥20,000 when coupled with a two-year contract to the au network. But this may be worth it for that feeling of "making a difference."