KDDI to release solar-powered cell phone

now all you need is a clear pocket to put the phone in!

its been made waterproof so it can be kept out of the clothing perhaps?

10 minute charge for 1 minute...that is a quick convo.

This is very cool.

I plan on getting one and keep it strapped to my head all day to get that 80% charge.

good move to get it out in summer. i can see beach goers getting interested.

Great idea, should get the kids outside.

Great idea for a new product! There are some aftermarket portable solar chargers for cell phones on the market now, but this kills two birds with one stone, in terms of portability. Solar is the next step in human energy needs. Clean, inexhaustible, and best of all, free! Solar, baby!

great idea! sucks for the battery to go dead at night tho :p

can people send their phones back to replace them or do they just create a whole lot of e-waste?

will they work in the middle of the clowdy rainy season too??

The phones will still be charged with a regular battery charging device. But when you are on the move, outdoors, the solar extra power is a neat feature. Like LFRAgain states, solar is the way to go. My watch is solar, the roof of my house is covered with PV panels, and my wife asked me the other day if I wanted to buy a Prius again as it has a solar powered ventilation system!

the solar cells act as a trickle charger to top up the lithium rechargeables.

solar powered chargers have been around for years. What's the big news. Seems a bit strange that the owners manual says, don't leave your cell phone in the direct sunlight due to heat. Now they say they have figured out a way to keep the data intacked in the sun? I really think they should concentrate on keeping prices down and improving their servers to deliver email faster. Keep spam down. And just think about their customers more. Really enough is enough.