Most cell phones don’t even come close to being green — their chargers are energy inefficient, they contain hazardous chemicals, and they not are designed for upgrading or easy recycling. Recently though, some the big players in the field like Nokia and Sony Ericsson are making moves towards green design.

As far as assessing which phones are greenest, the best report we found was conducted by Greenpeace. Their report “Searching For Green Electronics” (PDF File) was published in June, and it rates the green attributes of cell phones based on a number of criteria. Greenpeace incorporated recycling reports by EPEAT (PDF File) and reports by Energy Star.

Here’s our round-up of this year’s greenest cell phones: (more…)

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We’ve seen prototypes for solar-powered cell phones, but now a Chinese company claims to have developed the world’s first commercially available solar-powered cellphone. The company says a scale-like solar panel on the top side of the phone can also be recharged by light from artificial sources. It can provide 40 minutes of talk-time after sitting in the sun for an hour.

Hi-tech Wealth is a a well-known telecommunication products supplier in China. The company says it has developed the most advanced solar power technology and owns eight patents and has applied for numerous others. Many companies around the world are working on similar mobile phones but their products are still at the experimental stage, Xinhua news agency quoted a company official as saying.

The S116, which retails in China for USD$510, features Hi-Tech Wealth’s information security technology. It supports a T-Flash card and features a 1.3 megapixel camera.
Hi-Tech Wealth has filed over 20 patents in China to protect the technology behind the S116 and has already secured pre-orders for 50,000 units.

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Link: “>iDEN Home Page

Via Gadgets Weblog

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Instead of making calls through regular telephone lines, you place calls through a phone connected to your broadband service (e.g. cable or DSL). You can read about more VoIP technology here.

Most people use VoIP save on the expense of having a POTS (plain old telephone service) and to save on long distance charges.

Companies in the US, such as Vonage, VoicePulse, and Packet8, offer unlimited calling to the US, and sometimes to Canada or to selected countries in Europe or Asia, for a flat monthly fee. Vonage is top rated by PC World and CNet.com. CNet’s editor Neil Randall says Vonage’s voice quality was so good that it’s a suitable replacement for a primary phone line.

Others reviewers were more impressed by the quality of VoicePulse. For example, Garry Peterson from Bright Green Living recommends VoicePulse over Vonage, because of better customer support and the fact that Vonage equipment cannot be used with other VoIP providers.

Some of the potential disadvantages of VoIP are:

• Dependent on Electrical Power and Broadband Connection. Unless you have your phone on an UPS, or are off-grid, your phone will not work when there is a power outage. This is also true if your broadband service is interrupted.
• 911 Service. Your VoIP provider may or may not have 911 service.
• Voice Quality: Your may be unimpressed by the clarity of VOIP phone connection.

You can read more about the VOIP’s potential disadvantages in this article from Tom’s Networking.

Skype is an example of a software-based VoIP service that allows users to make calls through their computers to those with regular phones. Two potential annoyances with this kind of approach is that you have have you PC turned on to make or receive calls, and sound quality is improving but is not as high as hardware-based VoIP according to reviewers.

Some reviewers also point out that using discount calling cards to make long distance calls may be as inexpensive as using VoIP.

Another VoIP technology which is gaining popularity is Wi-Fi telephony. Wi-Fi phones are similar to cell phones, but allow you make calls from any free Wi-Fi location — including your home, college campus or public hotspot. Two manufacturers of Wi-Fi phones are: Net2Phone and PulverInnovations.

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As far as cell phone service is concerned, Verizon is top rated by these review sites: J.D. Power, Consumer Reports and Epinions. According to these reviewers, Verizon tops the field in terms of coverage and customer service.

One reason why you might not opt for Verizion as your carrier, is if you are a frequent traveler to Europe, Asia or Africa. Verizion uses a proprietary CDMA network for service, and you’ll find that other countries mostly use GSM networks instead (supported by T-Mobile and Cingular/AT&T).

If you are interested in the amount of radiation a cell phone emits, you can look up the “SAR” rating on this page from CNET. According to the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), SAR or specific absorption rate is “a way of measuring the quantity of radiofrequency (RF) energy that is absorbed by the body.”

Top-Rated Phones

A highly rated phone with one of the lowest radiation levels is the Motorola MPx200. Reviewers like its inexpensive price (around $200), crisp display and speakerphone feature.

An advantage of “clamshell” style cell phones (such as this one) is that the screen is protected when the phone is not in use, and is thus less likely to be scratched. The battery life is only average on this phone though. Reviewed by PCWorld, DesignTechnica and CNET.

Available from: (Search for Motorola MPx200 Retailers)

Another phone that reviewers are currently recommending is the Sony Ericsson K700.

This phone is praised for its stylish exterior, clear screen, well designed menu navigation, speakphone feature and bluetooth support. The price is $300-$400.

Reviewed by Wired (Editors’ Pick), CNet (7.6/10) and Mobiledia.

Available from: (Search for Sony Ericsson K700 Retailers)

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