Umeox Apollo: A Smart Phone Charged by Solar Power

UMEOX Mobile, a high-tech cell phone manufacturer out of China, has recently unveiled the solar-powered "Apollo" at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week.  I guess we won't be needing this or even this, if this little gem, Apollo, catches on.  Complete with an array of solar panels on it's backside, this phone is contending for the title of the first, mass produced, solar-powered cell phone.

Umeox Mobile Ltd.: Chinese, high-tech mobile phone manufacturer

Smart phone addicts will enjoy the benefits of solar charging afforded by this Android phone, since such phones are notorious for battery power brevity.   Specs include those of most smart phones: 3.2" 320x480 display, 1GB of storage, a MicroSD card slot, FM radio, Bluetooth 2.1, 3 megapixel camera, and 3.5mm audio jack.

To get the charge up to 100%, users will need to have solar access for more hours than the sun is usually available in most places - 17 hours for a complete charge.  However, if you just want a little boost, those solar juices will definitely do the trick in about 2.5 hours for daily use.

Umeox Apollo: Solar-Powered Smartphone

Unfortunately, the verdict is still out about just when Apollo will be available in the U.S.  It appears there are two different models being released, one for the US (MTK6573) and one for Europe and most of Asia (MTK6516).  The US model will support 850/1900Mhz bands.  Get ready AT&T customers, here comes Apollo.

Sources: Inhabitat and Mobile Crunch