Dial4Light with your phone to turn on the street lights

Imagine being able to control the street lights with your mobile phone. This isn't a prank, but an eco-friendly solution that's now in place in parts of Germany. We won't suggest this for streets like Harlem or the dodgier parts of Asia since it's so easily subject to abuse. The (I must add) responsible denizens have put in place a system called Dial4Light which lets cell phone users turn on the street lamps only when someone actually needs illumination.

Much like your very own On/Off switch at home, this one requires you to dial up the lights, with a 15-minute grace period before it gets pitch black again. And the best bit, a reported cost savings of 25 percent in power bills for the the towns, not to mention everyone doing their bit in reducing their carbon footprint. Just don't leave home without your phone.

Watch the video at BBC News

Prototype SunCat batteries enable solar charging

Solar-powered phones like the Samsung Blue Earth are great eco-friendly concepts in theory. But let's be frank with ourselves. We won't see these sun-worshipping devices replacing mainstream handsets in the near future. Meanwhile, we still have a mountain of gadgets that need to be juiced regularly, which is why designer Knut Karlsen's idea of integrating flexi solar cells onto rechargeable batteries could be a more immediate solution to reducing our carbon footprint.
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Time-aid watch syncs with clocks near (and far away from) you

Now here's a concept timepiece that could literally stand the test of time.

The brainchild of designers Christophe Koch and Lea Kobeli, Time-aid is a custom-made wristwatch that relies on the imaginary Timex clock network. In short, it is capable of displaying clock faces around the world via a live satellite feed. If you are in London, you could be looking at the Big Ben on your wrist, or the tower clock at the Star Ferry terminal if you are in Hong Kong.

The solar-powered concept is waterproof up to 5,000m and makes use of a wraparound assembly that's purportedly indestructible. That's not all. You also get to tattoo your name, birth date to make Time-aid a personalized timepiece.

Of course, don't expect this to be available soon, but with the Time-aid scoring a big win at the "Timex2145: The Future of Time" competition, we figure someone at Timex could be looking to bring this in production sooner than you think.
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ZTE debuts solar-powered phone

Samsung and LG weren't the only companies showing solar-powered cell phones at the GSMA Mobile World Congress. On Wednesday, Chinese manufacturer ZTE launched a green model of its own. Created with Digicel and Intivation, the Coral-200-Solar is designed for emerging markets where electricity may not be readily available. And of course, it's Earth-friendly as well.

Exact feature details are sketchy at this point, but from what we can tell the phone won't offer a lot of goodies. Considering its target markets, the Coral-200-Solar is really about making calls. It should be available in June.

The candy-bar design is pretty plain and not nearly as appealing as the Samsung Blue Earth. On the front there's a display, a functional navigation array, and a keypad. Except for the solar panels on its rear face, the Coral-200-Solar largely resembles the ZTE C78 that's currently with MetroPCS. On a side note, a C78 is on my desk back in San Francisco awaiting a full review.
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Samsung's solar-powered accessories

BARCELONA--The Samsung Blue Earth phone is an amazing piece of technology which brings solar charging to mobile phones. However, the Korean company has bigger plans than simply fusing solar panels to the back of a handset. It intends to create an ecosystem of "green communication" with a range of accessories.

Recognizing that not every country has ready access to sunlight, a dynamo-powered charge is available to convert kinetic energy to electricity. The popular Bluetooth headset has also been given a solar makeover, though we do not know how long it takes to charge the device using the sun. These are currently concept models whose availability remains unknown at this time.

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