Samsung solar phone soaks up rays, but Apple iPhone 3G scores

Samsung is experimenting with some twists in mobile phone technology, and its new Crest Solar device is a great example of demand for green influencing a company. The Crest Solar boasts a solar panel on the back that’s capable of powering 5 to 10 minutes of talking per hour charged.

That might sound slow to power up, but in the middle of a nature hike it could mean the difference between connectedness and isolation. But, does the Crest Solar offer enough features and green culture to lure customers away from the svelte Apple iPhone 3G?

For those who travel a lot, particularly outside, Samsung is providing a phone that eclipses most others in one respect: it turns on and operates regularly without access to an electrical outlet.

Samsung has indicated that the rate of charging will be affected directly by the number of luxes reaching the solar panel. The predictions above are “. . . based on 80,000 lux of sunlight (an average sunny day) with the phone turned off and sucking up rays,” according to CNET. Keeping a phone off to charge every day doesn’t sound appealing, even though on a hiking trip or for use by an outside worker it might work well.

Crest Solar also provides a host of other standard mobile phone features including:

. . . FM radio, MP3 ringtones, embedded games, and the capability to work as a flashlight. The phone also has a few original security features, such as Mobile Tracker, which automatically alerts you when the SIM card is changed and sends out an SOS message in an emergency. It also has a fake call feature, which means you can pretend to get an incoming call when you need to get out of an uncomfortable situation (like a bad date).

But, it has a keyboard and standard screen which shirks the popular trend toward touch screens right now, and it can’t take video or act as a gateway to a host of developer applications like the Apple iPhone 3G can. Frustratingly though, AT&T won’t support tethering or multimedia messaging.

Packing features into a mobile device isn’t the whole story though. Consumers interested in supporting alternative energy initiatives may want to consider Samsung’s Crest Solar. The most interesting part of this though will be watching how the green concept complements (or injures) Samsung’s marketing efforts in the mobile device space.

It’s a question we ask often: are consumers willing to pay a premium or forgo features to support green? Right now Apple’s iPhone 3G is clearly demonstrating mainstream consumer behavior toward sexy and feature-rich with pre-orders sold out and a healthy ongoing demand.