There is good news for smartphone users who do not have access to continuous power supply. Umeox, a Chinese handset maker, has showcased its solar powered Android smartphone called Apollo at the recently concluded Mobile World Congress 2011, and says it will ship the phone to India and other European, African and Asian countries by May this year. The phone will cost less than $100 (Rs 4,500).
It takes 2 hours and 30 minutes of exposure to the sun to charge the phone’s battery if isn’t entirely drained. A full recharge, however, will take 17 hours in the sun.
The phone has a 3.2 inch touchscreen with 320 x 480 pixel Resolution and 1 GB of internal storage expandable using a micro SD card. It has an FM Radio, a 3 mega pixel rear camera, 3.5 mm audio jack, and Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP.
Phones made by Umeox have been available in India for quite some time, but haven’t been very successful. However, it is expected that Apollo will change the company’s fortunes in this country starved of electricity.