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At a time when everyone is going green, mobile manufacturers also couldn't
resist the temptation. The Green fever was fairly visible at the Mobile World
Congress. Samsung and LG launched their eco-friendly phones; while Nokia didn't
offer any eco-friendly phones but they did announce the winners of their
'Calling All Innovators' contest for mobile applications and solutions to help
improve the quality of life on the planet.
Samsung Blue Earth
This is the first solar powered touchscreen phone which has a solar panel at the
back. It can generate enough power to charge its battery. It even has an
energy-efficient 'eco mode'. The phone is made up of recycled plastic called PCM
and is free from harmful substances such as abrominated flame retardants,
Beryllium and Naphthalene. Seems that Blue is the new green for Samsung.
LG's Unnamed Eco- Friendly Phone
Even this phone has got a solar panel at the back for charging. LG didn't spill
any beans about the specs and features of this phone, but by the looks of its
initial images it is evident that it will feature a 5 MP camera with LED flash
and will also have Bluetooth. According to LG, a 10 minute exposure of its solar
battery to the sunlight would create power sufficient enough to give you a talk
time of about 3 minutes. So does that mean for a talktime of 30 mins, you need
to charge it for 100 mins?
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| Nokia's Green
Approach |
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Nokia won this years outstanding environmental contribution award. It has
also recently launched its recycling service in India. We spoke to Ambrish
Bakaya, Director Corporate Affairs, Nokia India and got his take on e-waste
and Nokia's green initiatives
Q. E-waste is a hazardous threat, what steps are you taking to get rid
of this threat?
A. At Nokia, our approach is to continuously improve environmental
sustainability in all our products. Our environmental activities are based
on life cycle thinking. This means we:
- use approved, tested and sustainable materials and substances in our
products
- improve the energy efficiency of devices, applications and
enhancements including chargers
- develop smaller and smarter packaging for our products
- involve the people who use our phones via Eco software, services and
recycling
Our approach to tackle the e-waste threat is two fold. Firstly, we work
on managing substances in our products so that they do not pose any
environmental risks at the end of their life. Secondly, we encourage
consumers to responsibly recycle their unwanted products.
Q. What according to you is an ideal way to deal with the Ewaste
problem? Suggestions or precautionary steps.
A. We feel that for any e-waste policy to be effective, there is a strong
need to educate the end user on the environmental impact of making educated
decisions while disposing of their electronic waste. As an Industry leader
we have taken the initiative to lead the telecommunications industry towards
implementing strong Ewaste policies. |
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