India's first solar phone is how Samsung is marketing their Guru 1107 phone as to the consumer. It sounds very impressive that the phone would get charged via solar power, how well it works is an altogether different situation.

The Guru 1107 is an entry-level candybar phone with plain looks and simple functionality. It has a small 1.5” color display, below which is the rubberized keypad for dust protection. The keypad is very brightly backlit and this is very impressive. On the back of the phone is the solar cell panel and on top is the LED that functions as the flashlight.

The phone's FM radio reception is excellent and it self tuned all available 11 channels. The audio output from the phone was also loud and clear both via headphones and speaker. It come with a built-in mobile tracker as well. All in all, the phone has basic features which perform well.

The highlight of course is solar charging, and the issue here is that the phone needs to be placed under direct sunlight for charging. After an hour of charging under bright sunlight all you get is around 5 minutes talk time. The phone is aimed mainly at people who spend a lot of time under the sun such as cab drivers and stall operators. For those who stay indoors, in the same price they can get the Motorola W388, which gives you an MP3 player, expandable memory, Bluetooth as well as a VGA camera (minus the solar panel of course).

Samsung Guru 1107 Rs 2,799	Performance Coolness
Pros Solar charging, FM, audio Cons Price, specific audience Sold by Samsung, www.samsung.com/in	Specs Dual band, 105.2 x 44.2 x 16.4 mm, 77g, 1.5” CSTN 128x128 display, FM radio, GPRS, Flashlight, Mobile tracker, solar cell charging, 800mAH battery Verdict