via�Gizmodo�by John Herrman on 4/20/09
Manufactured for KDDI (au) by Sharp,�this outdoorsy phone�should show up in Japan by June. Unlike the unrealistic claims made by other solar phone dabblers�like Samsung, KDDI's ambitions here are modest, but practical.
KDDI has taken a pragmatic approach to the solar phone, integrating a waterproof panel onto what sounds like a�very�low-draw device. They claim that 10 minutes of sun absorption should grant two hours of standby, or a minute or so of talk time�an extreme ratio that suggests that battery life�not a huge feature list�is the main priority here.
The solar panel alone is enough to charge the battery to a respectable 80%, but KDDI doesn't mention how long that might take. Price and global availability are TBD. [KDDI�via�Impress]
