Green cell phones

Kent German, Senior Editor October 27, 2009

"Green" and "gadgets" don't normally go together, but cell phone manufacturers are jumping on the eco-warrior trend. We now have handsets that are made from recycled materials, use less power, and come in recycled packaging. At the end of the day they're still phones, but they have a "feel-good factor" that some might find attractive.

The first such handset to land at a U.S. carrier was the Motorola Renew W233 for T-Mobile. It doesn't offer fancy features, but it has an intuitive candy bar design, good call quality, and long battery life. Its plastic parts are made from recycled batteries; its box is made from recycled cardboard; and the ink on the user manual is soy-based. Next up is Sprint's Samsung Reclaim. It offers more features, a slider design, and a full alphabetic keyboard. Its body and box are also made from recycled materials and it has a unique green color. Lastly, we have the Samsung Blue Earth. The unlocked handset isn't available for a U.S. carrier, but it sports solar panels on its rear face that help to charge the battery. You still get a normal wall charger in the recycled and reusable box, but the solar panels can power the Blue Earth if you're in a pinch.