Built-in phone solar changers impractical: Nokia

Cell phone giant Nokia has finished its tests of an integrated solar energy charger for portable phones and concluded that while doing so is possible, it's challenging. In ideal conditions, the phones were able to recharge enough to go on standby, but offered very limited talk time. The limited back panel area of a handset is the biggest challenge, but other factors affect the results as well.

The angle of light entering the solar panel is also important, Nokia found, as is whether the phone is stationary. The amount of light allowed to reach the panel from the weatherproof casing of the phone is key.

Five prototype phones were tested, with two in the Arctic Circle, one in southern Sweden, one in Kenya, and the last on a sailboat traveling in the Baltic Sea.

Nokia is keen on developing handsets for the developing world or remote locations where charging from a socket may not be possible. It has also introduced a dynamo that mounts to a bicycle and recharges phones.

By Electronista Staff