With a body made from recycled plastic, a solar panel for power on the back, an 'eco-mode' energy-saving setting, and a built-in 'eco walk' pedometer for calculating how much CO2 emissions you've saved by walking, the Samsung Blue Earth cell phone just set the bar for eco-friendly phones very high.

Blue Earth is the first solar powered full-touch screen phone. According to Samsung, "By charging with the solar panel located on the back of the phone, users can generate enough electronic power to call anytime anywhere."

As long as it's daytime, I suppose...

The phone is made from recycled plastic called PCM, which is extracted from water bottles, and the Blue Earth model (including the charger), is free from toxic substances such as brominated flame retardants, beryllium and phthalates.

The Samsung touchscreen interface has a one-click setting for changing the screen brightness, the backlight duration and Bluetooth to an energy-efficient mode, called the 'Eco mode'. Blue Earth's 'eco walk' function counts the user's steps with a pedometer and calculates the CO2 emissions savings, letting them calculate the footprint (pun intended) of walking as opposed to driving.

“Samsung’s ‘The Blue Earth Dream’ demonstrates our small but meaningful commitments for the future and our environment. We are committed to achieving the highest eco-status with our customers and business partners by providing the best eco-products and promoting eco-activities.” - JK Shin, Samsung

The phone was just unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.