I already said in my previous comment that if you use the phone without the add-on crap it will hit its mark concerning battery life.

And why would I need to research anything when guys like you correct every single thing I wriite? See, I made a typo there. Correct that. Thanks.

Anyways, this argument is silly – let’s just all go and enjoy the long weekend!

The V195 while impressive unfortunately has its battery life defeated with the inclusion of all the additional crap (AOL messaging, MP3 ringtones, etc.) If you use the phone without the add-on crap it will hit its mark, otherwise it’s no better than the V180.

As my original article states, phones with crap are battery suckers. No crap or as little crap as possible means the battery will last longer.

The 1110 and aforementioned Motofone F3 are outstanding examples of what can be done with simplified tech. Those are the phones I champion the most aside from simple-tech older models.

The iPhone on the other hand is a complete piece of junk. Reason? You can’t change the battery. So even if solar tech comes full circle and provides affordable solutions, it means absolutely nothing for iPhone users because the battery will eventually fail, rendering the phone completely useless. One can only hope the next gen iPhone will have a battery that you can actually replace.

And yes I do support “green” phones 100%. These low-powered phones are more than ready for solar tech and they will most likely be the first wave so-to-speak to have the advantage of solar solutions.

The Nokia 1110 is still sold as new by some carriers around the world. It’s designed for the same market as the Motorola F3. It’s not antiquated, it’s a phone that is purpose built to be inexpensive and efficient, which is exactly what I’m talking about.

The Motorola V180 you posted is another perfect example for my argument. The Motorola V195 is the newer version of that phone, includes features such as bluetooth and PC syncing, and is currently available from the T-Mobile website for $20 with contract and it will go for 8 hours of talk time and 17.5 days of standby time. That beats the Nokia 1110 on both talk and standby time, plus it’s got a full set of modern features.

http://www.mobiledia.com/phones/motorola/v195.html

Even the pinnacle of cellular excess, the Apple iPhone can go for 8 hours of talk time and over 10 days of standby on one charge.

Either way, we’re straying far off topic here. The point of this article has to do with solar charging and cell phones. Any of these phones that we’ve discussed could be used with some sort of solar charger. I will admit that there aren’t too many good choices in that department – and the most promising ones are USB based chargers which while many phones have that capability, not all are there yet. Hopefully with the growing “green movement” by next summer we’ll see a lot more of these solar devices pop up, bringing the price and size down. I think we can both agree that the time for solar charging of small electronic devices is now – we just need the manufacturers to catch on.

http://www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk/nokia-1110.htm

Five hours talk time.

Up to 380 hours standby time (almost 16 days).

Introduced early ’06. Looks like a jalopy compared to modern phones, however:

Simple black/white screen and only the most basic of features. The tech inside it is ancient compared to new offerings.

Let’s go back even further to 2004 using your brand:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_V180

350 minutes talk time (5.8 hours), 275 hours standby time (11.5 days). Once again, a very basic phone. It loses with standby but meets and/or beats the new ones in talk time.

There have even been instances where people have used this phone and gotten nine hours out of it:

http://tinyurl.com/3xs3xc

Why use an antiquated phone? Because it’s a waste of cash to use a new one that gets poorer battery life in many instances yet costs more.

Your “advancements” once again don’t really seem to measure up to the older models.

I’m not trying to insult you or anything, merely trying to help you and your readers see what really is out there.

To make it easier to understand, look at modern Intel processors. Every major version has managed power more efficiently and consumes less electricity per MHz and frequently less overall. Take the Intel Core Duo which consumes significantly less power than the most equivalent Pentium 4 chip. Now you can’t tell me that an old laptop with a Pentium 4 and less features consumes less power than a modern laptop with an Intel Core Duo and more features.

Another example is vehicle technology. Every year the amount of safety and technology features that are standard on cars increases, but at the same time fuel economy increases. Look at the Toyota Prius. The first model Prius was very basic. It had simple electronics like a cassette deck and was small and cramped. The current generation Prius is larger, has many more features like side curtain airbags, backup camera, automatic air conditioning, bluetooth, voice activated navigation etc, and yet on top of all that the fuel economy increased versus the old version.

To make the claim that old technology – because it appears simpler on the surface – uses less energy than modern technology, is ignorant of the facts and advancements that occur every day in this industry.

The Motofone F3 is an outstanding example of what can be done when you simplify. However they’re hard to come by. I found only two on eBay – but the ones listed only work in Europe. One can only hope they’ll become more readily available stateside.

I’m a big fan of solar power and would love to see compact solutions that actually work without costing an arm and a leg. I feel the time for a well-priced solar solution for wireless phones is long overdue.

That said, your idea of a simple boiled down phone does exist with modern components and can be bought very cheaply. The Motorola Motofone F3 was designed for developing countries, is thin and stylish, and even uses an e-paper display to greatly reduce energy consumption. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Motofone_F3

And as far as solar chargers go, they now have pretty compact chargers that have onboard batteries so you can solar charge the built in battery then plug it into your phone and transfer the power even at night. They’re coming down in price and getting much more advanced. Some of these chargers have USB outlets so you can charge an iPod, iPhone, or any phone with a USB charger like many Motorola phones and PDA/smartphones.