In an interview with ZTE Sales Director Wu Sa, Register Hardware confirmed that the company will launch an Android Phone by the second quarter of 2010 – so we’re looking at 9-12 months. Too far away to care about? What if I told you the ZTE Android Phone might be solar powered…
The above phone is the ZTE Coral 200 Solar whichthe company claims is the world’s first low-cost solar-powered mobile phone that will go on sale in June or July for a rumored price of about $40. Every hour that the phone’s solar panels (on rear) soak up the sun, you’ll net an additional 15 minutes of talk time. It also charges traditioally of course.
A year is a long ways away though. We’ll almost definitely see a ZTE Android Phone by then but (smartly) the company doesn’t want to commit to a solar powered version just yet:
However, Wu Sa explained that before ZTE goes ahead with the production of an Android-based light-powered handset, the company must look carefully at how the Google OS and solar panel would impact the handset’s eco-qualities, features and capabilities.
Either way we’ll be eagerly anticipating the ZTE device and we’re happy another model is in the queue.