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Vodafone has recently launched the VF 247 in India, which is due to go on sale this August for 1,500 Indian Rupees, or roughly $32. Vodafone says that the device only needs to be in the sun for 8 hours to get a full charge. Said full charge gives you roughly a week of standby time and 4 hours of talk time. Unlike other low cost handsets that have massive battery life, this one doesn’t … and I’m assuming this was a bill of materials issue. Solar phones are nothing new, Samsung has been a pioneer in that area of the market, but a solar phone for this price is down right impressive from a parts sourcing perspective.
Features? You’re kidding right. It’s a barebones phone meant for people who live in a part of the world where electricity is considered a luxury item. Their neighborhood cell towers are most likely powered by diesel generators. The VF 247 does have an FM radio though, which is vital as it can be the only way to get news and entertainment, as well as a bright LED on the top of the device which functions as a flash light.
I seriously wish I could provide you with more details, such as detailed specifications. Extremely curious to hear how thick this thing is. But I’ve got no data, and a terrible picture to boot. This news item isn’t even on Vodafone’s press site, we got a tip [Thanks Nikhil] that pointed us to The Huffington Post of all places!
[Image via Greenlaunches]
About The Author
Stefan Constantinescu
Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.
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