As promised, Sony Ericsson have had another product launch today… but today’s is a bit different from the Satio/Aino/Yari launch, to say the least. Today, as reported on our news section, what we’ve got are two new eco-phones, the first to be commercially produced under the Japanese/Swedish joint venture’s new GreenHeart initiative.
And the best bit? To look at them, you wouldn’t know they were eco-friendly phones.
Yes, there is a serious reason why I say that…
Think back to some of the eco-phones we’ve seen in the past, most notably (and you just know what I’ve going to say here) the baby-panda phone. Apart from being designed to save the world, what one thing can you level at them? What one factor have they got in common?
Because they’re designed to save the world in a kind of gimmicky stylee first, and be a phone second, they are, invariably, awful. Sure, they’re tremendously worthy and all that, but you just wouldn’t buy one, ‘cos they’re cack, right?
Sony Ericsson have taken a different approach. What we’ve actually got here are two phones, the Naite and the Sony Ericsson C901 GreenHeart, that are designed to be phones first (hey, the C901 GreenHeart is even just a remix of the earlier incarnation), and then have all the eco-friendly stuff piled in. The end result is two eco-phones you’d actually want to own.
That’s somewhat important.
As for specs, the Naite comes with a 2MP camera, and is clearly designed to be a bottom-end, entry-level phone for people on a budget. No bad thing, that. The Sony Ericsson C901 GreenHeart, though, isn’t. It’s a fully fledged Cyber-Shot phone, with 5MP camera and xenon flash, and HSDPA (granted, it’s no Sony Ericsson Satio, but you get my point). They’ve taken the bare bones of a really rather good camera phone, and then made it eco-friendly.
Remember, phone first, baby-panda-saver second.
I also have to admire Sony Ericsson’s choice of eco-friendly ingredients. No gimmicky solar chargers, or crank handles, or any of that fad-ish technology that doesn’t actually do a lot of good. GreenHeart instead means less packaging, recycled plastics, water-based paints (so there’s no nasty chemical spills), and an electronic manual on the phone, instead of a paper one. Now that is a more sustainable solution.
My conclusion? Just like fusion powerplants will be the future, not wind farms, the Sony Ericsson C901 GreenHeart could be the first eco-phone to actually make a difference. Like I’ve always said, eco-phones made by realists, not hippies, will be the ones that actually make a difference. Contrary to what you may think, I do care about the environment. But like I say, to deal with the problem effectively, ya gotta be a realist, not a hippy, and make a phone that people actually want to buy.
So, big kudos to Sony Ericsson, because this is the first eco-phone where I’d legitimately say, “I’d have one!”
Would you buy the Sony Ericsson C901 GreenHeart? And if you did, would it be for the camera, or the knowledge you’re helping the environment? Leave us a comment and have your say!
November 28th, 2010 at 11:27 pm
I bought the green elm version without going into it too deeply, as what I wanted was a good camera.My fault really.It’s ok, though i’ve heard reports since that the flash is a bit crap,but there’s more settings to play with than on other phones i’ve had,guess I’ll find out for myself soon enough, not much of a review really!
Things I didn’t expect I like.The big keys are dead handy for my banana fingers,and the read outs are nice and clear and readable.Seems slightly bigger and heavier than a lot of phones I looked at,as I took the risk of buying before seeing.
If it’s more ecologically friendly as they say then I think it’s worth the extra,and a 5mp camera is not to be sneezed at.I know not having a manual made of paper is more ecological and all that,but the manual on the phone is really fiddly,and i’ve found I need to use it quite a bit.
So i’d say it’s a good basic phone but a bit pricey.