Next step for the green movement?

By Grace

When I was looking for a new cell phone last year, I fell in love with KDDI's au Design Project prototypes, which are very artistically designed with quirky features. They're incredibly innovative and very stylish, and unfortunately, only available in Japan (no SIM cards, so there wasn't a chance to ask a friend to bring one over here. I was considering the Infobar 2).

A lot of the designs don't make it to mass production, but they're wonderful to look at. I visit their website every once in a while to see what they've dreamed up.

Now they've come up with something incredible: a solar powered cell phone. Three different prototypes: the GEM, the Voyage and the "soup atomic element". Environmentally friendly and beautiful. Whether they can be made affordable for general public use, who knows? But it's a great idea.

Way of the future? Maybe. iPhone, eat your heart out.

(See more photos here.)