CNET Asia was lucky enough to get their hands on a working prototype of the Blue Earth phone that was announced in February this year at the MWC. However, since the hands-on seems to be in a room, we weren’t able to know how its solar charging works but it promises to give up to 10 mins of talktime on a 1 hour charging, similar to Crest aka Solar Guru.

According to CNET, the phone is expected to be announced later this year.

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UPDATE: Solar Guru will be known as Crest Solar in other regions. More pictures in the gallery.

Samsung surprised us today with the launch of an affordable solar powered mobile phone in India. We were banking on the Blue Earth phone but it’s the Solar Guru (Guru E1107) that will make its way first to the commercial market.

The phone won’t be looked upon for its features but rather for its solar charging prowess, which for 1 hour of solar charging can give around 5-10 minutes of talk time. It supports dual GSM bands (900/1800MHz) and includes a 1.52-inches 65K CSTN screen, FM Radio, MP3 ringtones, torch, Mobile Tracker, Fake Call and a 800mAh battery.

Apart from India, Solar Guru will also be launched in June in Europe, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia and Latin America.

It will go for just Rs. 2,799 ($59).