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It appears that mobile phone makers are shifting focus to the rural people in a big way and are coming up with innovations custom made for the masses. Vodafone has come up with a new solar powered handset called the VF 247. The phone is priced at an affordable rate of Rs. 1,500, keeping in mind the target audience which mostly is the rural mass, and will be available across India from next month.

The VF 247 has the option of being charged in direct sunlight. The Sun Boost technology installed in the phone ensures that the phone is charged in a room, under normal daylight. The phone packs in a color screen, a torch light and FM radio among its specs. The device needs eight hours of direct sunlight to be fully charged.

Marten Pieters, MD and CEO, Vodafone Essar said of the product, "Vodafone's solar powered phone is launched for people residing in areas where electric supply is unstable, so that consumers can rely on solar charging to remain connected. This launch is likely to enable more people in rural India to go mobile and thus increase penetration from the current 20 percent. We will continue to invest to uplift the quality of telecom services and products in India."The rural areas of India face the trouble of regular power cuts. In such a scenario, charging your mobile phone becomes less of an option and more a luxury. This is where the solar powered phones can play a pivotal part.

However, the concept of solar powered phone is not new. Let us jog your memory to last year when Samsung came up with Guru E 1107, the world's first solar powered phone. The phone was priced at Rs. 2,799 and came with features like FM radio, MP3 ringtones, embedded games and torchlight.

If this trend catches up and more players join the race, the amalgamation of technology and renewable resources would definitely brighten the future.