Vodafone has launched the first ecological mobile phone on the market, the Samsung S7550 Blue Earth.

The pebble-shaped solar powered touch-screen phone is made with recycled material and generates its own operating energy thanks to solar panels on the back.

The handset comes with a host of green credentials, including a unique user interface that promotes green behaviour, and a case made of recycled plastic bottles. The handset is manufactured without beryllium, phthalate or brominated flame retardants, helping to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions in the process.

The cutting-edge device has an energy-saving charger that works with solar panels, making the best of sunny weather. The charger uses less than 0.03W in standby mode and a full solar charge provides enough power for four hours of talk time. It can still be charged normally using a conventional plug, with the solar panels used to top up the battery during use.

Apart from offering the latest functions that consumers have come to expect, such as camera, music and video players, radio, Bluetooth, 3G and a large touch screen display, the new Samsung also boasts an ecological menu, with a pedometer function that measures CO2 reduction and calculates how much smaller the user's carbon footprint is when walking rather than driving. It also features energy-saving modes for display settings and Bluetooth.

The S7550 Blue Earth was unveiled by Samsung at the Barcelona Mobile World Congress 2009 as part of the company's vision for the future and environmental sustainability: 'The Blue Earth Dream'.

The Samsung S7550 Blue Earth is available at all Vodafone stores.