Motorola launches phones made with recycled bottles

The big CES how in Las Vegas is in full swing and a massive amount on new technology will be announced.

This press release by Motorola was interesting. They have announced 2 mobile phones that “make social responsibility and social connectivity even more accessible”… so, they’ve taken plastic water bottles and recycled them to make the hardware of the device. No word yet on a Canadian arrival date but it’s certainly a sign of things to come.

The MOTO W233 Renew will hit T-Mobile USA in Q1 2009. Also, the MOTOSURF A3100 will be available beginning in Q1 2009, including Asia and Latin America.

Here is the official press release:

— Today Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) announced two new mobile devices that will make social responsibility and social connectivity even more accessible to people everywhere. MOTO(TM) W233 Renew is the world’s first mobile phone made using plastics comprised of recycled water bottles, and MOTOSURF(TM) A3100 – a high-speed touch tablet with a fully customizable home screen – will debut this week at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Central Hall Booth #8545).

MOTO W233 Renew: Environmentally Responsible Design with Uncompromised Quality
MOTO W233 Renew delivers the quality you expect from a Motorola device while empowering you to reduce your carbon footprint. Not only is the plastic housing of Renew made from plastics comprised of recycled water bottles and 100 percent recyclable, but it is also the world’s first carbon neutral phone. Through an alliance with Carbonfund.org, Motorola offsets the carbon dioxide required to manufacture, distribute and operate the phone through investments in renewable energy sources and reforestation. The phone has earned Carbonfund.org’s CarbonFree(R) Product Certification after an extensive product life-cycle assessment.

“Today, natural resources, energy and time are more precious than ever before,” said Jeremy Dale, corporate vice president, global marketing, Motorola Mobile Devices. “From the product’s design, to the packaging to our partnership with Carbonfund.org, we wanted to ensure that this device makes the right impact with consumers and the environment.”

When designing the packaging, Motorola was able to reduce its size by 22 percent and the box and all of the materials inside are printed on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper. In addition, a postage-paid recycling envelope in box makes it easy to return your previous mobile phone for recycling at no cost.

Renew was designed for eco-conscious consumers as well as the millions of people who put making phone calls as their number one priority in a mobile phone. With nine hours of talk time, CrystalTalk technology and messaging capabilities, Renew makes environmental responsibility affordable for consumers everywhere. Renew will first be available at T-Mobile USA in Q1 2009.

MOTOSURF A3100: Putting the World One Touch Away
Managing your social and work life just got easier with the MOTOSURF A3100. The touch tablet’s customizable home screen is layered on top of the familiar Windows Mobile 6.1 software and has many applications that can be accessed with the tip of a finger, a stylus or an omni-directional trackball. The home screen icons can be personalized to give ‘live’ feeds on weather, news, personal and work e-mail, messaging and calendar events(1). WiFi(1) and 3G connectivity make the experience seamless and fast.

“We developed the MOTOSURF A3100 as a true social smartphone,” said John Cipolla, senior vice president, product development, Motorola Mobile Devices. “Home screen personalization and access to a whole host of applications gets the info you want – fast, and at your fingertips.”

Whether toggling back and forth between documents while on the go, listening to MP3s, video conferencing on the run, updating your Facebook status or using aGPS to navigate from point A to B, MOTOSURF puts every aspect of your life, personal and professional, just a touch away(1).

MOTOSURF A3100 will be available in multiple regions beginning in Q1 2009, including Asia and Latin America.