Nokia becomes the first phone maker to add energy saving alerts to mobiles

The growing awareness of mankind’s mistreatment of its environment is leading to some interesting realisations. As remarkable as it might seem, around two-thirds of the energy used by a mobile phone is lost when it is unplugged after charging but the charger is left in a live socket. A recent agreement between all mobile phone manufacturers to focus on the environmental impact and energy usage of their wares will see many environmental initiatives roll out over the next few months. The first to implement changes resultant from the pact is market leader Nokia which will add alerts to its phone range encouraging people to unplug the charger once the battery is full. Starting with the new Nokia 1200, 1208 and 1650 models, the alerts will be rolled out across the Nokia product range.

Nokia has decided to put the alerts into mass markets products first to help maximise the potential energy savings. The Nokia 1200, Nokia 1208, Nokia 1650 are targeting high volumes of sales in fast growing markets like India, China and Latin America. The alerts are the latest in a series of energy saving initiatives from Nokia. Last year the company's newest range of chargers were awarded an Energy Star by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the US. for their energy efficiency. The chargers, in use since 2005, far exceed the EPA standards by using 50- 70% less energy than the Energy Star requirement, and also meet the highest European Union standards. The company has set ambitious goals to further reduce the energy consumption of its chargers. By 2010 it aims to have reduced by an additional 50% the amount of electricity a charger consumes whilst still plugged into the mains but not the phone.