As my co-workers will tell you, I'm a sucker for solar power. There's just something awesome about having the ability to keep your gear powered anywhere in the world, without worrying about having enough fuel or spare batteries. LG knows that people like me exist, and that's why they've launched the LG Pop (via Electronista) today.

The Pop (it's friends call it GD510) has an aluminium shell and a 3" touchscreen. It has a single-button interface and an optional solar panel on the back. Unfortunately, the Pop is not 3G capable; it can only handle EDGE (2G). That's a bit disappointing, but the rest of the specs are fairly solid; 3 MP camera, 8 GB of space, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

LG's new smartphone is a little wimpy in the hardware department, but not at all bad. If you're interested in this eco-friendly solar smartphone, it'll be available in Europe come mid-October. It will eventually hit the wider world, but LG hasn't given us a timeframe for that.