Image via T3Imagine a cell phone that would power itself by the use of a few tiny solar panels. No more low battery beep, or guilt for forgetting to unplug your charger from the outlet. As long as it sees the light of day long enough to catch a few rays, you're in business. While they aren't on the market just yet, a few companies are experimenting with prototypes that could ultimately revolutionize the mobile phone industry.

CNET just featured Konarka Technologies, a company that makes flexible solar panels out of organic materials. The cool thing about these little solar cells is that they would work in sunlight AND under interior lights (not unlike your solar powered calculator).

Other solar mobiles in the works include researchers at Fraunhofer Institute in Germany. TreeHugger featured this phone last year that uses high efficiency solar cells, which need at least 2 hours of sunlight a day (without the sun it can be powered by the good old fashioned plug in charger.)

Japanese company, NTT DoCoMo, has a prototype of a small solar powered phone featured last fall in Gadget magazine, T3.

I don't know about you, but I think I've developed a mild case of mobile technology envy…