When you get to the point where you’ve fucked with the Earth so much that normal plants just won’t cut it, you need alternatives. That’s why the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Mitsubishi and Tokki Corp. have developed a prototype solar cell module that resembles a living plant. With organic thin-film solar cells, the module is protected by a very thin film which improves the durability of the module, as well as prevents the entry of water and oxygen. In the future, you may see these organic solar cells incorporated into other elements of design such as architectural materials, clothing materials, living ware and toys.

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Willcom today also announced 2 design updates to their tiny “nico” phone (45×125x14.3mm 67g). As if the original design is not cute enough, they’ve decided to mount a cat cartoon character Koneko on top, they’ve also added the relevant wallpaper, ringtone and accessory to bundle with it. So now you can have a cat hanging out of your suit pocket (picture after the jump). Also announced today is the Benetton-branded nico phone; again without much differences apart from the color scheme. The nico phone is really a no-frills phone, with no camera, no fancy functions whatsoever. However the nico still takes Willcom’s W-SIM, which is not just a card but a full PHS module. So by plugging the W-SIM into a PDA (Sharp’s W-Zero Windows Mobile PDA) your PDA can make calls and get online on PHS. The nico phone boasts one of the lowest SAR ratings in the world which is 0.065w/kg. Just like the whole PHS line from Willcom, the nico can roam to Taiwan and Thailand. Price starts at $70 for the basic model, and $110 for the cartooned model. We’ve got a lot more graphics after the jump.

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