From the Associated Press -- Sprint and Samsung are going to start selling a $50 'eco-conscious' phone with a casing of biodegradable plastic.

Several manufacturers have made 'green' phones, but they have generally been barebones devices, like the Motorola Renew carried by T-Mobile USA.

The new Samsung Reclaim has a slide-out standard-layout keyboard, e-mail and Web access, a camera and GPS navigation. The phone goes on sale Aug. 16.

Samsung Electronics Co. says the biodegradable plastic is made partly out of corn.

David Owens, Sprint Nextel Corp.'s director of product marketing, says the company is paying more than the usual amount of subsidies to Samsung to bring the price down to $50 for customers signing two-year contracts.

Labels: biodegradable, innovation, plastic