Cell Phone Hub

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Would you care to offer an opinion on what a person should do with his obsolete cell phone? Now, now… We don’t want to hear about what you thought that guy who was talking on his cell phone during the movie should do with it… The bad manners of a few people aside, cell phones do pose a significant waste disposal problem for society.

INFORM, an environmental research organization partly funded by the EPA, has estimated that cell phones are typically used only for about 18 months before being replaced. Calling plans are often packaged with free or low-cost cell phones, which often makes keeping your current phone economically disadvantageous. Thus, many cell phones face their demise before they have become technologically obsolete, and the waste stream gets not only the cell phones that are truly unusable, but also those that are simply no longer the best deal for the owner.

As of 2001 (the last year figures were available), there were 129 million cell phone users in the US, with 400 million users worldwide. In the coming years, as population and market penetration for cell phones both increase, the number of cell phones destined for the waste stream will continue rising. With such a short average lifespan for each cell phone, it’s easy to perceive the magnitude of the cell phone disposal problem. INFORM estimates that by 2005, nearly 130 million cell phones will be discarded every year in the United States.

How does this affect the environment? In addition to the volume of landfill space that cell phones could take up, they also contain toxic chemicals such as:
- arsenic (used in some semiconductors)
- brominated compounds (used as flame retardants)
- lead (used in the solder that attaches components to circuit boards)

These and other cell-phone toxins enter the environment when discarded cell phones are incinerated or when rainwater leaches the materials out of landfilled phones. Many of the toxic compounds in cell phones are found on the EPA’s list of “persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals.” EPA warns that these substances can cause a range of adverse human health effects, including damage to the nervous system, reproductive and developmental problems, and cancer. Eek! Call a doctor!

So, what is a highly mobile, well connected cell-phone lover to do with a phone they no longer need?

Well, if you could go back in time, you could reconsider the waste issue when evaluating your current cellular-service package. True, you can’t do that; but here in the present, you can include the disposal issue when considering whether or not to renew your current plan or go with a one. If your phone still works fine, choosing a plan that allows you to keep it is the best option from an environmental standpoint. If you do decide you want a new phone, you can still take the waste issue into account to avoid finding yourself in the same situation a year later. Don’t accept a plan where the economically intelligent thing to do again will be to throw away a perfectly functioning phone.

Inevitably, at some point you will probably have a still-working but money-stupid cell phone on your hands. If so, you may be able to give it back to the manufacturer for reuse or recycling. Two major cell phone manufacturers, Nokia and Motorola, offer take-back programs. Or you can donate your phone to certain charitable organizations that can put them to good use. Two such organizations are:
- Collective Good (http://www.collectivegood.com)
- Donate A Phone (http://www.wirelessfoundation.org/DonateaPhone/index.cfm)

There are other donation options, and new ones are likely to come up in the future. To find out how else you might find a good home for your old cell phone, or to figure out how to just recycle it, visit:
- The Wireless Foundation (http://www.wirelessfoundation.org/)
- The cell phone industry’s recycling site (http://www.recyclewirelessphones.com/)

In grocery stores and restaurants, in traffic, and even sometimes while sitting on the can, cell phones are becoming an essential part of an efficient lifestyle for many people. Only you can prevent the flushing of perfectly good cell phones!

Finally, we just want to mention that it’s not true that our cell phone has the president on speed-dial #1. We did for a while, but the Secret Service made it clear that our “ideas for putting more humor into governance” were not welcome.

For jokes, cartoons, and more great environmental information, visit http://www.grinningplanet.com .

About the Author
Mark is a writer, financial analyst, web developer, environmentalist, and, as necessary, chef and janitor. Grinning Planet is an expression of Mark’s enthusiasm for all things humorous and green, as well as a psychotic desire to work himself half-to-death. Hobbies include health foods, music, getting frustrated over politics, and occasionally lecturing the TV set on how uncreative it is.

Filed under: Cellphones, Features, Gaming, Handhelds, Laptops, Tablet PCs

Welcome back to The Pipeline, a weekly feature where we dig through the mainstream media and see what the pundits, prognosticators and and pencil pushers have been discussing over the past week.

Last week, the media piled on the Nintendo Wii, more or less agreeing that the name left just a little something to be desired. This week's target: Samsung's Q1 UMPC, which went on sale today. As much as we'd like to say somebody actually liked the Q1, the mini-tablet was panned across-the-board, from The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg, who called it "so deeply flawed in key respects that it amounts to little more than a toy for techies," to BusinessWeek's Steve Wildstrom, who commented that "buyers would do better to step up to an ultralight laptop or down to a PlayStation Portable or a handheld media player."

Elsewhere in the media, WNYC radio's Leonard Lopate sat down with Giles Slade, author of "Made to Break," to trace the history of product obsolescence from Henry Ford to Steve Jobs (what, you thought it was an accident that your iPod dies just as a hot new model hits the stores?). Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times checked out the "Into the Pixel" exhibit of video game art, while that city's LA Daily News, checked out the celebs at the star-studded Helio launch, including Milla Jovovich and Chloe Sevigny. We assume the glitterati showed up largely for a chance to get a free Kickflip, though we suspect most of them could afford the phone, even at its $250 price tag.

The New York Times: A big question unanswered by a tiny PC
The Wall Street Journal: Two tech leaders aim for bold new portable, but miss the mark
The Washington Post: Turning a miniature into a lightweight
AP - Tiny PC carries a small load of annoyances
BusinessWeek - An itsy bitsy problem

WNYC - Made to break
Los Angeles Times - The fine art of the video game
Forbes - Helio heats up handheld lifestyle
Los Angeles Daily News - Hello, Helio

Filed under: Cellphones

We all know the Korean companies raging against the Chinese knockoff artists aren't exactly innocent of taking "design inspiration" themselves. As soon as one comes up with an original design, the other knocks it off and vice versa until it spins out of control into hideously mutated 10 megapixel cameraphones. But one thing you won't see them do is admit it -- until now. We're lacking hard detail on the assuredly pride-crushing debacle, but according to Telecoms Korea, in an interview with Korean publication Yonhap News Samsung fessed up to plagiarizing the menu icons and design work in their SCH-V890 and SPH-V8900 handsets from none other than Cupertino's finest. Not that anyone should really be surprised or anything that a company knocked off Apple's design, but you know what they say about the steps to recovery: the first step is admission that you have a problem.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Time for another peek into the Apple patent catalog for some gool ol' speculation into that mysterious product pipeline which Steve Jobs called the "best I've ever seen in my life." This time, a patent titled "reservation of digital media items" filed waaay back in December 2004 (but only published this week on the USPTO website) has broken free. Like the filing for the audio interface seen yesterday, this patent again describes a system relying on the relative computing strength and fast network access of a PC / Mac working together with a second, portable wireless device. This time however, the "portable wireless device" is used to browse and then tag an item of interest from an "online media store" with the PC / Mac then being used to purchase or preview the tagged item at a later time. The patent specifically references eBooks and ring tones as some of the items of interest for download by a cellphone or wireless PDA. Now, If you're a believer then this is just further confirmation of that oft rumored and all but confirmed iPhone. Or perhaps it's just insight into an extension of that crippled Moto partnership. We don't know. However, these filings do give some insight into Apple's views on the continued importance of synchronization between future portable devices and the PC/Mac digital hub.

[Via c|net News]

Filed under: Cellphones

Our partner in crime gadgetry, Engadget Mobile, just got Helio's Kickflip in the mail and managed to pull themselves away from playing with the hot swivel action for long enough to put up some impressions, pics, and a video. Get it while it's fresh.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Thank you for once again making our lives interesting, oh gracious FCC. Your freshly unearthed filings from Research in Motion have divined us a small bounty of BlackBerry 7130s, which turned out to be where those other pics of the Cingular 7130 popped up from. Including the already launched 7130e, we've got four models on our hands now with the 7130c, 7130g, and 7130v. Each of the GSM devices should have quad-band EDGE as per the filing, as well as Bluetooth 2.0, 64MB flash and 16MB RAM, and the usual mini USB port. We'll let you know more as these things get prices and launch dates -- we're assuming it won't be too long now that the cat's out of the very holey FCC bag.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Another day, another Apple patent filing. This time, Apple calls dibs on an "audio user interface for computing devices." Nothing new right? Afterall, we've had audio assisted navigation for years. The system described however, uses the relative power of a host system to auto-generate audio tags from text strings which can then be played by a hand-held device such as an "MP3 player, mobile phone, or PDA." Still not following? Ok, imagine a system whereby your PC or Mac automatically converts the metadata stored on your iTunes Music Store purchases -- you know, song or video title, artist, album, episode, etc -- into audio tags which are then synch'd to your video iPod, iPhone, or Apple handheld via iTunes thereby allowing you to find and play your favorite song, playlist, whutevah without ever looking at the device and straining your eyes. And since this could likely be a software only enhancement to existing Apple 'ware, implementing it could be just be a free, point-release upgrade away... hear that display-less Shuffle owners?

[Via Unwired View, Thanks Staska]

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Portable Audio

If you're tired of all those phones trying to step on your music player's toes with included, yet clunky, MP3 functionality, fight back with Hyon's new VT-300 device that includes what is most likely clunky Bluetooth headset functionality along with regular music playback. Along with your usual music playback, voice recording, and FM functions, the VT-300 can manage most phone functions like receiving calls and text messages, or even dialing numbers from you phonebook using the color LCD display. It also sounds an alarm if it strays to far from your phone while its paired over Bluetooth, to prevent theft and to provide for awkward social situations. Sizes range from 128MB to 1GB, but there's no word on price or availability. We're guessing "cheap" and "Korea."

[Via Phoneyworld]

Filed under: Cellphones

Alright kids, it's the moment we've all been waiting for (and by we, we mean the MVNO nerds). SK Telecom's and Earthlink's joint-venture Helio is officially lighting up today with their first two devices -- the Hero and Kickflip. We're all pretty well briefed to date on the capabilities and general offerings the service was supposed to have, so let's get to the plans and pricing, of which there are two types: the All-In Membership, which includes unlimited data, video, MMS, texting, nights and weekends, roaming, and long distance with the plan; and the A La Carte plan which is as the name implies. The All-In buys you 1,000 anytime minutes for $85, 1,500 for $100, or 2,500 minutes for $135 (which we think is a pretty good value, considering what some are charging for that many minutes and unlimited phone data); the A La Carte gets you a 500 minute $40 monthly plan straight up. Oh, and the devices now have prices, too: the Hero will set you back $275, and the Kickflip will ding you for $250. We have a sneaking feeling we know which will outsell the other. So if you're not ready to wait until the end of the month for their retail rollout to switch carriers (or join Helio as your first), fortunately you can just order direct and cut the middle man.

P.S. -More info on the media services Helio's offering over at Engadget Mobile.

Filed under: Cellphones

You know, it has been a bit RIM-patent-fiasco-free around these parts lately. But no worries, since Visto has decided to whip up a bit (more) patent trouble of their own. Fresh off a victory over Seven Networks regarding the same four patents that they claim RIM is infringing, and already mired in legal fights with RIM competitor Good Technology and Microsoft, Visto is looking for more, and they think they can get a payout from RIM. Visto wasn't clear as to what RIM technology is infringing on their patents, but they do mention "Visto's intellectual property serves as the basis for this industry's birth." Quite the strong words when going up against RIM, who had a slight influence on the birth of the wireless email industry if our memory serves us right. RIM believes that the Visto patents are invalid, and that Visto's victory over Seven Networks was in regards to a different type of technology than RIM's. Their patents are also dated before Visto's, but there's really no telling where this could go after the fiasco the NTP case turned out to be. We'll keep you posted.