What to do with that old Smartphone?
What to do with that old Smartphone?
  • Ryan Schuster
  • 승인 2011.05.23 01:00
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Yesteryear's smartphones never die  A global consumer survey found that 44 percent of the world's phones are lying unused in drawers and boxes, just trapped, collecting dust, subsequently to be succeeded simply by something more shiny and spectacular. Especially these days, we replace our cell phones, laptops and computers more than ever before, perhaps more frequently than we buy underwear. Far too many of us who are on a rolling 12 month mobile contract, will shop for a brand spanking new smartphone each and every year. I guess this is what happens in these fast changing high-tech times, right Out with the old, and in with the hottest, latest and greatest gadget. Even the colour can tempt us into buying.

Here are a few options to explore the next time you find an old smartphone.

Emergency phone backup

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) states that a deactivated smartphone or any cell phone for that matter still should be capable of making one kind of phone call, 911. So why not stick your old phone in your glove compartment for use in case of emergency You should always hope for the best but prepare for the worst. You never know when you might lose or break your primary phone and you're in a situation that requires an emergency call, for instance plowing your car into a snowbank. Just make sure to have some kind of power supply available, whether it's an AC adapter, a car charger, or battery backup. Remember a deactivated phone cannot transmit its location to an operator, so whatever you do, try not to get lost in the woods.

Remote control

An old smartphone can also function as a handy remote control for your media centre or computer. There are plenty of free applications available on both Apple's App Store and the Android Marketplace. If you are interested check out the cool app for Android called Gmote.

Turn it into an e-Reader

Why spend money on a Kindle or a new device, when your smartphone offers the same basic functionality What you need is an e-Reader app; Amazon offers apps for Android, BlackBerry and iOS. If you are looking for e-books for your mobile device, try Mobipocket. Sure, a cellular phone's screen is smaller than a Kindle's, but it's also backlit, which is definitely a nice perk when you are trying to read in bed. Don't forget the popcorn.

WiFied

Just because you are no longer paying a carrier for your old phone does not mean you cannot use it to make phone calls. If the phone has WiFi capabilities, you can bypass the carrier and use a Voice-over-IP service such as Fring, Skype, or Truphone. For example, Truphone apps are available for Android, BlackBerry, iOS, and Nokia Ovi, and they support unlimited free calls to other Truphone users.

Finally - Person to person: Sell it or give it away

Sometimes, the best way to get rid of something is to simply find somebody else who wants it. Korea has as many cell phones as there are people and this leaves us with the question - how many of us are on our second, third or even fourth cell phone Therefore, with our ever-changing technology, it is important to prevent an influx of electronic waste on the global landscape. If you are no longer using a device, recycle it or donate it. We all have friends and neighbours who would be only too happy to give a new home for our electronics that are in perfectly good working condition. Donations can also be made to charitable organizations or to churches and depending on the condition of your phone it may still be saleable on an auction site such as eBay.

If everyone recycled just one of their mobile phones, we could reclaim 240,000 tonnes of raw materials, which would otherwise need to be taken from the earth. That would save as much energy and reduce as much greenhouse gases as taking 4 million cars off the road! Currently only a measly three percent of people on this planet bother recycling their mobile phones. In 2011 resolve to forming the good habits of RECYLING, REUSING AND REDUCING to keep God's earth clean, green and beautiful! Need I say more


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