Recycling Old Cell Phones (redux)? 36
Tweakmeister asks: "With the product cycle for cell phones being what seems like months, is there any use for old phones? How about pagers? A search reveals some initiatives to recycle them or send them to foreign countries. Have you found any alternative uses for old cell phones?" We last touched on this subject in this previous article, from two years ago. Have any new ideas shown up on the horizon, since then?
Keep one in your car. (Score:5, Insightful)
The old beat up cell phone (with an auto adaptor, or a single use emergency battery) in your glove box may save your life someday.
Re:Keep one in your car. (Score:2)
Re:Keep one in your car. (Score:1)
It varies by the network, but you still can make calls with a CC.
Re:Keep one in your car. (Score:2)
Ordinarily I would investigate the roots of this apparent illegality myse
Re:Keep one in your car. (Score:4, Informative)
Donate them locally (Score:5, Informative)
There are various programs [wirelessrecycling.com] to collect used cell phones for various causes, one that makes a lot of sense is the Call to Protect [wirelessfoundation.org] which will benefit the victims of domestic violence.
BalamRe:Donate them locally (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Donate them locally (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Donate them locally (Score:2)
Re:Donate them locally (Score:1)
Old Analog pnoes are great for 911 (Score:2)
Old Motorola flip phones with a cheap $9 car charger make a great present for thos who can't afford a cell phone for emergency use.
*Some European countries are not so enlighented - they don't care if you die with a cell phone in your hand, only if you can pay your bill.
Re:Old Analog pnoes are great for 911 (Score:2)
How about ... (Score:4, Insightful)
the companies themselves.. (Score:1)
Conversely, an easy mod to make a useable FRS radio would be nice. Probably real hard and illegal, though.
Cell phone to > music file player? Tablet PC adapter? Garage door opener, universal remote control?
My beef with new phones is they are all
Re:the companies themselves.. (Score:2)
Driven the Crown Vic. Still like my <racist_remark>rice burner</racist_remark> better.
Kinda like if I go to a club, then having a small phone that I can simply answer is much nicer than looking like a fool with a big lump in his pants.
Re:the companies themselves.. (Score:2)
But back on the topic at hand...
I would REALLY like to see some way of altering the frequency to run at 900M or 2.4G and use these things as a much-better home cordless. US Cell phones are pretty close to these frequencies arn't they?
In fact, it looks like this [cordlessmart.com] is just a nokia cell phone that's been adapted for exactly this use. Probably special software and such, but the basics are there.
Seems to me that someone could come up wi
Re:the companies themselves.. (Score:1)
Re:the companies themselves.. (Score:1)
If you'd spend that on a phone though i bet you'd have enough redundant earnings to be upgrading the inside monthly.
It's hard when ... (Score:2)
And who would really want to saddle 'em with CDMA? Ewwwww!
Serioulsy, the 911 backup idea is a good one, if their batteries can still hold charge, of course.
Batterd women's shelters (Score:5, Informative)
DUPE (Score:1)
911 (Score:2)
Skeet. (Score:5, Funny)
*BLAM*
"Can you hear me now?"
*maniacal laughter*
EBAY (Score:1)
Paid for a nice dinner anyway.
Holy crap! (Score:2, Funny)
One thing I plan to do (Score:1)
Of course, this cant be done with all phones, just those with a GSM modem, but in a few months that could very well be the norm.
Another nice idea for a phone connected to the pc would be to get the pc to respond to incomin
just one.. (Score:2)
throw them at the homeless (Score:1)
Either way, old phones are a lifesaver that way.