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National Cell Phone recycling week? Who knew?

April 5th, 2009, 12:57 am by

It’s almost finally here, National Cell Phone Recycling Week starts Monday. You’ve been waiting for it, haven’t you? What’s that, never heard of it?

I felt the same way. With relatively little digging, I discovered that it’s a brand new nationally designated week created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which informed the public about the special 2009 event on April 2.

Normally, I’m a big mocker of made-up holidays, but since this one deals with cell phones, it seemed like a good time to remind readers what to do with their old phones.  

There are several alternatives to trashing a cell phone that can help the earth and, possibly, mankind. And because of the new NCPR week, most of the major cell phone companies are having their own events to make it more convenient to consumers who want to recycle.

All the major carriers — Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint — will accept old phones at the stores. Some will also accept them by mail. Specifically: 

The EPA also offers 3 things to do before you give up your phone:

  1.  
    1. Terminate service.
    2. Clear the phone’s memory by hitting the reset button or use a data erasing tool online, such as the free one at www.recellular.com/recycling/data_eraser.
    3. Don’t forget to remove the SIM card.

More on cell phones and green technology:


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Sprint spent $13.8 million improving service in O.C.

April 1st, 2009, 12:18 pm by

We’ve heard from AT&T and Verizon on new cell sites and investment in Orange County. Now, Sprint has responded to requests for more insight.

While the company didn’t offer the number of new cell sites in O.C., it said it spent $2.13 million enhancing service here during the fourth quarter of 2008. For the year, it invested $13.8 million in Orange County.

For the Los Angeles metro region, the company spent $3.2 million during the fourth quarter and $35.9 million for the year.

Not too shabby and a possible reason why Sprint rose to be the top for the best call-quality in J.D. Power’s latest report . The report says Sprint’s customers “report fewer problems regarding echoes compared with the region average.”

Adds Kathleen Dunleavy with Sprint, a chunk of last year’s investment in Orange County was at Disneyland — both indoors and outdoors. Cell phone reception in Disneyland is, apparently, an issue at the amusement park, according to this 2006 post at MiceChat.com. The main issue? People yakking while on a ride. Don’t do that.

Just as an oranges and apples comparison, here’s how the three cell phone services stack up when it comes to putting money in California or parts thereof:

  • Verizon: Invested $600 million in California last year
  • AT&T: Invested $7.9 billion in California from 2006 to 2008
  • Sprint: Invested $35.9 million in the Los Angeles area last year.

Check out the Gadgetress Guide to local cell phone services. Latest O.C. mobile reception headlines:

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • | 9 Comments »

Verizon improves mobile phone quality in Santa Ana, Tustin

March 27th, 2009, 12:23 pm by

AT&T isn’t alone in improving cell coverage in Orange County. Verizon Wireless wants to add that it, too, is constantly adding more cell sites here. 

The new O.C. locations improve 3G wireless coverage in specific parts of Santa Ana and Tustin: 

  • Santa Ana: McFadden Avenue from Euclid Street to Fairview Road and on Harbor Boulevard from Edinger Avenue to Hazard Avenue
  • Tustin: Downtown Tustin and East Tustin, including the Tustin Civic Center. Also improves service along Irvine Boulevard and Newport Avenue.

Increased 3G coverage means more capacity for calls, e-mails, multimedia messaging and Web access.

Verizon said it invested $600 million in California last year to enhance service and coverage. Comparably, AT&T (the only other company that has released this information) said its total capital investment in its network in California from 2006 to 2008 was “nearly $7.9 billion.”

Hello Sprint? T-Mobile? I have requests in to both companies asking for an O.C. update. Stay tuned…

More on cell-phones: Check out the Gadgetress Guide to local cell phone services. Previous stories on new cell sites in Orange County:

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • • • | 1 Comment »

Turn Nextel phones into prepaid phones or recycle for free

March 25th, 2009, 9:58 am by

Did you know it’s National Cleaning Week? I have no idea when this started (although I found one mention dating back to 2001) or who decides what events get to be “national.” It’s probably some marketing association.

That brings me to the marketing folks at Boost Mobile in Irvine. The mobile service company is taking advantage of the week by offering customers a way to reuse, recycle or share old Boost Mobile phones.

To reuse an old phone or give it away, Boost offers a starter kit for $19.99, which includes a SIM card and $10 credit. Insert the card into any old Boost or Nextel phone and the phone comes back to life. Users will have to pay for more minutes to continue using the phone.

While it’s not an excellent deal since Boost’s prepaid plans don’t have an activation fee anyway (shouldn’t Boost offer this for free during National Cleaning Week?), at least you won’t have to fork over money for a new phone.

But if you just want to ditch the phone, Boost will take it off your hands for free. Just go to this page and print out the postage-paid shipping label. Working phones will be reused by developing markets, while non-working phones will be stripped and parts recycled.

Better yet, this isn’t just for Boost customers but anyone needing to unload old phones.

But speaking of recycling phones, I’ve touched on this topic before. The updated excerpt from my earlier “Guide to recycling e-Waste:”

Cell phones: Send your phone to The Collective Good or you can drop off any brand of phone or accessory at your local AT&T store. More options on the EPA’s eCycling site.
Before you donate: Erase all your cell-phone info with free tools from ReCellular.

More on cell-phones: Check out the Gadgetress Guide to local cell phone services. Latest mobile-news headlines:

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Faster Wi-Fi coming to cell phones, thanks to Broadcom

December 8th, 2008, 5:18 pm by

If your iPhone feels sluggish when it’s in a Wi-Fi hotspot, let’s hope that Apple is considering Broadcom’s latest chip –  a smaller and cheaper piece of silicon that uses “N,” the fastest Wi-Fi technology available.

The Irvine chipmaker has long been supplying Apple and other cell phone makers with chips to make smartphones smarter. This is because Broadcom manages to take several technologies and shrink them into a single chip. Besides the faster Wi-Fi, Broadcom’s latest chip, the BCM4329, includes Bluetooth and an FM radio. By combining these three features into a single chip, it occupies “10 to 33 percent” less space on a phone leaving more room for other stuff, like a bigger battery, keyboard, or camera.

Broadcom says its new chip provides 50 Mbps of “actual wireless throughput.” That’s one fast download! Keep in mind, however, Internet speed is limited to the speed the phone company offers so AT&T’s current 3G Internet service is much slower. However, transferring files between two ‘N’ devices should be much faster. 

As for the FM function, Broadcom added FM transmit so users can transmit music from the phone to a car’s speaker system using an unused FM station. It also has FM receiver, which is FM radio. 

To get a better understanding of what this all means, Chris Bergey, Director of Broadcom’s Embedded WLAN line of business, answered some questions:

Question: Is this the first time Wi-Fi-(n) has been on a mobile chip?

Broadcom: Some of our competitors have announced intentions of doing 802.11n for mobile devices, but none will integrate the amount of analog components as the BCM4329. Broadcom has already shipped millions of combo chips, so we’ve overcome much the learning curve in bringing these solutions to market.

Q: Is this the first time Wi-Fi (n), Bluetooth and FM have been on one chip? Read the rest of this entry »

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Cell phones aren’t cheap, how to save money

November 14th, 2008, 1:35 pm by

If your budget is getting crunched and the future looks dire, have you thought about getting rid of your cell phone? Well, if it isn’t that dire, there are several ways to cut back. 

The Telecommunications Research & Action Center, a nonprofit that has been publishing consumer guides for 25 years, offers five tips to help consumers save on mobile phones. TRAC’s five tips summarized:

1. Switch to pre-paid service. While calls cost more per minute, you only pay for what you use. With some pre-paid phones selling for as little as $15, this is a much more affordable alternative for those who talk less than 200 minutes a month. For texters, Boost Mobile recently launched a pre-paid plan with unlimited texting.

2.  Dump your landline. This is a good option for people who don’t use the landline much anymore and don’t have children at  home.

3. Opt for a more basic-rate plan, which could mean blocking text messages. Something obvious: Make calls at night and on weekends if your plan offers free minutes during those hours.

4. Mind the bells and whistles. You don’t really need customized ring tones, games or other software on the phone — especially if you can’t pay next month’s bills.

5. Don’t let telemarketers “steal” your minutes.  Sign up all of your phone numbers for the Do Not Call list at www.donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you wish to register.

Read TRAC’s full report HERE.

Other ways to save money on any cell phone:

More ways to save money:

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • | 4 Comments »

AT&T’s program eases cost of calls among military families

November 11th, 2008, 3:56 pm by

Not by coincidence, AT&T launched a new program today — Veteran’s Day — to let consumers join its effort to support our troops. 

The company’s Care to Connect program is accepting donations of $1, $5 and $10 for pre-paid phone cards that will be distributed to people in the military. To donate, stop by a local AT&T store. All Orange County stores are participating.

Whatever consumers donate, AT&T will match the amount through Dec. 21 and distribute the cards between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.

The company has been active in its military support. In the past two years, it’s donated $4 million in pre-paid phone cards to the troops. Also, each store accepts old cell phones, which are donated to the non-profit Cell Phones for Soldiers. The organization recycles the phones and uses the proceeds to buy phone cards for the troops. Interested consumers can print out free-shipping labels from att.com/holidayconnect.

More cell-phone news:

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How any consumer can ‘test’ a cell phone

November 6th, 2008, 2:00 pm by

Did you know that you, too, can test a cell phone before committing to a two-year service plan?

Well, actually, you’ve got to commit to a plan and plunk down some money, but all the mobile phone companies also let you cancel after a few weeks if you’re “not completely satisified.”  That means you can play with a phone for a few weeks and then return it, cancel your service contract, and pay relatively nothing. Here’s the rundown on return policies:

Sprint
Test period: 30 days     
Return policy: Full refund of the phone (if returned in good condition with packaging), activation fees. User just pays for any calls, charges based on usage.
Caveat: Existing customers who upgrade a device or service have 30 days to cancel and be restored to their previous contract. Once back to the old contract, the early termination fee could apply if you try to cancel service altogether. Another caveat: If your old contract was part of a limited-time deal, it may not exist anymore.
More:  Sprint’s return policy
Verizon Wireless
Test period: 30 days
Return policy: ”You may terminate service for any reason within 30 days of activation.” 
Caveat: Lots of little things on this one.                 Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

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