Thousands of new cell phones are constantly hitting the market every day. In fact, over a hundred million cell phones are discarded each year as they are being replaced by newer models. Electronic waste is becoming a growing concern, and it’s now estimated that only 1% of discarded cell phones are recycled or reused. Most retired cell phones stay buried in the homes of their owners or get tossed in landfills. You may have heard about recycling your phone, but what are the benefits? Well, cell phones and other electronic devices like PDAs contain hazardous substances like arsenic, cadmium and lead.  These substances can pollute the air when burned in incinerators and even get into soil and drinking water when buried in landfills. Aside from helping the environment, many groups that accept cell phones for recycling or refurbishment will pay money for the phones or will donate to a charity. Best of all, the groups claim to recycle ... Keep reading...

Interested in free phone minutes, prizes, and money just for watching 30 seconds of content on your cell phone?  Kids are.  Recent research shows that kids are receptive to these phone ads when the ads are about their personal interests.  Interest climbs even higher when they can receive ads for phone credit, such as free minutes. Some adults fare slightly differently, however, they worry that mobile advertisers will know and be able to access their cell phone number.  Still, guidelines are being developed regarding how often an advertiser may contact someone during a certain time period, and advertising platforms are ready to offer incentives to consumers willing to watch the ads.  Many organizations are ready to advertise via mobile phones.  Companies that are interested in advertising on mobile phones can work with the following companies. JumpTap Uses a Mobile Search Platform that combines a user interface, mobile-specific search engine, and an advertising suite ... Keep reading...

Forget LG, Samsung, and Motorola. Other big name companies are coming out with their own cell phones and are ready to give the standard brands a run for their money. So maybe the Google cell phone rumor has been put to rest, but there are other technology companies ready to launch some really cool phones themselves. Probably the most famous upcoming cell phone is the one by Apple, a company most famous for its Mac and iPod. Apple iPhone is set to launch in June. Apple’s iPhone is a phone, Internet and iPod combination. Apple has partnered with AT&T for the phone. The 4 GB phone is priced at $499 with a 2-year contract, and the 8 GB phone is set to cost $100 more. Apple is reported to make a gross profit margin of about 50% for each phone, so room does exist for Apple to lower its prices on the phone. HP, known for its printers ... Keep reading...

Your Wireless Source, a cell phone accessories site, is excited to introduce a clever cell phone makeover game. Makeover for Dusty is a website where you can spiff up a 1985 Motorola cell phone named Dusty.  You can choose his hair, face, clothing, accessories, and locations while he gets sassy with you at each choice.  Along with his new look, give your Dusty a new name and show him off via the photo gallery.  Best of all, you can even email your creation to friends with an easy, customizable voice message. Think you’ve got what it takes to turn a Motorola brick phone into the envy of all the Razrs out there? Give it a try! You can even visit the gallery and rate your competition. During the makeover, stylists will see a promotion code for 10% off any wireless accessory ... Keep reading...

Cell phones aren’t just for adults anymore. Cell phones that exist for kids are simple, sturdy and look like toys. They look like regular cell phones but have features that appeal to kids. Most important though, these phones have features that appeal to parents.   Phones with Parent Appeal Parents everywhere have reasons to buy cell phones for their kids. Maybe your youngster has been begging you for a phone after seeing that all their friends have them. They might even make the case that they need one to stay in touch with you or contact you in an emergency. Parents imagine a big mess: huge phone bills and strange numbers on the phone. Yet, many parents are finding ways to get around steep phone bills and unnecessary conversations.  Some companies make phones specifically designed for kids with features parents will love. Here are four popular types of cell phones for kids today with built-in features parents appreciate. Disney Mobile Allows parents to ... Keep reading...

Some of the hottest features on cell phones include the ability to watch video, take pictures, play music, and access the Internet. People pay money to decorate their phones and purchase ring tones. Yet, features already pre-installed on phones exist that many people don’t even know are there. Cell phones have organizer applications that differ depending on the model, but most phones have an alarm clock, calculator, and address book. Here are some practical features on the majority of cell phones that are often over-shadowed by flashier multimedia features: Address Book Allows users to store contact information for people they call regularly or want to stay in touch with.   Includes a maximum number of contacts a user may enter.  Numbers per each contact can include a home number, cell number, work number, and fax number. This increases the efficiency of the search feature so each name doesn’t need to have several entries for different numbers. If you ... Keep reading...

It used to be that if you wanted to call someone, you would just grab the phone book and—but wait, they have a cell phone. A number that you don’t have, now what? Do a search on the Internet.  Any Who, Switchboard, White Pages, and Yahoo Directory are some sites that make finding a landline phone or address on the Internet easy. Unfortunately, cell phone numbers aren't in these directories, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be found. Paid Searches People searches on the Internet abound.  You can type in someone’s last name and state where they live to find out their phone number and address.  There's also the option to pay for their personal background report.  PhoneSearches is one such site where searchers must pay to find phone numbers. If you have the name and address of someone, but wish to get their cell number, you can pay $125 to PhoneSearches, and ... Keep reading...

People leave information in different places.  This can be frustrating when you think someone’s contact information is programmed in your cell phone, but it’s really saved to your computer. Wouldn’t it be nice to have one place where you know you can access the information? Consider getting data products: cables and software that connect your cell phone to your computer to exchange information. Data cables enable the user to connect a wireless phone to a modem, allowing access to the Internet, fax, or email. The cable can be connected to a desktop, laptop, or PDA. It’s as simple as installing the software and making the connection. This data service depends on a network and subscription option that may or may not be available in all areas, so it’s important to check with your cellular service provider first. Here are some of the benefits of using data products: Transfer pictures and music between phone and computer. Use ... Keep reading...

What business traveler wouldn’t be interested in a mobile phone that has a full QWERTY(i) keyboard and trackball for Internet and email access, built-in location system to help you to not get lost, and space to put a memory card to save images, video, and data? For any business travelers who don’t already have one or have an older BlackBerry they would like to update, the BlackBerry(R) 8800 is here. Research in Motion, an Ontario-based mobile communications wireless product designer and manufacturer, has developed their thinnest Blackberry to date. Powered by a thin, high-capacity battery, the BlackBerry 8800 has been offered in the United States since February 21st by AT&T.  With a 2 year contract commitment and $50 rebate, the final price $300. RIM also said it plans to offer the phone through overseas carriers ... Keep reading...

Your cell phone is not just for communicating anymore. It’s quickly becoming a complete solution for uploading, downloading, and storing images, music and data. Your files, MP3s and pictures are important to you. Sometimes, you’ll need to access them when you least expect it.  And think about it…where have we always kept them? On our big, clunky desktop computer's hard drive, but that’s so 2002. How does your cell phone do all this? With a memory card. Sales of these little juggernauts are exploding – a 160% increase from 2004 - 2005. Plus, with every passing day, they are getting bigger (in terms of memory), easier to use and less expensive. The average capacity of memory cards sold for use in cell phones was 112MB (holds 24 songs) in 2005. By 2010, they will be closer to 1.6GB (300 songs). For those who don’t mind spending a little more, you can get a 2GB memory ... Keep reading...