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Repurposing Old Usable Cell Phones?

Posted by Cliff on from the destined-for-a-landfill-somewhere dept.

zentogo wonders: "As I stroll through the local recycle shops in my little Japanese City, I see boxes of used KEITAI-- Japanese Cell Phones. Most of them only a two or three years old, with more technology and features than any affordable phone in the USA, and they actually work! See, Japanese people cycle to new technology, especially phones, very quickly, and it is almost impossible for them not to. Take my own personal example: after one year with the telecom KDDI, I was given a free phone. It had more features than my previous one, and was much lighter, so when I was offered the deal I changed on the spot! So I wonder, what can be done with all these old phones? Can they be recycled for parts or even software? Can they be adapted to another type of technology? It would seem to be a big waste of decent hardware if something interesting couldn't be done with them."

3 of 87 comments (clear)

  1. Send them to the USA! by Shazow · · Score: 2, Funny
    Most of them only a two or three years old, with more technology and features than any affordable phone in the USA. ...
    what can be done with all these old phones?
    ... And we wonder why it takes 2-3 years before technology gets from Japan to North America. :P

    - shazow
  2. "Alternative" uses... by Saeed+al-Sahaf · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's my understanding that old cell phones are in high demand in places like Iraq, for, um, "alternative" uses. I suppose you don't *have* to use them to detonate bombs, the remote control aspect is intriguing to me.

    --
    "Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
  3. Could everyone just give him a real answer? by JVert · · Score: 5, Funny

    Listen up kid,

    http://www.beowulf.org/