Compared with the bulky, land-line phones our parents were used to, we are lucky to have the small, portable, ultra-productive and convenient cell phones that we use today. However, this shift creates a concern for any environmentally-conscious consumer. As technology improves, the life of a telephone has decreased. According to The Environmental Literacy Council, we replace our phones on average every year and a half, which creates a great deal of waste. The ELC also estimates that “forty percent of the lead in [the municipal waste] stream” can be attributed to consumer electronics. This holds obvious dangers to our health and to our environment. The big question here - how do we stay up-to-date with our technology and simultaneously keep a clean social conscience?

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Okay, so maybe reducing won’t be the most appealing option here, as many will be resistant to the idea of less frequently updating their cell. If you’re up to the task, however, and you can handle replacing only every two to three years, you can greatly reduce your impact - that’s half as many cell phones as the average user consumes.Cell Phone Recycling is available in most areas, and is a great, multi-faceted service. Cell phone recycling systems provides cell service to abused adults and children as an emergency-only line and to people awaiting organ transplants as a means of notification of a life saving donation. The reuse doesn’t stop here - cell phone recycling also provides cell phones to people in areas of the world where landlines are unavailable, or are too expensive to be practical.For phones that cannot be refurbished, cell phone recycling centers also use environmentally safe ways to recycle and dispose of these devices.

Buy Green

Apple recently received a solar power patent - could this mean sun-powered Apple products are on the way? Let’s hope so! Solar-powered electronics are a wonderful way to reduce your energy usage, and techies and tree-huggers alike would be satisfied by a green iPhone. While this might stay a fantasy for a while (many claim the design of the iPhone makes it unlikely candidate for solar-powered technology to be practical) other cell phone manufacturers already have environmentally-friendly products on the market. Chinese electronics manufacturer HTW have released their “Light-Energy Mobile Phone” that allows twenty-five minutes of talk time from just forty minutes of solar charging. LG has released the Cyon, which is made of materials not including lead or mercury, in accordance with Europe’s hazardous-waste-eliminating initiative, RoHS. Motorola appears to be joining the party, as well, with a recently passed patent for a screen that doubles as a solar panel. I suspect environmentally-responsible technology will be the next big trend, which means we should see more and more green options, resulting in competitive mainstream-market-level productivity.
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Gammoth is now offering a new service: cell-phone repair. With our own in-house technician, TJ, we now have the capacity to repair, maintain, and service any phone, with nearly any damage, nationwide. 

A Broad Range of Service

• Repair
  From a phone that has been dropped into water to one that has been run over by a car, there are some catastrophes that you know are going to ruin your phone instantly. Our technician, however, might make the tragedy associated with one of these events a thing of the past. For varying costs, depending on equipment and labor, we can fix your phone in our office, from anywhere in the nation.
• Maintenance
  Keeping your phone in top shape is vital. Whether you have an Apple iPhone or are a Blackberry kind-of-guy, you’ve made an investment in your phone and need it to work for you when and where you want it to. With our maintenace service, you can drop in (or mail in) your cell phone and have it detailed, to ensure your device is clean and functioning inside and out.
• GSM Phone Unlocking
  Going abroad requires a great deal of organization and planning, including making sure you find a cell phone that will work overseas. Now, Gammoth can unlock your cell-phone for a small fee (usually around $25 to 60, depending on your phone) so you can take it internationally and hook up with any carrier.

Oh, the money you’ll save!

• With the phone-injuries I mentioned earlier, any cell phone store is going to tell you your phone is totalled. And while sometimes it may be worth it to just buy a new phone, this is not always the case. For example, a water-damaged Motorola RAZR will be deemed destroyed by your cell phone carrier (trust me, I’ve been in this situation) and to replace the RAZR, you’ll be charged $260. However, the repair for this damage, which is possible, I’ll point out, will run you around $80 here at Gammoth. If you can’t drop your phone off, you can have it shipped here, which will add on a bit more money, but not an extra $180. 

 I’m sure many of you have broken cell phones. Knowing that the frustration and cost of getting a brand new phone can be alleviated - that you have other options - is exciting news. If you are interested in hearing more about our service, or need some help with your own accident-ridden cell phone, feel free to contact us at (866)540-5902 or tj@gammoth.com.