Nokia C6-01 hands-on redux: if this is recycled metal, count us in
When we saw the C6-01 in the flesh for the first time earlier today , we'd thought the matte black rear end was cheap plastic -- this is the budget phone of today's introductions, after all -- but on a follow-up visit this afternoon with an untethered silver example, it turns out that the back is actually part of the phone's recycled metal shell (we found out when our ring clanked against it). In fact, when we were able to handle the phone without a massive security mechanism glued to the back, we were really impressed with how the phone feels; subsidized price is going to be key, of course, but if they can keep it pegged to the budget range they seem to be targeting, it'll be pretty remarkable considering the high-tech AMOLED display and the general lack of plastic. It's really small compared to its bigger siblings (check the gallery for some good comparison shots) but still feels weighty -- "high quality" weighty, not "this is going to be annoying to carry" weighty -- and that always works wonders for the perception of a mobile device's quality
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: afternoon, device, mechanism, mechanism-glued, Metal, nokiaworld, nokiaworld2010, perception, question, range, recycled, the-perception
Sprint offering instant credits for phone trade-ins
Saying that it hopes to boost the practice of phone recycling (with customer conquests a welcome side effect, we're sure), Sprint is now expanding its Buyback Program to cover over 900 devices with an instant credit when you trade them in to any of over 1,000 participating corporate-owned retail locations. Naturally, Sprint isn't about to hand you a wad of cash for these things, but the credits -- ranging from $5 to over $300 depending on the model, apparently -- help cut the bottom line on your account balance, and you can take advantage of the service up to three times per active line every 12 months. Unfortunately, it might not be that great of a deal: in the press release, they specifically call out the Bold 9700 as having a $161.05 -- and considering you can flip a used, locked Bold 9700 on eBay for well over $300, this looks more like a new revenue stream for Sprint than anything else.
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: account, balance, credits, effect, mobile, months, phone-trade-ins, practice, recycled, result, revenue, tradein
Vodafone turns recycled phones into geek chic
Perhaps giving up on extracting every last juicy nugget of copper, tin, and awesomeness out of customers' trashed phones after they've been turned in for recycling, Vodafone is turning to a decidedly more low-tech solution: jewelry. As of next month, it looks like some Voda locales will be getting baubles fashioned from old handsets' green innards -- not to say we've ever necessarily wanted a Terminator-esque owl hanging from our keychain, but at just 120 koruny each ($6), we might be convinced to buy anyhow
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: circuitboardjewelry, engadget-mobile, getting-baubles, green-innards, keychain, recycle, recycled, recycled phones, recycledphones, trashed-phones, turns-recycled, vodafone