A new study makes it clear that cell phone and internet use is much more common among younger age groups in the U.S. than among the older population. This in and of itself may not come as much of a surprise, but some of its implications may raise a few eyebrows. Americans have long been accustomed to thinking of television as the number one tech device with which we entertain ourselves. While that remains true for older Americans, those who are 29 years old or younger report that the biggest tech-based consumer of their time is the internet, followed very closely by cell phones.

In contrast, people in the under-29 age group were quite reluctant to admit to spending too much time using email. This likely reveals an underlying attitude: email is regarded purely as a tool, and therefore used as needed to accomplish worthy goals. Cell phones and the internet as a whole, however, are perceived much more broadly as gateways to entertainment opportunities, much as the television is for older Americans.

The study, conducted by Gallup tracking poll, illustrates most keenly the reliance that younger Americans are placing on these newer forms of technology. A simple survey of schools will also bear this out. The average high school student owns a cell phone, according to anecdotal data, and American parents can verify that even students in elementary schools are clamoring for them as well, claiming that “all their friends” already have one.

One thing that can be quite annoying about having a cell phone is the possibility of losing it. In the good old days of landlines only, the chance of losing your phone was virtually zero since it was hardwired to the wall of your home. With cell phones came a world of convenience and the ability to make a phone call from almost anywhere.

This has transformed American life in profound ways that only became all the more profound when smart phones came on the scene, delivering internet access on the go as well as the ability to make voice calls. Unfortunately, however, the advent of the portable phone also meant the beginning of the ‘lost phone’ era that we are living in today.

The US federal government has finally begun to recognize this serious issue. The FCC, Federal Communications Commission, has begun to reach out to some of the most popular cell phone operators in the nation to establish a national ‘lost phone’ database. Wireless carriers slated to be involved include Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T. Once the database is in place, cell phone users who tell their provider about a lost phone can rest assured that the phone will not only be disabled, but also will be listed as lost across the entire nation. The idea for the national database came from a similar effort already working in the U.K.

Losing a phone is a real shame, not only because of the inconvenience. It also means that you will not be able to take advantage of cell phone recycling for cash later when you tire of the unit.

‘Green Week’ is an event being co-sponsored by the National Basketball Association and cell phone operator Sprint. Ongoing now, Green Week will last through April 11 and will involve efforts on the part of the Natural Resources Defense Council to promote consumer awareness of the importance of environmental protection.

In keeping with that goal, Green Week was launched by Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint, and David Stern, commissioner of the NBA, at an event that centered on cell phone recycling. By recycling their old and unwanted cell phones, consumers can help the environment in several ways. Cell phones discarded in landfills end up decomposing and releasing toxins into the land; over time these toxins can leach into underground water supplies. Moreover, cell phones that are recycled allow precious materials to be reclaimed so that new supplies will not have to be mined out of the earth to replace them. In both these ways, recycling cell phones is a definite good, and one that can even make the consumer a little bit of money since many cell phone recycling companies pay cash for used phones.

“We’re excited to highlight the importance of environmental responsibility through our presenting partnership of NBA Green Week,” announced Ralph Reid, who serves Sprint as vice president of corporate social responsibility. “Our collaboration provides a great opportunity to reach out to fans and customers about the environmental and financial benefits of recycling wireless devices.”

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, dozens of different law enforcement entities have been using cell phone technology to track Americans without their permission, and most often, without first securing a warrant.

Catherine Crump, a staff attorney for the ACLU, recently explained the research findings of the organization, which is devoted to protecting the civil rights of American citizens: “The most disturbing finding of our study is that law enforcement agents frequently track the locations of cell phones without getting a warrant based on probable cause. Where someone goes can reveal a great deal of information about them, from who all of their friends are to what medical professionals they visit to what civic or political organizations they join.”

Privacy experts were outraged last Christmas when it seemed that malls and other large shopping centers would be using cell phone tracking data to build up a picture of consumer preferences in the physical layout of the facility. This situation, however, is ever so much worse. The ACLU asked for information from nearly 400 different law enforcement agencies. Only about 200 provided any information, but among those, the findings were remarkable. Only 10 agencies claimed not to track individuals by means of their cell phones.

Law enforcement representatives insist that the practice is largely benign and is only used as needed to follow up on and solve missing persons cases, or in situations where the welfare of the missing person was in doubt. Citizens concerned about privacy, however, wonder about the absolute truthfulness of such claims.

A new cell phone detector has been released on the market in a bid to prevent the unsecure and sometimes illegal use of new and old cell phones in boardrooms, classrooms and courtrooms.

Berkeley Varitronics Systems Inc (BVS) is a leading provider of security products and advanced wireless test solutions to the wireless telecommunications industry, both domestically and internationally, and it has released PocketHound, an extremely sensitive cell phone detector that is able to scan for any text, voice and data transmissions.   It can apply its one of a kind auto-thresholding technology by making comparisons cellular measurements against the RF noise floor of a particular environment.  The device is able to detect all RF cellular activity in a 75-foot radius, which makes it perfect for indoor use in areas where the use of cell phones is prohibited and illegal.

The simple alerts and single buttons operation make PocketHound very easy to use by anyone, with its weight and size making it even smaller than a deck of playing cards.  It can run continuously for up to two hours without recharging or direct operation, meaning that it can be operated covertly to both detect and identify the origin of the prohibited cell phone activity.

“With the widespread use of smart-phones, we’re seeing a growing market in need of policing cell phone use especially in universities and test-taking situations, corporate boardrooms and offices as well as government secure facilities and courtrooms,” says the president and chief executive officer of BVS, Scott Schober.

India’s output of electronic waste has shot up eight times over the course of the last seven years, with the illegal yet still open incineration of such waste having the potential to cause serious hazards to public health, according to a new government report.

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest’s latest annual report states that by the end of this year India will have created as much as eight lakh tons of electronic waste, up eight times in the last seven years.  Environmentalists have also drawn attention to the fact that an extra 50,000 tons of electronic waste is imported from the developed world even with a supposed ban. “The burning of metals can give rise to dioxins and furans during incineration,” the report states.  “Arsenic and asbestos may act as a catalyst to increase the formation of dioxins, which is carcinogenic in nature.”

Electronic waste includes standard household electronic appliances as well as the likes of toys, IT and telecom equipment, automatic dispensers, medical devices, monitoring and control instruments and old cell phones.  Top of the list of the cities that generate the most electronic waste is Mumbai, followed closely by Delhi and Bangalore, among others.  “E-waste contains minerals that are both toxic and valuable to the industry,” the report continues.  “Heavy metals are harmful to the environment and pose grave health hazards.”

Last year new rules were introduced in India to make manufacturers responsible for the collecting and recycling of electronic products that are at the end of their life.

This may come as a profound shock to many Americans, but cell phones actually contain precious metals copper, silver, and even gold. These materials are present in cell phones in miniscule quantities. However, when the tiny quantities of metals are multiplied by the number of cell phones in use, it turns out that there is indeed a very great deal of precious metal in the cell phone environment.

In fact, the total amount of precious metals contained in 100 million cell phones adds up to more than 3,000 pounds of gold and more than 65,000 pounds of silver. Copper is even more abundant; the same number of phones would yield in excess of 2,000,000 pounds of it.

These figures have huge implications for the issue of old cell phone recycling. When phones are discarded in landfills, or simply stashed in drawers in case they may be of some use again someday, the precious metals cannot be recaptured. That means that cell phone manufacturers must buy their materials on the world markets. This in turn spurs mining companies to redouble their efforts to obtain precious metals. The ultimate result? Environmental devastation in many parts of the world.

This result could be avoided if more people would shift to recycling their old phones. Throwing it away is irrational, since it creates no benefit for anyone, but keeping it is almost as silly. Old phones really do not become useful again. Technology moves so quickly that they are obsolete within just a couple of years, and then, they end up thrown away regardless. A better plan is to recycle a phone as soon as you know you have a new one.

When Americans think of cell phone driving bans, most of the time they are probably contemplating the patchwork of state laws that have cropped up.  What is illegal in one state may be perfectly permissible in another.  Now, however, that patchwork has gotten a little bit more complex.  This week, the town of Chapel Hill in North Carolina has voted to enact a ban on cell phone use behind the wheel.  The law had been under consideration for two years prior to its passage.

When individual towns begin to enact these types of laws, motorists may be put in an untenable situation.  After all, not everyone who drives in a town like Chapel Hill will be from the local area.  Residents from other states may be passing through; in their own areas, it may be perfectly acceptable to talk on a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle.  When an entire state passes a cell phone ban, it may be reasonable to expect that visitors to the state will be up to date on the laws.

The same thing may not be reasonable when an individual town has enacted a ban.  After all, should visitors to North Carolina be expected to research each city and town they may pass through as they travel across the state? Even worse is the fact that people on vacation do not always plan their route.

The only thing that is certain in this situation is that driving and cell phone use in the United States will become a more complex issue if it is regulated on the local, rather than the state or national, level.  Some would view local control as a good thing, the essence of American politics, in fact.  Others, however, can definitely see some drawbacks.

Recycling cell phones is no doubt the right thing to do for ecological and environmental reasons, but a growing movement also means that it can be a way to help worthy causes as well. One of the latest entrants into the “recycling for a good cause” movement is the College of Sciences located at San Diego State University.

The Associated Students organization at the College of Sciences is launching an effort to raise money for developing nations. The fundraising will go toward a variety of goods and services that will assist people in such nations with their medical needs. Some of the money will go to purchase medical devices while other funds will be routed into care for pregnant women and fighting infectious diseases.

Student Erik Christensen, who is majoring in journalism and media studies, remarked on the effort: “Donating a phone that you don’t use anymore is very easy, and if enough students get involved with the drive, a lot of aid can be prepared to help out struggling countries.” Fellow student Alana Brooks concurred: “We want to help our environment here and our communities, and also help people abroad medically who don’t have the technology. We are using our lesser technology to formulate into money to increase their technology.”

The students are open to direct monetary donations as well, but felt that a used cell recycle program might be more effective since many students might have an old phone on hand, but not any ready cash.

Most cell phone users have at some time or other found themselves inexplicably without a signal. In many cases, this may simply be due to issues being experienced by the telecommunications provider. Too many people using the network at once can cause problems, as can a host of other technical issues.

Surprisingly, however, in at least some of the cases of missing signals, the problem might be located a great deal closer to the cell phone user. The real issue might be a cell phone jamming device located nearby. An increasing number of people are beginning to use these jammers in order to establish a zone of silence around them as they move through public spaces. The devices are particularly common on public transport such as trains and buses.

They are not, however, legal to operate. The Federal Communications Commission has issued a new Enforcement Advisory to warn consumers away from the practice of using a cell phone jammer. The penalties for such use are quite harsh and include fines in excess of $110,000 as well as time in jail. GPS jammers are likewise illegal.

A man’s home – no longer his castle

Information being released by the FCC makes it clear that jamming devices cannot be used legally even inside an individual’s own home. At first glance, this regulation would seem like overkill. Should parents not, for example, have the right to jam signals at home so that their teenager is not staying up all night to text message with his girlfriend?

The reason behind the ban is that the range of cell phone jammers can be more widespread than people think. Jamming your son’s bedroom may also jam the house next door. A better solution in the house is to remove the cell phone physically from a child’s possession at night if he or she has been misusing it.