Tip Jar: Recycle Your Old Phone

The Duo roll out their own favored mobile communicator, the Digital Duo tip jar, and Angela extracts the "old phones never die" tip. So let's say that after 15 minutes of Duo-esque hectoring, you're ready to buy a new phone. What do you do with the old one? For starters, you might want to get your phone book out of it without having to retype every entry in the new one.

Fortunately, there's software for that. The two big players are DataPilot and FutureDial. They both offer cables that connect your phone to your computer and programs that manage your phone book and even sync it to programs such as Outlook. The problem is that unless your new phone has the same connector as the old one, you'll need two cables, not just one. Still, your time's worth something, and once you have the stuff, you can also back up that phone book to your PC.

If you've got a Macintosh, you may be able to do the same thing--maybe even using Bluetooth, no wires at all--with ISync, a feature built into OS X. Before you do any of this, you should see if you can find a store that will transfer your numbers when you buy the new phone. It won't solve your data-backup problem, but the service is usually both fast and free.

After you've got your new phone up and running, don't just toss your old one in the trash. There are a bunch of ways you can recycle it, donate it, or even get (a little) cash for it. The Duo favor WirelessRecycling.com, which gives you instructions on how to clear your data from your phone before you get rid of it. Also, make sure you deactivate your old phone with the carrier before you recycle it; don't toss it somewhere that somebody can just walk in and grab it, or you'll find yourself responsible for any bills they might "happen" to run up.