With the holidays looming, there’s a good chance many of you will get gadgets.
Maybe an iPad, which I’ve heard is high on the list of adults and children alike. Or maybe a sexy new smartphone. Or netbook, laptop, gaming console, etc.
We love to give and receive gadgets. But what to do with the sad, old gadgets being replaced?
Many cities have budding non-profits that accept, refurbish and resell tech donations, e.g. here in Portland, we have Free Geek (@FreeGeekPDX). These charities are a win in several ways.
All the old, unwanted gadgets in your basement/attic can finally, well, get out, because you know better than to send them to the landfill, but you can’t find a suitable new home. Plus, they’ll get a new lease on life as someone else’s gadget du jour.
These charities also will usually take all manner of cords and accessories, which is immensely helpful for the thrifty geek.
It’s difficult to stomach $50 for a car charger or $20 for an HDMI cable or $40 for an iPhone/iPad/iPod dock connector after shelling out several hundred for the accompanying gadget, at least for me anyway, especially if I’ve damaged or lost said cable.
And have you noticed that many USB devices no longer include a USB cable?
Anyway, for many reasons, it’s well worth the short search to find a place like Free Geek in your city. Plus, you meet some interesting characters volunteering and shopping at stores like these.
I should also note that large charities like Goodwill also take electronics donations.
Dude, what are these “old, unwanted gadgets”? I still use my 3Com PalmPilot.
As for cables – they drive me crazy. Do Apple have some kind of cable fetish? You want to transfer songs from iTunes to iPhone and you need a cable? Give me Zune on that one…
Thanks for the post! I’d like to add another very important reason to give to freegeek. Giving unwanted electronics to FreeGeek keeps them out of (or at least delays their trip to) a landfill. Also electronics at FreeGeek have a better chance of having their toxic components dealt with specifically.
Ah, but it’s not a US Robotics one, so close to epic. OK, I suppose 3Com is still pretty epic. You don’t really use it. Be honest.
Apple does have a cable fetish, i.e. separate revenue machine for unique cables, maddening. For over-the-air sync of media, try the latest doubleTwist for Android.
http://lifehacker.com/5702736/doubletwist-adds-the-slickest-wireless-sync-solution-weve-seen-for-android
Or just wait a bit for Google Music 🙂
Of course, Free Geek is teh awesome. I did mention the landfill reason, FYI. Everyone should know better by now, but it always helps to remind them.
Someone should start a wiki listing Free Geek type charities in major cities around the world . . .
I missed the landfill part, but I see it now!
Speaking of keeping stuff out of landfills, for those that may not know, there are battery recyclers in town to keep all those alkaline batteries out of landfills. Metro’s find-a-recycler website:
http://www.metro-region.org/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=1383
My mom uses the USR one. And a Newton.
Awesome. Metro recycles paint too, then there’s the Rebuilding Center . . . love that place 😉
Wow, museum pieces. Prolly worth more to collectors.
http://www.gazelle.com... get some money for your old gadgets if they’re worth anything or if not they’ll recycle it for you.
Nice, there’s another major one out there like Gazelle. What I like most about Free Geek is the recycling, i.e. people can get good, cheap computers, peripherals, cables, parts, etc.