Happy New Year!

I’m a big believer in NOT upgrading your computer hardware, cell phone, etc. every year. Such a practice is bad for the environment (creating a ridiculous amount of e-waste), the upgrade is not always an improvement over previous tech, and not everyone can afford the latest and greatest technology. 

My latest web page representing this philosophy:

Using a Cell Phone or Feature Phone as a Smart Phone

Though it may be hard for those of you have smart phones to believe, not everyone has a smart phone. Millions of people simply cannot afford a smart phone. Some of them use a simple cell phone, with very limited capabilities: the ability to make and receive phone calls and text messages. Some people have something that’s more than a cell phone but less than a smart phone: they have a feature phone, which has some web browsing capabilities.

Can you use a simple cell phone or a feature phone as a smart phone? Yes! There are several free online tools that can help you use whatever phone you have interact with various Internet tools, and I’ve tried to outline them on this page. Additional suggestions are always welcomed (as are first-hand accounts by cell phone and feature phone users).

I hope to update my page on Resources For Users of Older Computers in 2012 as well. This has, at times, been one of the most popular pages on my web site, along with my page on using an iBook still running OS9 (yup – you can still use such).

On a bit of a related note, I also spent the holidays researching and creating a page for people that travel, regarding Using the Internet to Share Your Adventure During Your Adventure. It has advice on blogging, photo-sharing, tweeting, etc. while you are traveling. It’s part of a growing section of my web site on advice for women travelers.

Also see: Electronic Waste is EVERYONE’S Responsibility
When computers, stereos, VCRs, iPods, walkmans, video games, software, and cell phones are put into land fills, they leak poisons and heavy metals into the ground, endangering our lives and the health of our planet. With 48.5 million computers discarded each year, the USA is a particularly poor recycler and global citizen, exporting its hazardous electronic waste to developing countries, often illegally, and with horrific impacts on human health and the environment in these countries. This page will help your organization dispose of its electronic waste in an environmentally-friendly manner.