Top-Priced Cellphones: Ka-Ching!

Cell phones are becoming status symbols around the world. It's not just about having the latest technology or the coolest brand . . . it's also about the design and elegance of your phone. So I was interested in this week's Fortune, which writes about the $10,000 cellphone made by Vertu (see right).

The upscale phone is hand-crafted with quality materials and bundled with what Fortune calls the "killer app" of concierge service for booking hotels, restaurants, etc. (This app has also been called "a butler in your pocket.")

Vertu began life under the Nokia umbrella but majority ownership was sold in 2012 to a Swedish private equity firm. This allowed Vertu to shift gears to the Android operating system, a plus because of the many apps available to users.

But Vertu isn't the only super-luxe phone being marketed.

At left is an iPhone embellished by British designer Stuart Hughes to showcase a giant black diamond that had been in the customer's family for many years.

Add in the price of the extra diamonds surrounding the case, and the final cost was reportedly about $15 million (not including voice or data usage). 

Other top-of-the-line mobiles are made by Sony-Ericsson, Christian Dior, and Continental Mobiles. Ring-tones are extra, but so what?

Reverse Channels for Old or Unwanted Cell Phones

So many consumers are upgrading their smartphones so often that entrepreneurs are figuring out ways to profit by providing a "reverse channel" for old or unneeded phones. The goal is to keep these devices out of landfills where they don't belong and create a way to collect and refurbish them for resale. Consumers win, entrepreneurs win, and the planet wins.

EcoATM is much in the news lately because its automated self-serve kiosks make it quick and easy for consumers to recycle their old phones with the bonus of making a few bucks--right away. "There's no 30-day wait for a check in the mail," founder Mark Bowles tells Businessweek. In essence, customers let the kiosks test their old phones, receive an instant appraisal, and get immediate cash or store credit for the value set by EcoATM, if they decide to accept the offer. (NOTE: The Economist notes that the EcoATM requires fingerprints and driver's license of sellers to discourage the sale of stolen merchandise.)

The EcoATM looks user-friendly, and its green-and-white theme has a recycling feel. (The animated "how to" on the company's home page features a robot who might be a cousin of Eve, WALL-E's companion, as shown at left--both have a white body and big blue eyes!)

There are numerous ways to recycle your old phone, not just through EcoATM but at online buyback sites, the store where you buy your new phone, and other drop-off points. Check it out next time you upgrade.

Marketing Cell Phone Recycling

Niece Andrea wondered why Apple didn't have a recycling program in place when she upgraded from an older iPhone to a new model last week. The Apple Genius didn't even know how she could recycle her old iPhone elsewhere.

If you Google "cell phone recycling," the top entry is an EPA page with links to plenty of companies that recycle old cell phones, from ATT to Verizon.

Since ATT had the iPhone exclusively for a long time, I'm disappointed that Apple's store staff isn't (apparently) aware that ATT recycles cell phones from the public.

Then I searched for "Apple iPhone recycling" and discovered that Apple has a recycling program for iPods and "mobile phones." Recycle a used iPod at an Apple Store and you get 10% off a new iPod. That's a well kept secret!

Better marketing is needed on this, Apple. Ideally, Apple should be a high-profile leader in partnering to recycle the millions of old iPhones that owners don't want after they upgrade. Apple, you have such great marketing, you could do a lot of good by marketing iPhone recycling.

By the way, Fast Company did a story the other day on e-Cycle, a firm that pays cash for used iPhones and iPads (shipping is free too). I don't know this firm at all, but it seems worth checking out.

Lots of other companies/organizations have phone recycling programs. Google says there are 1.4 million "hits" for the search phrase "cell phone recycling." Just remember to do your homework before you send anything to anybody, and wipe all personal data off before recycling your devices!