Smartphones

A look at iPhone cash and exchange deals

You may have heard there's a new iPhone hitting stores this week. If you're planning on buying one and still have your old iPhone, why not sell it?

There's a good chance you can recoup much of what you originally paid and put it toward the new iPhone 4. Individuals, resellers, and retailers are willing to pay for old iPhones, you just need to know where to look.

The gadget resale market, especially for the iPhone, is hotter than ever right now. Consumer electronics reseller Gazelle.com said last week that 10,000 iPhones were sold to the site in the week following the iPhone 4's introduction on June 7--and that was 10 times the number of old iPhones sold to the site following the iPhone 3GS announcement a year ago.

Your best options for making money off your iPhone include the obvious places like eBay and Craigslist, but if you don't feel like doing the work yourself, gadget resellers will do most of it for you: they'll buy your phone from you and handle the reselling themselves. And this year, iPhone retailer RadioShack is offering an incentive to sell back your old phone.

Though most places will take any model iPhone with normal wear and tear, the later the model of iPhone you're selling, and the better the condition it is in will increase the resale value. And, of course, before you part with your phone, remember to wipe it of all your personal data.

Here are some of your best options:

Gazelle.com Gazelle will buy your old iPhone and pay you depending on the condition. It'll wipe the data for you as part of the service (though you should probably do it yourself just for peace of mind). You just answer a few questions about your phone's condition and which accessories you have, and it'll spit out a price and send you a box for shipping your phone. Last week a 32GB iPhone 3GS in good condition with normal wear and tear was worth $198.

NextWorth.com Like Gazelle, it'll buy your old iPhone provided it's in decent working shape. If it's close to new, with everything in working order, a 32GB iPhone 3GS will fetch as much as $300. For an iPhone 3G in good condition, NextWorth is offering more than $100.

RadioShack The consumer electronics retailer is offering perhaps the most efficient way of reselling your old iPhone and getting a new iPhone 4. For the first time, RadioShack has been included as one of the first retail outlets to get the iPhone on launch day. And it's sweetened the deal for potential customers by adding an extra incentive.

RadioShack will let you turn in your old iPhone for store credit toward the new one. The retailer says it will pay "up to $200" for an iPhone 3GS. Just bring it into the store and an employee will plug the device's specs and condition into their system and pay based on that recommendation. That value can be put toward a new iPhone 4 the same day or kept on a RadioShack gift card for future use.… Read more

Apple's FCC confidentiality? It's not unusual

There's nothing like Apple's iPhone to get the rumor mills churning. Today, for example, the iPhone 4 passed through the FCC's certification database for the second week in a row. In the filing you'll find the standard paperwork about the phone's specific absorption rate, plus a diagram of its rear face. All things considered, it's pretty boring stuff including the attached request for confidentiality.

This morning Patently Apple posted the June 4 request and speculated that perhaps Apple was trying to hide technical details from the public. Indeed, that is what's happening here, … Read more

T-Mobile Android handsets lag behind rivals in OS updates

After seeing the recent report showing the various versions of Android on today's handsets, I began to wonder just which phones are holding the platform back. Are we simply waiting on Motorola to catchup or are there other devices responsible for the "legacy" pie chart looking this way?

As of today, every Sprint and Verizon handset comes with Android 2.1, while other carriers play catch up. AT&T's current handset, the Backflip, should see Android 2.1 at some point in the third quarter of the year, though its two recently announced phones, the Aria and Captivate, will run Android 2.1 when they arrive.

But what about T-Mobile? Though the carrier was the first to carry Android smartphones in the United States, its handsets are looking outdated and underpowered. In fact, T-Mobile is responsible for all but one Android handset not running 2.0 or higher. We've already told you about the expected updates to the Cliq and Cliq XT, but the Moto phones aren't T-Mobile's only Android phones.

Two T-Mobile models, the original G1 and Samsung Behold II are dying a slow death as neither phone will see an update beyond Android 1.6 Donut. I can't say I am surprised by the G1, as it felt like a beta phone from the day it was released. Unfortunately, the device was not built to handle the rapid growth of the platform. Indeed, today's Android handsets not only have more-advanced hardware, but they simply look more appealing on the shelf.

The Behold II, however, is another story. The G1 got 1.6, but Samsung's phone is still sitting on last summer's 1.5 version of the platform even though it went on sale in November 2009, a full year after the G1's debut. Even worse, Samsung issued a statement a few weeks ago saying that the Behold II was "not upgradable beyond Android 1.6." With this being one of Samsung's first Android phones, I think it fell victim to the same problem that plagued HTC and the G1. These are exactly the types of issues that should slow over time as Android continues to grow. … Read more

Lowest-radiation cell phones

This week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to require cell phone stores in the city to post the specific absorption rate (SAR) of each handset sold. Though manufacturers and carriers typically list a phone's SAR in its user manual, San Francisco is one of the first places to require them to do so.

Though there's no scientific consensus that cell phone radiation is harmful--even from the long-awaited Interphone study--we encourage consumers to be informed about the issue and know the SAR for their handsets. That's why I've updated our gallery of the 20 phones sold in the United States with the lowest SAR. … Read more

Samsung Galaxy models sparkle through FCC

With all the Samsung Galaxy news this week it's no surprise that Galaxy models are beginning to sneak through the Federal Communications Commission's certification process. In the last few days we've spotted the Galaxy 3, the Galaxy Beam, and what should be an upcoming Galaxy model for T-Mobile.

Because the FCC has to certify every phone sold in the United States, not to mention test its SAR rating, the agency's online database offers a lot of sneak peeks to those who dig. And to save you the trouble, Crave has combed through the database for you. … Read more

Apple releases Find My iPhone app

Apple has released a new app to help users track lost iPhones on the go. The Find My iPhone app does what the Web application version, found on me.com, did previously, but allows users to log in from another iPhone or iPad to aid in the search on the go.

True to Apple form, the interface is simple, elegant, and easy to use. Users need only log in to the application using their MobileMe user name and password to begin the search for their lost iPhone or iPad. Each device connected to the user's account will show up … Read more

RadioShack offers trade-in credit for old iPhones

This week in particular, RadioShack has shown that it is no longer just a place to pick up cables for your new HDTV. Not only did the electronics chain announce that it will sell the iPhone 4 when the handset is released next Thursday, June 24, but also it said over Twitter this week that customers can trade in a used iPhone 3G or 3GS for store credit.

RadioShack will pay up to $200 in store credit for an iPhone 3GS and up to $100 for an iPhone 3G. Note that your trade-in value will depend on your handset's … Read more

Best Buy to offer HTC EVO 4G in white

Starting July 11, Best Buy stores around the country will offer a white variant of the HTC Evo 4G. Engadget got an anonymous tip about the promotion earlier today, and we have on good authority that it's a go.

Best Buy will be the exclusive provider of the handset until August 8, at which point Sprint locations will begin selling it as well. September will see other retailers, like Radio Shack, picking up the white model. Customers anxious to get their hands on one can preorder the phone from Best Buy for $199.99 after a two-year service agreement. … Read more

Freebie: Vlingo voice launcher for myTouch 3G Slide

If you've got an Android-powered T-Mobile MyTouch 3G Slide, voice company Vlingo wants to do you a favor--by giving you its $9.99 app for free.

Speak the words and Vlingo's voice launcher for Android will open apps on your phone, update your Twitter and Facebook status, dial contacts, and send e-mails and texts as you dictate them. You can also tell it to search the Web and Google Maps. Its SafeReader feature can relay incoming e-mails and texts so drivers can keep their eyes on the wheel.

So, what prompted Vlingo's sudden generosity, and why is … Read more

Motorola updates chart for Android upgrades

Motorola recently updated its owner's forum to let customers know when to expect Android 2.1 for their handsets. Aside from the Droid rollout back in March, not much has changed here in the United States since that last time we checked the forum.

That list, however, has grown considerably longer with the addition of new Moto models. As the Backflip, Dext, and Quench hit carriers across the globe, Motorola is beginning to evaluate when an upgrade would be feasible.

I spent a few minutes talking with the MotoDev team at Google I/O and pressed them on the … Read more