Gazelle on Monday relaunched its Web service that finds a home for unwanted electronic toys.
Originally called Second Rotation, the year-old site has been redesigned to make it quicker to sell electronics in more categories. It also adds a feature that lets people recycle goods that have no resell value.
So if you have an iPhone that you no longer want, you type in the product name and input information on its condition to find out what it's worth. Gazelle will send you a shipping slip and/or a box. Once received, Gazelle wipes the data clean and sells it online. You get paid by check or PayPal.
Gazelle's software generates a price by analyzing buying and selling prices from online sources like eBay and Amazon. The company says that many consumers prefer to sell through a specialized resell service like Gazelle rather than sell directly on eBay.
Gazelle, formerly called Second Rotation, gives people a price and shipping slip to sell electronics goods online.
The relaunched service adds an enhanced search engine and broader catalog that includes laptops, satellite radios, and portable hard drives in addition to cellular phones, digital cameras, and digital music players.
It's also added social networking features like a customer-referral program and the ability to get prices for items not already listed in its catalog.
"We're trying to make it as easy as Netflix," said President and Chief Operating Officer Israel Ganot.
The company raised $4.4 million in January and expects to raise another round of funding in the next 12 to 18 months, he said.
First step to recycling
Gazelle calls its service "reCommerce" rather than recycling since, for the most part, goods are being repurposed. But that still addresses the problem of electronic waste, argues Ganot. "The first step to recycling is putting a product back in the marketplace," he said.
A new feature of the redesigned site is the ability to have gadgets with no resale value be recycled.
Electronic waste recycling appears to be getting more attention with recycling start-ups getting funding. Another venture-backed company that appears to have a similar business model is TechForward, which launched two years ago.
Retailers, too, are launching programs to take back electronics.
But on the whole, consumer electronics recycling rates are low. People in the industry talk about the millions of tons of metals inside gadgets that sit in consumers' desk drawers. The Consumer Electronics Association estimates that U.S. households spend $1,400 a year on up to 24 items.
One reason that electronics recycling isn't more common is that it's difficult to make money doing it, according to people in the industry.
Gazelle operates its recycling program, through partners ReCellular for phones and TechTurn for laptops, at no profit.
Although the company is not profitable, its business model of reselling goods has a profit margin built into it, unlike recycling.
Garnot said that the company plans to extend its service to small and medium-size businesses that are looking to recycle or sell outdated computer gear and gadgets.
(Credit:
iHome)
Call us shortsighted, but we'd always assumed that people would watch video on a mobile phone or portable player only while on the go, not at home or on the desktop--if at all. But if recent products are any indication, that doesn't seem to be the case.
There have been an increasing number of docks and speakers for the iPhone and iPod Touch, for instance, that are meant to accommodate their displays in a horizontal viewing position. The latest example comes from iHome in the form of its "iH41B Rotating Alarm Clock."
Not only is this gadget designed to be turned on its side for watching video on the players in its dock, according to 7Gadgets, but its clock will also automatically rotate to match its new position. Or, if you're at home, you can just skip the portable altogether and watch a Blu-ray DVD.
(Credit:
Popgadget)
On the rare occasions that our bosses let us leave the desk and visit the gym, some of us at Crave have found that rotating cases for the iPod come in surprisingly handy for their flexibility. And apparently we're not alone, because others are coming up with new 360-degree designs all the time.
The latest example not only rotates the case, but has built-in speakers that can be spun around too. The two tiny speakers can be exposed on either side of a classic or fifth-generation iPod, then twisted behind the player in a hidden position, according to Popgadget. Best of all, they run on their own battery so you won't draw power from the iPod itself. Now get back to work.
(Credit:
Spartherm)
As we were saying the other day, we're pretty much suckers for anything with a remote. And when the object it's controlling is a rotating fireplace, it immediately jumps to the top of the list.
Although fireplaces in general have increasingly become the targets of home entertainment trends, the focus is usually on their gadgetry rather than the hearth itself. But the aptly named "Diva" from Germany's Spartherm simply won't be denied the spotlight as it rotates at will to whatever position desired. Trender says the remote is optional, but come on. Can you imagine having to get up and turn this thing manually? Talk about ruining a Barry White moment.
(Credit:
Poetic Technologies)
The "G-Tech Neber" chair we featured a few days ago seems ergonomically efficient, no doubt about it. But compared with the "Aura" by Poetic Technologies, it looks like a wooden stool.
Like other high-tech chairs, the Aura caters to its owner's posture: in this case, with a seven-way adjustable chair that can be ordered with inflatable and deflatable cushions. That's only the beginning. Irritated by glare? The entire workstation can be rotated up to 120 degrees. In fact, it can be programmed to rotate 120 degrees every day over eight hours to follow the sun's path--or, in a pinch, in 15 seconds.
As if that's not enough, this uber-workstation controls its own micro-climate, electronically filtering oxygen before delivery and letting its occupant change air settings up to 21.5 times per hour. If any people actually do this, however, we suggest they seriously consider bringing a sweater to work. But if they refuse, the Aura can be ordered with optional radiant heating.
At last, we can finally get rid of those "USB Warmer Gloves."
[Thanks, Marc]
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