How many electronic devices do you own?

The product life cycles for household electronic devices is getting shorter everyday.  Cell phones, tablets, GPS, DVD players, computers, digital cameras and other electronic devices have in a relatively short amount of time become integral parts of our lives. On average U.S. cell phone users replace their phones every 21.7 months according to a study conducted by Recon Analytics. The EPA estimates that U.S. households own nearly 3 billion portable electronic devices (that’s about 26 per household).  Many of those devices still work but are no longer used.

So, the U.S. household average is 26, how many do you own? I counted 27 at our house (Good, finally, I’m above average). By the way, does anyone need a Sony Walkman?  Over the next few weeks I’ll be exploring options for making good use of my electronic menagerie.

The Amazing ecoATM turns your cell phone into cash

San Diego-based ecoATM has made it easy for consumers to eCycle old cell phones and other portable electronic devices. According to their website, the self-serve ecoATM kiosk ”quickly inspects and assigns real-time secondary market value, collects/bins portable devices, provides payment to the consumer, and administrates any additional trade-in promotions/discounts loaded by the OEM and/or retailer.”  Consumers can accept or reject the offer and even have the option of donating all or part of the proceeds to charity.

Watch this video to see how it works.

While most of the kiosks are located in Southern California (none in Oklahoma yet), the company plans rapid expansion this year.