DYPC’s Android app is here!

Yes, after months of dithering finally our android app is now available in Google Play Store. All thanks to Ramakrishna for developing it!  And we tried to promote it too 🙂

You can download it from here. And we definitely welcome your feedback!

When recycling is not good enough!

I have often wondered how India’s tech savvy lot gets all worked up when the latest iPhone (or iPad) or Android model gets a delayed launch in the country. We remind these companies of our growing superpower status and booming economy and importance of Indian market and demand a status of equality.

Have we ever asked these companies about their recycling policy in India? Almost all the computer and electronics companies have ‘take-back’ programs in US and Europe where the customers can hand over their old product of the brand for recycling. But what about India? Apple doesn’t have a take-back policy for India whereas they started for US in April 2006. Samsung started it in March 2011 but surprisingly have kept it under wraps. Only Nokia has a good take-back program and they encouraged people to actually use it.

But even if all the e-waste gets recycled how good it would do to all of us? Take a look at the latest edition of  ‘Guide to Greener Electronics’ published by Greenpeace.  As the page says: “This guide ranks the 18 top manufacturers of personal computers, mobile phones, TVs and games consoles according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change”.  On a score of 0-10, 0 indicates worst and 10 indicates best.

Out of 18 companies, 10 score less than 5! Nintendo takes the dubious honor of scoring least with a pathetic score of 1.8. Don’t think that this makes any impact on the minds of those buying a Wii. Not very far from last spot is Microsoft with a measly 2 and though Apple joins them in below 5 club, Cupertino’s score is more than double of Redmond’s, a 4.9.

Other members of under 5 club: Toshiba, LG, Lenovo, Fujitsu, Acer, Sharp and Dell.

And now a fact which would have been funny, if it was not tragic. Out of the remaining 8 companies, 6 lie between 5 and 6! These ‘super 6’ are Philips, HP, Samsung, Motorola, Panasonic and Sony Electronics.

At no. 2 is Sony Ericsson with a score of 6.8. The guide says “It is the best performer on the toxic chemicals criteria of all the ranked brands, being the first to score full marks on all chemicals criteria”.  And at no. 1 is Nokia. They may not be at the top of mobile phones anymore but atleast they are on top of this ranking with a score of 7.5. But the guide says that Nokia ‘does least well on e-waste issues.’ So may be they need to do a bit more.

So let’s come back to original question. With devices full of harmful toxins, how good it would be even if these devices are recycled. What other alternative we have but that companies are made to take back their junk.

The difference between DYPC donors and Apple Inc.

Well this is like comparing Apples with Oranges (pun intended!). Ofcourse Apple Inc. is a multi-billion dollar company which has to make profits for itself and its shareholders and DYPC donors are.. well just a group of people who donate the products made by Apple’s competitors to be reused!

But still I could not help making this comparison because this week Apple’s game changer tablet iPad was ‘launched’ in India! Well it is not a secret that in next 3 months, next generation iPad is going to be launched in USA, so many commentators have called it dumping its inventory in India.

So now I ask you, were you able to spot the difference between DYPC and Apple? DYPC donors donate their old products whereas Apple sells its old products in aspiring markets!

DYPC gets a DNA mapping!

DYPC got a healthy mention in a news article by DNA Bangalore on e-Waste management. Take a look!

Then there were something called ‘Netbooks’

Did that ring a bell? Wikipedia defines netbooks as ‘a category of small, lightweight, and inexpensive laptop computers.’ and unofficially sets the ‘inception’ date to 2007. A study indicated that by September 2009 netbooks accounted for 20% of all portable computer shipments. All the major computer manufacturers had launched atleast one netbook model and though Windows was once again the preferred OS for the netbooks, Google’s Chrome OS was being touted as THE operating system which was just right for these devices.

Well. All that happened before January 27, 2010 the date when the iPad was announced. As iPad became the fastest selling non-phone digital device, suddenly netbooks found no takers! As more tablets from Samsung, Dell and others flood the market, netbooks are going the way of dodo.

We don’t know if tomorrow something will kick the tablets off their high pedestal. Technology is evolving faster than ever rendering more digital waste around the world which ultimately finds way to some developing country like India. Recycling is going to be a environmentally costly business and it is high time reuse is promoted rigorously.