Dead cell phones can turn
into a deadly hazard.

By 2005, nearly 130 million cell phones – totaling almost 65,000 tons of waste – will end up in U.S. landfills and incinerators. A study found that cell phones leach levels of lead that exceed the EPA hazardous-waste standard. But it’s an even bigger worry than that. And while Europe, Asia and Australia are doing something about it, the United States government is not.

Bluesnarfing upgrades bluejacking to “code orange” for contact data.

Last month we reported that bluejacking could have serious ramifications for Bluetooth-enabled cell-phone and PDA users. On the heels of a report from the United Kingdom about a security flaw discovered in Bluetooth that allows downloading of contact details, like telephone numbers and diary entries, we’ve now upgraded our warning to the highest possible alert. Could you be vulnerable to bluesnarfing?

Smoking phones: A burning issue across the county, around the world.

When Arthur Angelina turned on his 14-month-old Nokia Tracfone, he smells burning plastic and the phone was hot to the touch. When Tina McChristian was driving with her granddaughter, her Kyocera phone started to sizzle and then exploded, propelling the battery in to her granddaughter's car seat. These are not isolated instances.