This past week, several well-known device vendors unveiled new products, including BlackBerry's flagship smartphone and Fujitsu's STYLISTIC S01. Additionally, eRecyclingCorps also announced the collection of 20 million devices, 10 million of which were gathered last year alone.
BlackBerry releases Q20
In late February, BlackBerry announced the release of its newest flagship smartphone, the BlackBerry Q20. The device builds upon the features found on the BlackBerry 10, including QWERTY keyboard aspects like the classic Menu, Back, Send and End buttons. The new Q20 also has an integrated trackpad to boost users' one-handed abilities. Additionally, the hardware features a 3.5-inch touchscreen and a longer battery life.
Fujitsu announces autumn release of STYLISTIC S01
Last week, Fujitsu announced that its newest smartphone, the successor to its STYLISTIC S01 smartphone, will be released in autumn 2014. Currently, the device is on the market through Orange in France and will be widely available this fall. The hardware is expected to be LTE and NFC capable and will feature a quad-core CPU and energy-conserving display.
Yves Maitre, Orange executive vice president, said the company's aim is to provide access to mobile Internet services, and Fujitsu's newest release will help them in these efforts.
"As people have different needs and different ways of interacting with ICT, we are delighted to be able to work with Fujitsu in serving a new market," Maitre said.
eRecyclingCorps reaches the 20 million device-mark
Carrier device trade-in organization eRecyclingCorps announced in late February that through joint ventures with other telecommunications groups, the company was able to collect 20 million devices since 2009. ERecyclingCorps gathered 10 million devices in 2013 alone, illustrating boosted operator and retailer engagement. Company CEO David Edmondson said the trade-in market last year was largely untapped.
"In doubling our collections in just one year, we see both the increasing demand and awareness, but also the far-reaching opportunity for incentivized trade-ins," Edmondson said.
