My cellphone and I have been together for about 24 months now, and we're still going strong!

130 million was a US EPA estimate made before 2005, estimating for 2005 (pass to Earthworks and quoted by CNN then TH). God only knows if it's not actually a higher value than that now!
http://www.earthworksaction.org/collectivegood.cfm

It is not true a cell is discarded for every one bought, but it's got to be close, so you make up your own estimate for cells discarded based on these sales numbers courtesy of the NPD Group, found via TH Energy Star article and combined.

An estimated 146 million mobile phones were sold in the US during 2006, bringing in $8.8 billion, with Q4 sales highest and 14% more than the same quarter in 2005. However, Q1 sales in 2007 jumped even more, to 39 million sets totaling $3 billion.
http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_070327.html
http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_070522a.html

God, I must be so needy---I've had my cellphone for five years.

I own a CDMA Motorola V60i. Pretty ancient. No color, no browsing, no MP3. Not even ringtones. I feel like I own the phone, rather than the other way around.

Did change the aluminum shell though, once. Looks great and works fine.

I've had my phone for over 2 years, and I don't plan on getting a new one simply because it's the only slider that I know of where the screen slides behind the keyboard. It makes me look like I'm important or in the Matrix...

I bought my cell phone in November 2005...and although the outside screen (which tells me the time) no longer has a working backlight, the rest of the phone functions perfectly.

A faulty hinge was fixed with super glue before the crack in the plastic spread, and the original leather/plastic case keeps the phone cushioned from falls.

I hate the clamshell design, but the GPS function of the phone is disabled with the exception of "e911." The only way I can be tracked is through triangulation.

My battery is still working fine, with great life (about 48 hours generally, including talk time)...and I cycle it about once a week, to condition the voltage chip.

The newer the phone, the more features you have to pay for! I've got text messaging, pix messaging, and that's it! No games, although I did purchase a ring tone about 2 years ago.

Don't drop it, don't get it wet, and don't sit on it! You'll find your phone will last you a good long time!

I've had my current phone for about 20 months and its falling apart as well as needing its third battery. My previous phone lasted about that long before the hinge broke. My phone before that is about 6 years old now and used by my parents on a prepay carrier and still uses the original battery. With the newer phones all being made in places like chine and korea they just don't last very long now. I'm not abusing my stuff, have my laptop that is 4 years old, my HP printer (inkjet) from 2000, etc all going strong. My issue is companies like LG putting out garbage products that don't last. I'm going to buy a higher end phone in a couple months hoping that the higher price tag still has some quality built in.

I have had my phone about 5 years now, monochrome screen, no camra, no fancy ringtones. One feature it had that no longer works was a LED flashlight built in, I dropped it one to many times. I have looked at new phones and can't imagine what I would need all these features for. I can send and recieve text messages but never use this function. Oh and by the way I paid $19 for it and spend about $30 every two months on service (pay as you go from Virginmobile). It does what I need a phone to do, send and recieve calls and keep track of phone numbers for me. My brother, who rountinely carries two phones, replaces them every year or so and to my knowledge never uses most of the geewhizz stuff on them after the first week he gets a new one. He too uses them just for calls, however he spends a couple hundred dollars a month on service and buys and discards phones at an alarming rate. He can't see why I won't get a new one and I can't make him care about the waste he is creating.

I'm actuallly looking at getting a PDA phone now. Because I don't make a lot of phone calls but need a cell phone for those on call times. So I'm thinking with a decent enough calendar and contacts system I can eliminate carrying my personal laptop and having it sitting up and running all day long, I'll be able to suspend it and leave it at home.

My phone just died yesterday. I figured out that it was actually 11 days shy of 18 months old!!!

The point that has not been mentioned is that the cell phone companies (in the U.S.) make you sign a two-year contract to get a phone that is going to break in 18 months!

They don't make you sign a two year contract to get a phone that dies in 18 months. They give a higher discount for a two year contract vs a one year onctract vs no discount for a prepay service so you do have a choice.

The O2 network in the UK is now offering an eco-tariff where you get a reduced price by keeping your old phone. Obviously it is partly a marketing perception trick, but at least they are beginning to consider this issue.

I got my latest phone 12 months ago (nokia 5500). It is meant to be a 'sport' phone, so it is water, drop and vibration resistant (there's even some tests on the net where it has been put in a vacuum cleaner bag, milk, beer, dropped from 6m and been driven over and still worked!) so in theory it should have a long lifespan. It plays MP3s, FM radio, surfs the net, takes photos and video, email, records how far you run (accelerometer) and with a seperate GPS reciever I put it in the handlebars of my mountain bike and use OS maps for off-roading. I can't think of much more I need, and it only consumes a couple of watts. It's about 6 products in 1. To me this is a fantasticly useful product so I'm hoping it will serve me for many years.

The problem with phone obsolesence is that there has been a rapid growth in the tiny sensors and chips available to fit on a phone size PCB. So each year there are sufficient improvements to make the new models a big improvement over the last. Mobile phones are still not a mature product. I understand many people want a simpler phone, but to many the functionality of these new gizmos makes the new phones very attractive. Only when there is a level playing field in functions, and the users really don't need anything new will the rate of obsolescense slow down. Like what is beginning to happen with PCs.

I got a problem ever one of these companies say we will take bake all of your phone so you put them in a box that says please recycle ok were do they go cause I never see an of these phones or companies actually say we use recycled material they just say please recycle properly