Productopia | Since You Asked

Cell phones are more than just hip accessories. They can be essential tools for keeping in touch during emergencies, or just for keeping tabs on your kids while you're at work or when they're out with friends. Of course, once you buy your child a cell phone, they'll want to do more with it than simply talk to their parents, so you have to set some limits. Here are some tips on buying the right cell phone for your child.

Why recycle?

Americans upgrade their cell phones far more often than they do their computers or TVs, switching to snazzier, more multifunctional units every year or two. According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, over 100 million cell phones will be replaced this year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that just 14 million Americans recycled their old phones in 2007. Many of these discarded cell phones wind up in garbage dumps, where they can leach dangerous chemicals into the soil.

Mobile Broadband is a good solution for frequent travelers when Wi-Fi hotspots are few and far between, but costs can quickly add up. Monthly fees range from $20 to $70 depending on usage and that's usually on top of bills for Internet access at home, your cell phone and maybe even a data plan. If you're not a heavy user, you'll be paying an awful lot for something you don't use. Virgin Mobile, our top prepaid wireless carrier, introduced a no-contract mobile broadband solution called Broadband2Go, aimed at light users. Pricing starts at $10 for 100 MB of data - which has to be used within 10 days. That's about 5 hours of web browsing, provided you aren't watching video or downloading large files. There are also 30-day plans. You can get 250 MB for $20, 600MB for $40, and 1GB for $60, which give you about 12, 30 and 50 hours of web browsing, respectively.

As we note in our full report, toaster ovens are remarkably versatile appliances that can do more than just toast bread and bagels. Models like the Cuisinart TOB-175BC (a ConsumerSearch Best Reviewed pick) can also be used to reheat leftovers, bake a frozen pizza, even roast a chicken. They're particularly useful in the summertime, when you don't want to heat up the kitchen by turning on the oven.

Is there anything a toaster oven can't do?

Recently, a reader emailed us, asking whether she could cook corn on the cob -- a summertime treat -- in her toaster oven. We turned to Linda Larsen, About.com's guide for busy cooks, for guidance. Her answer? Yes! Here's how to do it:

Husk the corn and remove the silk. Butter the corn ears and wrap them in foil. Place them in the toaster oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

If you don't have foil, you also can cook the corn in its husk. Pull the husks back from the ear -- but don't detach them -- and remove the silk. Next, butter the corn and smooth the husks back over the corn ears. Bake as above. The husks will protect the corn like the foil would.

It's no secret that retailers rely on selling extended warranties to boost profit margin.

The profit on extended-warranty sales is between 50% and 100% for stores like Best Buy and Sears, so salespeople are under a lot of pressure to sell you one. Extended warranties are clearly a good deal for companies, but we've had several questions from readers asking whether they're worth it for consumers.

The bottom line is that 90% of the time, extended warranties are a waste of money.