Help developers by donating your old device

Did you get a shiny new phone or tablet for Christmas? Is your rubbish old one just lying around not doing much? While it might not be of use to you any more, you could give it a whole new lease of life by donating it to an Open Device Lab, where it can be used to help developers test mobile websites and apps across a wide range of devices.

Because sites and apps don't always work as expected, especially across various mobile devices (there are over 20,000 different models, with around 15 new ones being released every week), testing across a representative range of platforms is, on one hand, a must, but on the other hand it can be expensive. Which is where Open Device Labs come in; there are over 90 of them worldwide and they provide free device testing pools for developers.

ODLs rely on donations in order to keep their pools as current and varied as possible, which is where you could come in. If you have an old phone or tablet lying around and the thought of sticking it on eBay, with all the hassle that entails, gives you the horrors, why not do your bit for ODL's Donate Your Dusty Device initiative instead? You won't have to deal with scammers and other awful people you find on eBay, and you'll be helping local developers to make nice things that work better.

Want to know more? Simply head to the Open Device Lab to find a lab near you.

Words: Jim McCauley

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