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Re:Fighting Homelessness, One Smartphone at a Time by wongarsu on Tuesday April 14, 2015 @09:31AM (#9374047)
Where I life (smallish city in Western Europe) there are lots of shops offering computer with internet access for as little as 0.5€ per hour. Public libraries offer similar deals. It seems to me that investing in these kinds of offers would be more cost effective than donating smartphones, doing more good for the same money.

Not that I am complaining, I'm glad they are improving the lifes of people.

Re:Fighting Homelessness, One Smartphone at a Time by SyneRyder on Tuesday April 14, 2015 @10:40AM (#9374588)
Here in my part of Australia, public libraries offer free internet access. But there can be queues to use the computers and I think there are time limits. I'm not sure you could guarantee they're malware free either.

Cellphones aren't just about internet access - it can be realtime notifications, like a text message if a room suddenly becomes available at a shelter. Or if you're applying for a casual job, they might need your cellphone number so they can call you to come into work (eg if someone's off sick and they need someone else to come and take their place). Without a cellphone you could miss those kinds of opportunities.

And the best way to learn how to use technology is to play with devices in your own time & practice. I would think most jobs now assume smartphone familiarity & wouldn't provide training, could be an intimidating hurdle to someone who isn't familiar with them.

Re:Fighting Homelessness, One Smartphone at a Time by agumonkey on Tuesday April 14, 2015 @11:04AM (#9374786)
I'd love to see tech to power something like a raspberry pi 2b + eink + light wifi using kinetic energy (walk, handcrank,...).