Android phones have been known to the tech world as an open platform where users can tweak their phones their liking. Well, if you get the new Motorola Droid X, you may just end up with an expensive paperweight.

People who have attempted to mod their phones have run into problems, and even though you purchased the device, Motorola doesn't want you hacking it. You can learn more at the My Droid World Forums.

For the users who don't plan on modding their phone, the Droid X has some pretty nice specs:

• 4.3-inch 854x480 screen
• 1GHz TI OMAP processor
• 512MB RAM
• 24GB storage
• 8-megapixel stills
• 720p HD video
• DLNA compatibility with HDMI Micro out
• 3 Microphones for noise cancellation
• Wireless-N with 3G hotspot powers

All the "no-modding" talk aside, this is a powerful phone. The Motorola Droid X is now available in the US with Verizon Wireless. No news yet on when it will be available in Canada.

The 2010 Winter Olympics is only a couple of weeks away, and to show off its official mobile device, Samsung has errected a giant display at Waterfront station in Vancouver. The two gigantic interactive touch-enabled Samsung Omnia IIs let you play around with the Windows Mobile 6.5 interface alongside the two most popular Vancouver Olympic mascots, Quatchi and Miga.

To be honest, I was pretty impressed by how it looked when I walked by it on my way to work. I thought about all the cool stuff a public device like that could do: it could let visitors take photo and video postcards, check the weather and news around the world, show the Olympics medal count, and so on.

So I went and checked it out when I got a chance.

End-of-life consumer electronics are quickly becoming North America's largest form of waste. Our landfills are seeing an increased amount of old computers, televisions, VHS machines, and most recently mobile phones.

Helping to alleviate the pressure of cell phones and their often environmentally harmful batteries ending up in the landfill, Canadian mobile service provider Bell has been maintaining their Bell Blue Box program since 2003.