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LG and Prada Team Up For Third Phone
The phone maker has joined with the fashion label once again to create a shiny new handset.

New Battery 10x Capacity 10x Charge Speed
Scientists have redesigned a lithium-ion battery to allow it to charge ten times faster and hold ten times the charge of a standard cell.

BBM Music Busts Into Britain
RIM releases the BBM Music service for a hungry British crowd.

 

Soap Dodgers Smear 1 in 6 Mobiles with E Coli

Soap Dodgers Smear 1 in 6 Mobiles with E Coli Mobile phones in the UK are carrying significant amounts of bacteria, including dangerous forms such as Escherichia coli, and the MRSA virus.

According to new research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, mobile phones are becoming fertile breeding grounds for a range of bacteria, and the personal hygiene habits of a person are directly related to the levels of bacteria found on their phone. Although the study found that, of the people surveyed and tested, 95 per cent said they washed their hands with soap whenever possible, 16 per cent of phones and hands were found to contain E. coli. The E. coli bacteria are transmitted through faeces and can cause stomach and gut problems.

In total, researchers found that 92 per cent of mobile phones contained some traces of bacteria of some sort, and researchers said it was clear that many people in the UK still fail to wash their hands using soap frequently enough.

“I hope the thought of having E. coli on their hands and phones encourages people to take more care in the bathroom,” said Dr Ron Cutler, who headed up the study. “Washing your hands with soap is such a simple thing to do but there is no doubt it saves lives,” he added.

Once bacteria have been transferred to a mobile phone, they are able to survive thanks to the warmth generated by devices, the difficulty of cleaning surfaces such as keypads, and also occasional sprays of proteins from saliva during phone conversations. From the phone, bacteria can then be transferred back on to hands, faces and ears, infecting open wounds and scratches, and potentially being ingested.


Industry News posted by Jan Moys on 17 October 2011

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