MWC: We want waterproof!

New research released at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week reveals which nationalities are more likely to spill alcohol or coffee on their phones – and which would prefer liquid-repellent phones…

International research commissioned by P2i, a leader in liquid repellent nano-coating technology, reveals demand for mobile devices to be water-repellent as standard. The results come as more and more consumers put their phones at risk of moisture and corrosion damage as they go about their day-to-day activities.

The research, released at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, found that many people keep their mobile phones with them for the majority of their average day, whatever they intend to do. The Spanish and British are more likely to take their mobile phones to a pub or café (88% and 85% respectively) than the French (67%), Germans (60%) or Americans (56%) Рalthough it was Americans (12%) who were most likely to spill alcohol on their phones.

Water came top on the spillage stakes with an average 30 per cent of respondents having spilt it on their mobile phone, followed by coffee (13%) and tea (8%) in second and third places. Surprisingly, men were more likely to have spilled coffee on their phone than women (16% and 11% respectively).

Commenting on the survey results, Dr. Stephen Coulson, CTO, P2i says: “Mobile phones are not just susceptible to accidental spillages in pubs or cafes. Reflecting the increasing role that they play in our lives, this survey also found that on average phones are taken out in the rain (64%): in the snow (59%) and even into the shower (8%) and sauna (3%) – all posing a risk of the phone being exposed to moisture which can cause long term damage. There is a very real demand for these devices to be able to keep up with thriving lifestyles. Phones are no longer left on the desk in the office but now accompany us everywhere we go.””

When it comes to exposing a mobile device to the outdoor elements such as sand and sea, the Spanish (77%) and the French (72%) are the most likely to take their phones to the beach. Only 47% of respondents from the USA take their phones with them to sit beside the sea.

Dr. Coulson adds, “”It’s no surprise that on average over half of all of those questioned (51%) expect water protection to be included as standard when buying a mobile phone. Without it, users not only need to avoid liquid coming into contact with their phones but have to consider the ‘hidden’ risk of moisture that can cause corrosion, damaging the phone, its components and, often more importantly, the content and data stored on it.””

When asked what applications they would miss the most if their phone stopped working, the UK is clearly a nation of text fanatics, with 63% of respondents citing text messaging over any other function. The findings from the other nations showed that the ability to phone people would be missed the most.

At Mobile World Congress, P2i is demonstrating its Aridion technology, which dramatically increases the reliability of electronic devices by protecting them from water and corrosion damage. Over nine million electronic devices are now protected by Aridion including smartphones, tablets and hearing aids.

* The research for P2i was carried out between: 10 / 02 / 2012 and 17 / 02 / 2012, from a sample of 2006 mobile phone owners across the UK, France, Germany, Spain and the US.

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