Electronic Arts recently triggered a tsunami of tasteless jokes by announcing that seven percent of people who played mobile games did so whilst sitting on the toilet. Meanwhile, another survey has blown the lid off the truth behind mobile phone failures, and the connection between the two is really rather unimpressive. The findings are particularly important in a world where contracts are becoming longer, and devices are becoming more expensive to replace.
The main finding is that 100,000 mobiles are knocked off our Toilet Seats and into the U-bend. These premature phone deaths account for some eight per cent of insurance claims in the UK alone. In total, one million people make a claim on their mobile phone insurance every year. It's worth pointing out, however, that the toilet isn't the only way that a phone is likely to be damaged by good old H2O. This doesn't even need to be a case of falling into the sea: being in the bathroom's atmosphere can expose your device to water vapour. And, purchasing an extra thick Shower Curtain won't support your cause either.
Phone Insurance has matured in much the same way as Phones have. The extra expense really is a gamble most will want to avoid, and relying on the warranty is viable, if highly risky. But when you take a phone in for warranty repair at a phone shop, you will find that the sales assistant checks the phone over thoroughly. If your device has so much as a speck of dampness of a hint of a knock, you'll have to fight for your right to send it away. And even when you send an absolutely pristine looking phone away for repair, half the time the repair team opens it up and finds a tiny mark indicative of some obscure vapour damage.
Physical damage cover is particularly important for mobile phone users now that we're all walking around with massive displays. Drop a Samsung Galaxy S with even the slightest force, and you'll see it shatter like a gallery full of illuminated bathroom mirrors. Whilst the superstitious would rather break a phone than get all those years of badluck, when they get the repair bill, they may think overwise.
