Tag: mobile device

Other options for the smartphone also include white, black, and red, though they are not in precious metals.

The BlackBerry Passport has become a mobile device that has been tremendously ambitious for the struggling company, and the smartphone has been released in a number of different colors, including: white, black, and red.

Now, there has been another option added to the list, which is as unique as the device shape, itself.

There is now one BlackBerry Passport option that is plated in 24K gold and was released by Goldgenie. The device costs roughly $3,000. This is not the first time that the handset maker has had a smartphone decorated with precious metals, or even stones. A few years ago, it released a Q10 that was encrusted with diamonds and that cost a whopping $31,000. More recently, Canadian rapper, Drake, had his own Classic plated in 24K gold. Similarly, Khloe Kardashian bought a rose gold plated Classic.

The 24K gold BlackBerry Passport has the same specifications as the original version of the device.

The new golden version of the mobile devices is the only smartphone that has a physical QWERTY keyboard with actual keys. That keyboard also has intuitive features and is touch sensitive. It is meant to be not only attractive smartphone, but it is also meant to offer enhanced functionality. According to Goldgenie, “When the masters of mobile business productivity combine with the masters of luxury customization, it is bound to result in a masterpiece that is both functional and beautiful.”

Beyond the 24K gold, the Passport is also to be sold in rose gold and platinum plating. Those will be priced at just under $2,000 and just over $2,000, respectively. The precious metals will be plating around the edges, though not on the frets or along the bottom edge.

While the BlackBerry Passport devices in precious metals may seem like they come with a very large price tag, there have been a number of other mobile gadgets from other brands that have made similar offerings at much higher prices. Among them was the Nokia Arte 8800, which was actually considered to be the least expensive in that type of cell phone, and that was only a feature phone…at $135,000.

Cleaning a smartphone or tablet isn’t a regular, common practice, but these gadgets are constantly touched.

Aside from the occasional wipe down with a tissue or with a shirt sleeve to take the spots and dust off the screen the majority of people don’t really think twice about giving a mobile device a good cleaning. Mobile Commerce Press recently conducted a study on this weird news,  revealing that smartphones are the surface that are considered to have the largest amount of bacteria.

However, new cleaners are making their way to the market and are pointing out that our smartphones aren’t clean.

Will the marketing from these products start a new trend toward cleaning various types of mobile device such as smartphones, tablets, MP3 players, wearable technology, and others? After all, these gadgets are used by touching them with our fingers, holding them in our hands, and pressing them to our ears and faces. These are the same devices that are dropped on the ground, left on restaurant tables, and set down just about anywhere else that they will fit.

While some people believe that there isn’t all that much of a risk presented by using a smartphone in the same way that we always have, without doing all that much to ensure that it has been cleaned and sterilized, others worry that people could be making themselves sick.

That said, is a quick wipe enough to keep a mobile device clean, or are specialty products really necessary?

Within the Mobile Commerce Press study, 70 percent of survey respondents said that a mobile phone has the most bacteria on it among all of the available options. Ten percent thought that the bathtub had the most bacteria, while 10 percent said that it was the toilet handle. Five percent though the fridge handle was the dirtiest, while 2.5 percent pointed to the bathroom door handle.

According to the marketing for a product called PhoneSoap, our cell phones and other gadgets are a lot dirtier than we think they are. In fact, they say that “1 in 6 cell phones have fecal matter on them!”, which is a thought that is more than a little bit upsetting. In fact, they quote a Fox News source, saying that the average cell phone has 18 times more bacteria on it than the typical public bathroom.

Mobile devices accumulate bacteria in many different ways, from hands and faces, to all the surfaces with which they come in contact. Moreover, according to PhoneSoap, they provide a bacteria breeding ground, implying that this could make users sick, promote acne on faces, and cause other potential issues.

However, as much as it is true that cleanliness is important, some people and groups also feel that requiring a UV emitting gadget to sterilize smartphones is not a necessity and that it is merely feeding a growing fear of bacteria that is becoming commonplace. In a society where antibacterial products such as hand sanitizers and antibacterial soaps are already being overused to the point that they are making bacteria resistant to antibiotic drugs, people are always looking for new ways to feel sure that there aren’t any microbes lurking on anything that they touch. This is leading to a rise in mysophobia, that is, an excessive fear of germs and contamination.