Just What I Don't Need: A Dishwaser Proof Mobile Phone

Most mobile phones are at least a bit waterproof as you will know if you have ever made a phone call in the rain. Some phones can even survive falling in a river (or more often a pint of beer) as long as you don't turn them on until they have dried out. Now there is a new phone which can supposedly survive inside a dishwasher.

Quite why you would need to put your phone in the dishwasher is not clear but the latest handset by Seal Shield can cope if you chuck it in there for fun. Seal Shield specialize in making things waterproof including keyboards, TV remotes and (presumably computer) mice. The phone was launched at CES 2010 (the Consumer Electronics Show).



The cell phone is attractive in a rugged adventurous kind of way (like me) and is clearly built to throw around and drop in puddles. It is similar looking to the Sonim XP1and will probably appeal to a similar demographic. A spokesman for Seal Shield suggested that the washable gadget is ideal for the germophobic as it can be easily washed.

New Peugeot To Include In-Car Internet

We all know that the internet is moving away from the computer and into our everyday lives. 3G enabled mobile devices mean that we need never be offline (unless we are unfortunate enough to wander into a 'notspot'.

Peugeot have decided that their new 5008 needs an in-car Wifi router so that multiple devices can connect to the internet during those long tedious car journeys. No specific technical details have been released yet but it looks like the device will be an inbuilt router which will connect to a mobile broadband 3G network via a USB dongle.



It remains to be seen how useful an in-car router will be considering that most internet devices may soon have inbuilt mobile connections. If two people wish to connect and you have a pay as you go mobile broadband contract I guess it would be suitable.

Vodafone launch signal booster

Mobile phone provider Vodafone has announced plans to launch a signal boosting box called the Access Gateway. The Access Gateway will boost mobile phone signal strength for those in low signal areas. The box, which will cost around £160, plugs into a home broadband line. Signal strength is boosted via the home phone line for those with a broadband connection.

This seems like a strange move for Vodafone who, some will argue, could have used the money spent on developing this product on improving their signal strength. I would also question the usefulness of a device that boosts signal strength for mobile phone but requires a fixed phone line. I would have thought that those with a home phone would be less likely to be concerned by lack of a mobile phone signal.



Having said that those in rural areas who struggle to maintain phone signal might be very interested in this product. Those who like to keep their home phone line free of business calls could also benefit from the increases in mobile signal strength. Any opposition is likely to come from those who feel that signal strength improvements should be paid for entirely by their operator.