From: Rich Gauszka 


must be a cultural phenomenon 

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/24145.php

Brits Drop 850,000 Phones Down the Toilet - Each Year

If you've ever found yourself trying to fish your mobile out of the toilet,
you're not alone. A staggering 855,000 handsets are flushed away every year
in the UK - that's roughly œ342 million we're 'loo'sing. Research by
SimplySwitch, the price comparison and switching service, found 4.5m
handsets are lost or damaged every year.

Common catastrophes include leaving mobiles in the pub (810,000 handsets)
in a taxi (315,000) or on a bus (225,000). More bizarrely, dogs chewed
their way through 58,500 handsets last year and 116,000 went through a spin
cycle with the dirty laundry.

The research found that over a quarter of mobile owners had lost or damaged
a handset, with men more prone to carelessness than women. 28 per cent of
men admitted to breaking or losing their phone compared to 26 per cent of
women.

Karen Darby, from SimplySwitch.com, comments: "Of the 18 million new
handsets bought in the UK every year, roughly 4.5 million will end up lost
or damaged. With handsets now costing up to œ400, and people often opting
out of the insurance package, there's more reason than ever to look after
your mobile."

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