Cell phones have become a necessary amenity for everyday life, with a myriad of applications and technology that makes life that much easier. We all cling to the comfort of our smartphones, but how much do you really know about your digital best friend? We’ve got 12 crazy facts about cell phones that seem absurd but are actually true. Be sure to come back for our part two article, where we reveal the five cell phone facts that are the most absurd of the bunch!
Number Twelve: The First Celly-Telly. The cellular phones in the Unites States of America were first available as early as 1983. They were bigger and boxier than even landlines available today and cost as much as $4,000 per mobile phone. You thought your fancy iPhone was expensive.
Number Eleven: Disease at Your Fingertips. Believe it or not, it is actually extremely probable that you might catch a disease from your handheld device one day. Often being the object we touch most often, even in some unhygienic locations, cell phones are estimated to have as much as 18% more bacteria crawling around on them than toilet handles.
Number Ten: Nokia’s Niche. The Nokia brand of cellular phone was one of the first compact, efficient models of its time, and were renowned for being indestructible. Since produced, over 250 million Nokia 1100 models were sold, giving them the title of the best-selling electronic gadget across the globe.
Number Nine: Way of the Waterproof. In Japan, it has become almost a necessity that mobile phones have the useful feature of being waterproof. In fact, more than 90% of all cell phones in the country are waterproof. Why such a demand for this? Because ten minutes in the shower is far too long to stay off of the mobile grid.
Number Eight: The Apple Revolution. The success and popularity of the Apple mobile phone have helped them achieve record sales for their iPhone. In the year 2012, they sold more 340,000 iPhones to customers per day, giving a grand monthly total of more than 10 million iPhone sales per month.
Number Seven: A Sick Connection. After mobile phones became an internationally business success, worries arose over the medical implications that cell phone radiation can cause to the human body. While the majority of those woes seem to have been put to rest, research does show that consistent use of cellular phones can be a primary cause of insomnia, confusion, and headaches.