VIOlight Cell Phone Sanitizer

When you actually consider how dirty the surfaces are with which we routinely interact, it’s amazing we’re all not obsessive-compulsive hypochondriacs or constantly sick – a true testament to the redundancy of the human immune system.   And as consumer electronics continue their rapid growth in popularity, devices like computers and cell phones have become silent carriers of the dirt and filth in which bacteria thrive.   Fortunately, UV light kills many of these germs, spawning an entire industry of sanitation devices for keyboards and other dirt-prone frequently touched surfaces.

To combat the germs on cell phones, a company called VIOlight has developed a pod into which cell phones or other personal electronic devices can be placed for 3 minute UV treatment cycles.  According to the company, the exposure to UV light eliminates 99.9% of harmful germs and bacteria.

While a germ-free cell phone sounds like a great idea, this product would be far better if it included some sort of device charging provision in addition to its sanitation features.   I suspect many people don’t want another device cluttering up their valuable desk space, thus an in-built USB charging station might add enough value to the $50 VIOlight cell phone sanitizer to make it a worthy purchase.   But for those still interested, it uses three AA-batteries and will be available in October 2010.