Protecting Vulnerable Areas on your Phone

Date Posted:17 May 2013 

Having a mobile device that lets you communicate wherever you are is a modern day marvel we all enjoy. But with portability comes vulnerability and there are several areas of mobile phone use that require constant vigilance; not only to guard against our own actions, but also those of others.

Screen

This is the number one area of concern on a mobile phone. While you can buy all sorts of cases made from all sorts of materials to protect your phone from knocks, bumps and even the occasional dropping incident, the screen remains the most vulnerable area, most prone to cracks and scratches.

Most people purchase an Android or iPhone screen protector soon after they buy their mobile or (unfortunately) after they experience their first scratch. A screen protector is a thin transparent plastic film that adheres to the screen to protect it from dust, oil, fingerprints and scratching.

Screen protectors vary in quality, so it’s worth spending more for one that doesn’t create air bubbles under its surface on application, doesn’t peel back at the edges (as some are prone to do) and doesn’t leave a sticky residue behind when you take it off to replace it.

Interior

What you don’t see inside your mobile phone is also very fragile. The battery takes up a lot of the room under the cover, surrounded by various chips and a motherboard. Obviously the computer hardware is extremely fragile, which is why a mobile may stop working if it is dropped, due to something being dislodged inside.

What many people don’t realise, though, is that the battery is also vulnerable to damage; not just from dropping, but from variations in temperature as well. Lithium-ion batteries are the best source of portable power for mobile phones and these sorts of batteries operate best at room temperature. It is important not to leave your phone in your car, especially on hot days, or even it in your pocket all the time, as this will raise the battery temperature. High temperatures drain battery life much more quickly and will also reduce the overall lifespan of the battery itself.

Security

The other area of vulnerability for your mobile phone is the threat posed by other people.
Nikes used to be the target of choice for thugs and petty thieves, but as the mobile phone has become more sophisticated (and more expensive), it has become the preferred target in bag snatches and other opportunistic thefts.

A ‘Find My Phone’ app which tracks your phone’s whereabouts via GPS is one way to counter this problem, but the best way is to put your phone away in public places, unless you are making or receiving a call.

Another security threat is eavesdropping on conversations, which is relatively easy for hackers to do. While it’s not such a huge problem for individual phone users, if you are an executive of a company discussing sensitive business information, it can be an extremely costly mistake to make.

The mobile phone is arguably the greatest invention of our time, taking computer technology out from behind a desk and into the real world. The price of this newfound freedom, however, is a greater risk of loss, theft and damage and the need for greater vigilance as a result.