The Place You Should Never Have Your Phone

As I was preparing today's tip this morning, I came across this story from a Texas FOX affiliate.  I feel that it deserves some follow-up as a reminder for all of us.

One of the biggest enemies of any computer is heat.  Most people are unaware of how much heat their computer produces until there is a problem and it starts overheating.  Almost all desktop computers come with at least two fans (one in the power supply and one over the processor).  Some come with more fans to push air through the case for additional cooling.  The latest trend for high-end computers is water cooling, which uses a system similar to a car's radiator to cool the computer.  (I do not recommend using water cooling, but it is available.)

As computers have gotten smaller and more portable and the places where we can use them have grown, the heat problem has remained.  For years, laptop computers have had problems keeping cool, especially as they grow older.  Overheating laptops comprise a significant part of the service requests I receive.

Now, back to the phone.  Essentially, smartphones are simply small computers.  A high-end smartphone (iPhone, Galaxy S, etc.) can perform almost every task that a computer can perform.  However, they have minimal heat control because of noise.  (You wouldn't want your smartphone's fan to kick into high gear right when you get that important business call!)

This means that good ventilation is a must for your phone.  In this girl's case, the phone slipping under the pillow as she fell asleep was probably enough to cause the phone to overheat and cause a fire.  At this point, I am sure some of my readers are now saying something like, "But I left my phone under my pillow one time, and it was fine."  True, but what happens if the phone gets a little more smothered the next time?

Samsung addresses two issues.  First, the phone was under the pillow, which likely restricted airflow and caused overheating.  Second, the battery in the phone was a replacement battery and not a certified Samsung battery.  I will address this issue in another tip next week, but for now, I will simply say that at most, this was likely a contributing factor and not the main cause.

In conclusion, your phone should simply not go to bed with you!  I know that I am just as guilty of breaking this rule as anyone else.  However, phones do not do well around pillows, blankets, sheets, etc.  Even if your phone never bursts out into flames, the added heat could reduce your phone's life or cause other problems.