More Than Half of Mobile Phone Users Expect Devices to be Water-Repellent as 1 in 3 get Wet, Research Reveals

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS, BARCELONA, February 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Hall 2, Booth 2E58, Mobile World Congress (MWC), Barcelona, 27 February - 01 March 2012

International research commissioned by P2i, the world leader in liquid repellent nano-coating technology, reveals demand for mobile devices to be water-repellent as standard. The results come as more and more consumers put their phones at risk of moisture and corrosion damage as they go about their day-to-day activities.

The research found that many people keep their mobile phones with them for the majority of their average day, whatever they intend to do.  The Spanish and British are more likely to take their mobile phones to a pub or café (88 per cent and 85 per cent respectively) than the French (67 per cent), Germans (60 per cent) or Americans (56 per cent) - although it was Americans (12 per cent) who were most likely to spill alcohol on their phones.

Water came top on the spillage stakes with an average 30 per cent of respondents having spilt it on their mobile phone, followed by coffee (13 per cent) and tea (8 per cent) in second and third places. Surprisingly, men were more likely to have spilled coffee on their phone than women (16 per cent and 11 per cent respectively).

Commenting on the survey results, Dr. Stephen Coulson, CTO, P2i says: "Mobile phones are not just susceptible to accidental spillages in pubs or cafes.  Reflecting the increasing role that they play in our lives, this survey also found that on average phones are taken out in the rain (64 per cent); in the snow (59 per cent) and even into the shower (8 per cent) and sauna (3 per cent) - all posing a risk of the phone being exposed to moisture which can cause long term damage.  There is a very real demand for these devices to be able to keep up with thriving lifestyles.  Phones are no longer left on the desk in the office but now accompany us everywhere we go."

When it comes to exposing a mobile device to the outdoor elements such as sand and sea, the Spanish (77 per cent) and the French (72 per cent) are the most likely to take their phones to the beach.  Only 47 per cent of respondents from the USA take their phones with them to sit beside the sea.

Dr. Coulson adds, "It's no surprise that on average over half of all of those questioned (51 per cent) expect water protection to be included as standard when buying a mobile phone.  Without it, users not only need to avoid liquid coming into contact with their phones but have to consider the 'hidden' risk of moisture that can cause corrosion, damaging the phone, its components and, often more importantly, the content and data stored on it."

When asked what applications they would miss the most if their phone stopped working, the UK is clearly a nation of text fanatics, with 63 per cent of respondents citing text messaging over any other function.  The findings from the other nations showed that the ability to phone people would be missed the most.

On Booth 2E58, in Hall 2, at Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, P2i will be demonstrating its Aridion™ technology which dramatically increases the reliability of electronic devices by protecting them from water and corrosion damage. Over nine million electronic devices are now protected by Aridion™ including smartphones, tablets and hearing aids.

Notes to Editors

The research for P2i was carried out between: 10 / 02 / 2012 and 17 / 02 / 2012, from a sample of 2006 mobile phone owners across the UK, France, Germany, Spain and the US.

All research conducted by Opinion Matters adheres to MRS Codes of Conduct (2010) in the UK. Within these parameters there are guidelines that ensure all research is carried out in a professional and ethical manner. Furthermore, as members of ESOMAR and AIMRI, Opinion Matters abide by the ICC/ESOMAR International Code on Market and Social Research.

Opinion Matters is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office and is fully compliant in accordance with the Data Protection Act. The company is also certified under Quality Assurance Scheme IS0 9001.

Photography is available upon request.

What is Aridion™?

Aridion™ is P2i's revolutionary liquid repellent nano-coating for Electronics. Aridion™ is applied using a special pulsed ionized gas (plasma), which is created within a vacuum chamber, to attach a nanoscopic polymer layer - one thousand times thinner than a human hair - to the electronic device. This dramatically lowers the product's surface energy, so that when liquids or moisture come into contact with it they are repelled from the surface instead of wetting.

Plus, because Aridion™ can coat every aspect of a finished product at the nanoscopic level, it protects much more thoroughly than alternative approaches where individual product components are treated prior to assembly. The result is a truly durable liquid repellent coating that does not affect the product's look, feel or delicate acoustic properties.

About P2i

P2i is the world leader in liquid repellent nano-coating technology. It was established in 2004 to commercialize liquid-repellent treatments developed by the UK's Ministry of Defence. Now on a commercial scale, P2i's patented process has been successfully applied to a wide range of products in a wide range of markets including Lifestyle, Electronics, Life sciences, Military & Institutional and Filtration & Energy.

In consumer sectors, the presence of P2i's technology is indicated either by ion-mask™, its brand for Lifestyle, footwear and accessories, or Aridion™, its brand for Electronics. See http://www.p2i.com for more information.

media contacts
Paula Averley        +44(0)845-557-6736 or Paula@origincomms.com
Natasha Verniquet    +44(0)787-613-6628 or Natasha.Verniquet@p2i.com