UsefulTechnology returns to the office today after a much needed break by the seaside. And what should land first on my desk but the bizarre news that more Britons would be upset if they lost their mobile phone than if they lost a pet. Sky News reports that two-thirds of Brits would be upset if they lost a mobile phone, while a slightly lower 64% would be saddened if they lost a pet.
Does this mean that our long-standing love affair with household pets has come to an end? Is trusty old Fido about to be replaced by the latest Motorola device? Probably not. You can’t, after all, teach a phone to fetch your slippers, or feel its gentle warmth by your feet on a cold winter’s evening. But I am left wondering why we all take so little care of our mobile phones. We’ll happily make our dogs wear collars bearing their name and phone number. Some owners even go so far as to have their pets microchipped. Yet so few people bother to enter their ‘owner information’ on their mobile phone or mark their contact details on or inside the case.
Me? Well, I usually stick or write my contact details on the underside of the battery cover. It’s no guarantee that a lost phone will ever be returned but it is a small insurance policy, just in case.
So, go on! Before you next take your mobile phone for a walk, give it a nice cuddle and some identifying features!