Harder materials may help protect mobile devices

[Bob Russell]

I cringed when I read that Sammy McLoughlin had just dropped his precious Treo. Right now, there are really only three good protections for your device:
1) A good case
2) An insurance policy
3) Extreme care in handling

But in the future, Fujitsu hopes that a new impact-resistant polymer might provide some additional protection, maybe even as much as 50% better.

Portable Design is reporting that "In collaboration with Toray Industries Inc., a chemicals group with expertise in organic synthetic chemistry, Fujitsu Ltd. and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. have announced the development of a novel bio-based polymer that... [improves] impact resistance by 50%. Fujitsu says it has constructed a prototype mobile phone chassis using the new polymer, which was exhibited at Fujitsu Forum 2006 on May 18–19 at the Tokyo International Forum."

Let's just hope that products become so hardened that it no longer makes your heart stop when you drop your cell phone or pda.