A load of hot air? iPhone airbag devised to stop handsets breaking when dropped

Here's an idea that will be a smash hit with iPhone users...

Amazon has devised an airbag to stop handsets breaking when they're dropped, saving owners a small fortune in repair costs.

The internet giant's founder, Jeff Bezos, won approval to patent the feature, which uses the iPhone's in-built gyroscope, camera as well as accelerometers and other sensors to detect if the device has been dropped.

It then releases small airbags and could even change its trajectory by firing jets of air.

But while clumsy phone users may be excited at the prospect, some experts are sceptical.

Oxford University science lecturer Victor Seidel said: "An airbag might mean the end of cumbersome cases, but it might be impractical to produce. But we are often surprised by what ideas become successful."

And uSwitch.com telecoms chief Ernest Doku added: "Sounds like a lot of hot air.

"The handset would have to be bulky to hide an airbag. What's next, smartphones with built-in parachutes? Or maybe handsets with wings and propellers?"

- mirror.co.uk