Does your phone smell? Cover up the stench with perfume.
Think of your mobile.
It goes with you almost everywhere. You use it in the gym, on public transport, even on the toilet.
You'll use it while you're eating too, occasionally dropping mayonnaise onto the screen and letting crumbs fall into the little cracks in the body.
What your phone needs is a bit more TLC - the kind of attention you lavish on yourself. How about some perfume?
Yeah, that's right, perfume.
Sounds bonkers, but that's exactly what a patent from Samsung proposes.
The newly discovered patent application shows a handset that has the ability to emit perfume. The phone contains what looks like a sponge that gives off a nice smell, and is then 'recharged' when the phone is.
Some have already misinterpreted this story as being about a mobile that sprays perfume on its users. No - that's not it. This patent has the phone itself smelling nice. You will still be all musty.
While a fragrance reminiscent of box-fresh Apple products was produced earlier this year, this is the first time we've come across a company that wants to keep its handsets smelling lovely.
So is this a good or bad idea?
It's a gimmick that will definitely find an audience, but the additional feature will surely push up the price of handsets it's built into. And do you really want material impregnated with some sort of chemical being heated inside the smartphone that cost you half a month's salary?
And what will the fragrances be? Will they be changeable, or will users be stuck with whatever fragrance house Samsung has done a deal with? If Samsung want to put a drop of Creed's Green Irish Tweed in my phone, then great, but if it's going to be teenage boy stalwart Lynx Africa, then I'll pass.
This patent begs the question; how long until handsets contain a tiny chamber to spray its users with perfume throughout the day. The days of being able to leave the house for a night out carrying just your mobile are fast approaching.
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