But do people need telephone sanitizers?
I’m reminded of a spoof vid from the very beginnings of smart-ish phones back when they were flip-phones with little 1/2" nub antennas sticking up from one corner.
In the vid, purportedly an ad for a phone from the not-too-distant future, this miracle of modern tech has become a do-all device for all sorts of non-phoning purposes, which the actor demonstrates. It dices, it slices, it makes Julienne fries!
It’s even a rectal thermometer using the antenna nub as the probe.
I think a telephone sanitizer might be just the thing after that. 
Since we are all descended from Golgafrinchen telephone sanitizers, and taking into account the fate of Golgafrincham, the answer is obviously yes.
Of course what we need is sanitization of the virulent diseases coming through the phones, not on the phones themselves.
Interesting. I recall some mention of Bell and boats but didn’t realize he came up with a real innovation in the airboat. Not great results in this case but the concept did continue on from there and is very useful in traversing swamps and the same principle is used in hovercraft.
His team’s hydrofoil HD-4 had the world speed record on water (70 mph) at one point.
That record later reached 317MPH and since then everyone attempting to break that record has died in the effort, as did several before the current record was set.
Golgafrinchans aside, nobody needs telephone sanitizers—because, nobody uses actual telephones anymore. That’s ancient history.
But smartphones? Whole different story. We practically glue those bacteria-laced petri dishes to our faces. They’re crawling with more germs than a public toilet, yet we cradle them to our cheek like newborns. So yeah, smartphone sanitizers aren’t just smart—it’s civic hygiene 101.
Actually, some hospitals have UV sanitizers for smartphones, particularly those to be brought into operating rooms.
Operating rooms? In case the surgeon needs to call his stockbroker?
In case the insurance company calls to say they aren’t covering the procedure.
Surgeries take a long time and you gotta do something to pass the time.
No, that’s silly. I’d call post-op to check on the status of my last surgery, or admitting to make sure my next patient arrived.
…ok, I really mostly called to order a pizza for lunch.
Smartphones are bacteria-laced mostly because we practically glue them to our faces, and our faces are already bacteria-laced.
Please don’t remind me about demodex mites.
Mine never touches my face anymore. I speak through a Bluetooth earpiece.
…and because, unlike the old-school landlines, smartphones go everywhere with us—including the bathroom. That’s where airborne poop particles float around like invisible landmines, settling on your phone—and later hitching a ride to your unsuspecting friend’s face when they borrow your phone. Sharing is caring… until it isn’t.
But if you won’t share poop with them, how good a friend can they be?
Well, a fecal friend is feckless, but a poop-less pal is perfect.
Hospitals use cell phones for internal communications. It used to be pagers/beepers, and before that was ceiling-mounted colored lights. (“code red”)
Fun thought: “pager” because paging was done by page boys, who would walk through the hotel lobby, calling “mister smith?”