Violight goes ultraviolent on your gadgets, leaves germ corpses in its wake
By Vlad Savov 
posted June 22nd 2010 2:58AM
posted June 22nd 2010 2:58AM
posted June 22nd 2010 2:58AM
A look back on popular stories from today in a specific year.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
People with OCD rejoice?
@nwndarkness - and people who have no idea that they have 10x more bacteria cells on/in them than they have cells in their body. Any germaphobes here should look up "Human Flora"
@nwndarkness
Stangely enough I was asked this by a medico client two days ago. They wanted to use idevices in the hospital but were concerned about how to sterilize them. I suggested some sort of UV blaster might exist.
Here it is, right on cue
and after it's done rub a little snake oil on it and it'll shine like new.
Awesome! It it keeps your phone sterile until the next time you touch it. Can't think of anything more useful than this.
@shishi Alcohol pads or Lysol?
Bleach may work also...
@UrAwFuL
Not an option. That would wear off the oleophobic coating!
I guess I over did it with the sarcasm...
@shishi
Just don't keep it on the coffee table in front of you, or it'll keep YOU sterile.
@shishi Can anyone, scientific facts aside, actually PROVE that this device works as intended? Or at all? I know it's -said- and even -proven- that UV lights kill certain bacteria, but does this device do that?
@Irina
Yes, in fact, ANYONE could trivially prove this by using a UV meter.
I think I want one of these after showing off my iPhone 4 this Friday.
why would we do this to a phone though? i dont really see a gain, someone help ?
@huskie fluff - Some individuals are ultra-sensitive to bacterials and germs. Toothbrushes they'd want done as well as personal belongings including the cellular.
I read this wrong at first. I thought it was setting gadgets on FIRE, and leaving "gem" corpses in it's wake. :(
@CaryHiroyuki Tagawa lololol, yea im think some people would like to set those new iphone 4;s on fire ^^
I bought a used phone and I just sprayed the crap out of it with Lysol.
Just ass effective, and cheaper while also removing visible dirtiness.
Spermicidal lubricated finger condoms are much safer.
@Ducman69 and there just so darn tasty, wait nvm. crap did i just say that.
@huskie fluff, no that's what SHE said.
@Ducman69
Hmm... I wonder if I can put any other objects besides electronics in there..
@Ducman69... and are completely useless on a cap. screen device :P
I feel so violighted.
A good rubbing of isopropyl will do the same job to and take away any nasty oils. For a lot cheaper too.
will it give my iPhone skin cancer? :-(
I don't have germophobia, so i'll save the 50 bucks for an external battery or something. Plus I use hands-free anyway, so I don't see a point.
iWant this.
FYI, mass use of disinfectant, like antibacterial soap, or products like these just create more resilient bacteria and do little in the way of preventing you from catching bugs(Hint: Practically all surfaces including your skin are covered in gobs and gobs of bacteria already, the vast majority of them benign).
@Gemakk
It's called Staphylococcus.
But hey, throwing anti-bacterials at them can make them a lot stronger than they are already.
@Gemakk "Practically all surfaces including your skin are covered in gobs and gobs of bacteria"
Thats why I like to exfoliate with a cucumber peeler and soak in a bath of Listerine.
@Ducman69 LOL, well done.
@Ducman69 Wow, that must sting.
In other news, the sun produces plenty of free UV light.
@r3loaded, of which majority gets trapped in the damn ozone layer. A cheap solution: let us use more of those sweet refrigerants based on chlorofluorocarbons and kill that thin ozone layer so we can all have germ-free equipment!
@r3loaded - Except it'll fry your iPhone. Oh wait. That's if you left it in the car for 10 minutes running GPS. I've done that. I got the temperature sensor warning as well because I didn't run cold defrost on it.
UV is what degrades plastics left out in the sun. Even though most plastics have UV stabilizers this thing will probably have some impact on the integrity of phone casings.
@linuxamp
I would be hugely devastated if my iPhone melted in there.
@linuxamp I agree, I wouldn't get this for this reason. It's going to be very bad for the plastic on your devices.
@linuxamp - I think if that were the case, people would have several negative reviews on it the consumer products site. Not at the Violight site as they never post negative reviews.
@UrAwFuL
Why the heck would your iPhone melt?
UV != Heat
It uses radiation to disinfect, not heat. What it would do is fade the color of your iPhone.
So it'll kill of all but the 1% of germs that are the hardest to kill which means the most dangerous.
What a complete waste of money. A straight 5 percent solution of plain white vinegar—the kind you can buy in the supermarket—kills 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of germs (viruses). Just dampen a paper towel with the vinegar/water mix and wipe down whatever it is you want to clean. No fuss, no muss. Plus it's cheap and environmentally-friendly.
@gclaudia
ummm, no. Vinegar only works well against certain bacteria. It isn't gonna do much against most, and definitely not if you only do a quick wipe down. You might stop 10% of bacteria...at most. A better solution is just plain old soap and water, not antibacterial soap though.
@cantthinkofaname
Why not antibacterial soap, just out of interest?
@wolfticket II because the germs that survive are more resistant to antibacterials. it's actually starting to become a problem. some illness-causing bacteria are now somewhat resistant to, say, penicillin, and so you have to use a different antibiotic that is less effective.
this is partly caused by doctors prescribing antibiotics too frequently and patients not finishing their prescriptions. antibiotic soap is also a cause, and it's not even necessary. regular soap has been shown to kill very nearly the same amount of germs as antibiotic soap, and without increasing bacteria resistance.
@cantthinkofaname
Um, yes. Vinegar kills most common bacteria. Do some research, instead of merely speculating otherwise.
@gclaudia
I'm not just speculating. I just finished a microbiology class, and we specifically tested how well vinegar works against common pathogens (p. Arugenosa, s. Aureus, p. Vulgaris, b. Cereus, and e. Coli. And the only pathogen out of those that was stopped by vinegar was b. Cereus, and only after being exposed for more than two minutes. You are the one that needs to stop speculating
@cantthinkofaname
You're missing my key point: Unless you drop gadget into the toilet or stick into some orifice for which it's not meant, most people just need to give it a good wipe with some sort of cleaner, whether you use a vinegar/water solution, water/bleach, Lysol, whatever. Shelling out money for the Violight is a waste.
Monk would love this...
Why not use, I don't know, chlorine gas or something? Or cyanide?