A Hidden Threat To Handhelds

Logic Bomb writes: "An article from the San Francisco Chronicle focuses on a lawsuit against Palm, but talks about a larger issue: static and handheld computers. Basically, as computing equipment becomes smaller and more likely to be carried around, major damage from static becomes a serious threat. As the blurb at the end of the article says, it takes 3500 volts for a human to feel a shock, but only 200 to potentially scramble a microchip." We already mentioned the lawsuit, but this has more information about the supposed risks to your motherboard.

Comments

It's a class B computing device... no big deal

[hillct]

It doesn't matter how small it is. Since It's a Class B computing device it can only radiate a certain amount of emissions (or is that just RF). The user should simply be aware that any electronic device will carry this risk, no matter how small, and by purchasing the device, assumes the risk... No harm no foul...

A bunch of lawyers just decided that they might be able to make a quick buck here...

--CTH