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MacRumors Giveaway: Win a 'Cell' UV Sanitizer and Wireless Charger From Ampere

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For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Ampere to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a UV sanitizer and wireless charger called Cell, which is designed to kill the germs on the surface of a smartphone within a minute.

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Priced at $80, Cell features a Qi-enabled wireless charging base that can charge your iPhone up when needed, but the top pops off and there's an expandable silver-infused antimicrobial shell with UV lights inside that are able to sterilize germs on your iPhone and other small accessories like the AirPods, Apple Pencil, and more.

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To use it, you just pull the top off, expand the sides, place your items inside, and let the light do its work. When done, you can collapse it back down into a wireless charger that's also portable enough to go anywhere. The expandable portion of the charger is made from a flexible silicone that can partially expand in landscape mode to create an ideal viewing angle for watching videos, or in portrait mode for FaceTime calls.

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There are two 15W wireless chargers in the Cell that offer a large charging surface regardless of placement, and the design of the Cell allows it to charge a smartphone of any size. It will charge the iPhone at 7.5W and Samsung devices at 15W, with a grippy silicone surface keeping the smartphone in place. There's a USB-C output port on the Cell so you can attach a cable to charge a secondary device like an Apple Watch or an iPhone with the appropriate USB-C cable.

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For UV sanitizing, the Cell features four 250-280nm UV lights that are able to remove most germs at the DNA level within a minute, which is useful at a time when we're all concerned about sanitation and the cleanliness of the objects we touch on a regular basis. Smartphones can be rife with germs because we touch them so often, and it's not always easy to get iPhones and other small accessories like AirPods clean.

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Though designed with its tent-like expanding design to sanitize iPhones and other small objects, the light inside the Cell can also be used while held over larger objects like MacBooks. Cell is available in black, red, or a unique glow-in-the-dark material.

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Cell is accompanied by several antimicrobial accessories, including an 18W PD mini adapter for charging, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and a Made for iPhone-certified USB-C to Lightning cable for charging the iPhone with the extra port, plus there are optional add-ons like a travel case, antimicrobial cable organizer, and UV self-cleaning water bottle. Pre-orders are available now, with orders expected to ship out in late October.

amperedesigndemo.jpg

We have seven Cell wireless charger and sanitizers to give away to MacRumors readers, with each prize pack to include all of the above listed accessories. To enter to win our giveaway, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.


The contest will run from today (October 2) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on October 9. The winners will be chosen randomly on October 9 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

Article Link: MacRumors Giveaway: Win a 'Cell' UV Sanitizer and Wireless Charger From Ampere
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/10/02/macrumors-giveaway-ampere-cell-wireless-charger/
Put is out in the sun for a bit, cost...$0

No really, germs aren't that bad for people, the more (especially at young age) you get exposed to them the more your system is able to cope with them.
Viruses are a totally different story though.
 
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I have serious doubts that it's a real UV light source (which is typically a quartz bulb). There is loads of products out there that are just fake snake oil devices with UV-looking blue/white LEDs.

UV emitting LEDs do exist, but they are rare and expensive. They also have a *very* distinct look to them and do not resemble your typical LED.

Check out Big Clive on Youtube, he's analyzed a number of fake LED UV devices.
 
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hilarious. I'm not sure people realize that most common cold germs and influenza strains can only survive approximately 24 hours on hard surfaces like your phone. Not enough data yet on Covid-19, but it probably lives a bit longer, up to a few days. In any event, the idea of mobile phones being filthy germ breeding grounds is silly. Essentially, your phone "sanitizes" itself every 24 hours for most infectious diseases through simple attrition of the germs/virus. In the case of Covid, if you haven't gotten the virus on your phone in the last 3 days or so, no amount of disinfection is going to help - the germs are already dead. I mean, washing hands and cleaning high-touch surfaces is great, but phones don't need a dedicated UV disinfection system. What do you do for other surfaces that you touch after possible exposure to germs (i.e. perhaps after you've been out shopping)...your steering wheel? the inside door handle in your car? your wallet? your front door knob? If you wipe those things down every day with disinfectant, then by all means, wipe your phone too. But a UV-sanitizing charger? :rolleyes:
 
This will be a great museum piece in a couple of decades, to substantiate a narrative of fearmongering and general hysteria associated with this year.
 
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justperry said:
Put is out in the sun for a bit, cost...$0

No really, germs aren't that bad for people, the more (especially at young age) you get exposed to them the more your system is able to cope with them.
Viruses are a totally different story though.
Click to expand...

1st viruses are germs.
2nd what you said before you mentioned viruses, was true and also applies to viruses including covid (proven by the fact that kids don’t get sick from it, as they can adapt to these exposures easily)
 
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1madman1 said:
UV emitting LEDs do exist, but they are rare and expensive. They also have a *very* distinct look to them and do not resemble your typical LED.
Click to expand...
They are about $4 so at least the price checks out for this device, since it's $80 for a charger. It is supposed to have 4 of them, and they straight out say they are using UVC LED. If it was $15 for a charger then it would be a different story.
 
Kraszim said:
They are about $4 so at least the price checks out for this device, since it's $80 for a charger. It is supposed to have 4 of them, and they straight out say they are using UVC LED. If it was $15 for a charger then it would be a different story.
Click to expand...

I just realised they do use 4 250-280nm UV lights after reading your post.
Hopefully there are some safety features built into this, UVC is pretty harmful for humans.
 
I think these are UV Light Cleaners are a great idea. I almost bought a Phone Soap for my iPhone a couple years ago. I gifted four of them out for Christmas to friends and relatives, and almost bought one for myself. The feedback was great as they could clean their keys and other small items too. Since Covid started they have been on back order. I know it is a different brand, but I believe UV Sanitizing is going to become more mainstream rather quickly. I have seen a multitude of businesses pop-up to jump on this bandwagon. The Ampere has a nice look to it and appears to be well thought out and constructed.
 
justperry said:
I just realised they do use 4 250-280nm UV lights after reading your post.
Hopefully there are some safety features built into this, UVC is pretty harmful for humans.
Click to expand...
You should be fine since this has this enclosure design. I'm not so sure about more plasticity phones, but since this is supposed to be 1 minute long session, they should be fine as well
 
Kraszim said:
You should be fine since this has this enclosure design. I'm not so sure about more plasticity phones, but since this is supposed to be 1 minute long session, they should be fine as well
Click to expand...

Might have some safety guards built in like a switch, similar to a microwave even, as soon as you slightly open the device it switches off.
 
I am having the hardest time trying to figure out how to apply for the giveaway. Can someone point me in the right directions. I would like to be added to the drawing.
 
Kountry said:
I am having the hardest time trying to figure out how to apply for the giveaway. Can someone point me in the right directions. I would like to be added to the drawing.
Click to expand...
(?)
The green "Click Here to Enter" button is near the bottom of that Giveaway article.
Click the button (it's green!), and you get to enter your name, and your email address.
That's pretty much it. Oh, then you wait to see if you have won.
 
I have worked in a microbiology laboratory. We used alcohol to kill germs. When we did use UV light, it was in a shielded flow hood which could give you sunburn in less than 10 seconds if exposed. This piddly UV lamp isn't going to do anything, except degrade plastics in the iPhone at a faster rate.

Don't buy these things. Save your money.
 
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