A traveller once asked to see a smartphone in North Korea, and was amazed to see some of the ‘technology’ that it had installed on it.
If you want to see what the phone contained, you can watch his video below:
So, this was a few years back now, and it’s worth remembering that the world has changed significantly since 2015.
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Even North Korea probably has better smartphones than this one now, even though they’re obviously not going to be cutting about with the latest iPhone or – especially not – Samsung products.
Samsung devices are from South Korea, which is why that’s probably incredibly unlikely.
Anyway, in this video it appears as if a group of visitors to North Korea asked their guide if she’d mind them having a look at her smartphone to see what features it had.
After telling them that it has an ‘encyclopaedia’ function, which we must imagine isn’t going to be Wikipedia, she then reveals that it has another more fascinating feature.
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It’s got an app that claims to repel mosquitos.
The app produces a really high-pitched and annoying noise that claims – as the animation on screen shows – to be anathema to mozzies, making them leave the mobile phone user alone without biting them.
Huge, if true.
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Of course, it would be hard to sleep through this noise, so it won’t be much use at night, but do they work at all?
The simple answer is no.
According to an ABC News article from a few years back, there have been countless apps that have claimed to stop mosquitos through sound over the years, and none have been shown to have any benefit whatsoever.
In fact, it could even be that these apps cause more mosquito bites, according to some studies.
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That’s based on both field testing and laboratory experiments.
It’s bogus, basically.
BBC News cite a 2010 review article that put the ultrasonic mosquito repellent to the test and concluded that they ‘have no effect on preventing mosquito bites’ and ‘should not be recommended or used’.
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That review continued: "Given these findings from 10 carefully conducted studies, it would not be worthwhile to conduct further research on EMRs [electronic mosquito repellents] in preventing mosquitoes biting or in trying to prevent the acquisition of malaria."
So, there you have it.
If you find yourself in North Korea with a smartphone that claims to be effective against mosquitos, you can remember that science says it’s a load of hogwash.
Probably worth using that as a starting point for some other elements of your trip, as well.
Topics: World News, Technology
Tom Wood