Bad Designs - Cheek music

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Cheek music

By Lawrence Barichello, Toronto

Here is my new cordless phone. (See Photo A.) The problem is that when you talk on it, the buttons press against your cheek (See Photo B.) This either turns the phone off altogether or gives you and your caller an annoying earful of keypad beeps. It happens a lot more often when you hold the phone against your shoulder to jot down a note while talking.

Design suggestion

One idea would be to recess the buttons somehow or make them stiffer so they can still be easily pressed by your thumb or finger but not accidentally pressed by your cheek.

Increasing the curve of the phone might help. I have noticed that flip-style cell phones do not seem to have this problem because their angle, when opened, leaves more space between the phone and your cheek.

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