Future iPhone May Land Safely When Dropped

Ever cracked your cell phone by dropping it on a hard surface? You may be pleased to know that Apple has submitted a patent for a device that would flip over falling iPhones so they land without breaking the screen, the Telegraph reports. First revealed on Appleinsider, the mechanism would measure a phone's fall with position sensors, accelerometers, or gyroscopes. How to flip it around in mid-air? Apple considers using:

• "Lift foils" that emerge from the surface of the phone
• Thrusting gas to turn the phone around
• A weighted mass inside the phone

The patent also looks at ways to stop iPhones from being dragged off tabletops by their cables—perhaps by ejecting the cables when pulled rapidly along a surface. Sadly, the Telegraph notes that none of these plans seem close to fruition. (More Apple stories.)