Are the stories that mobile phones can cook eggs or make popcorn pop really myths?
As set out by snopes.com, they are both myths. There is simply not enough power from a mobile phone to produce either effect. A mobile phone has a maximum average power of about 0.25 watts, compared to 900 watts or more from a microwave oven. In the case of the egg myth, it started from a spoof article in 2000. You can see a video of the egg-cooking myth being debunked here. The popcorn myth was started in June 2008 as a Youtube video promotion by a Bluetooth headset manufacturer who described the videos as ‘fictitious and humorous optical illusions, designed for entertainment.’ A clue to the myth is that the popcorn started to pop when the phones were ringing, the phone is transmitting only intermittently until the call is answered.
