Even if you tricked out your cellie with a Bedazzler and a crapload of charms, it's nowhere near as cool as this. The CellScope, still in its prototyping phase, is an attachment for camera-enabled mobile phones that turns them into microscopes. The attachment would allow any user with rudimentary training to diagnose malaria in the field, and transmit the image directly to a clinic or lab. Developed at UC Berkeley, the researchers involved have already attracted participation by Microsoft and Nokia, and expect a mass-manufactured version to sell for less than $100.

Given the rapid proliferation of cellular technology in parts of the developing world where malaria is the leading cause of child mortality, this could represent an enormous boost in the race to defeat the wily parasite.

via The Economist