When I flew fairly regularly with MALEV (up until 2001), before any departure the cabin crew would walk down the aisles with some kind of "wand" that detected any activity from a switched-on device. I thought this very innovative and reassuring and was (and am) amazed never to have seen this on another carrier. Do they still do this? And why don't others?

I guess some kind of cross-electronics-industry, independently warranted/audited "safe for aircraft use" branding scheme is the way forward, though for devices that are safe in certain modes and not in others there are clearly difficulties.

I hope mobiles remain un-usable on board for the sake of all our peace and quiet. So, I'm sure, do the operators of the ruinously pricey satellite phones on board!