Q: My dad is about to start using a cell phone holder in his car that uses a small magnet to hold the cell phone in place. Do small magnet holders affect the battery, screen, or any other part of the cell phone?
—Jon

A: By and large, magnets aren't the best things to put near an electronic device. As a kid, did you ever try putting a magnet near your TV set, only to see it warp the picture slightly? In that case, the magnet was distorting the flow of electrons from the CRT. Magnets aren't good for a cassette or a floppy-disc drive either (if anyone still uses them).

In your case, however, I wouldn't worry. Unless you're talking about some giant magnet such as the one seen in the season finale of Lost, you shouldn't have problems with magnets and a cell phone. I assume you're talking about a holder specifically designed for cell phones so that the magnets in it are likely to be quite small. And in any case, the Motorola Pebl uses small integrated magnets to keep the flip cover closed.