Some previous attempts at this kind of second-screen/low-power interface that never really caught on:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_SideShow

http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/intel-second-screen

Well... there's evidence right there in the English language.

    dig·it [ˈdijit]

    NOUN
    1) any of the numerals from 0 to 9, especially when forming part of a number.
    2) a finger (including the thumb) or toe.

Right, but that doesn't really say anything about causation; there is definitely a linguistic link between the body parts and numerical digits in this word, but that could have easily developed after base ten became common for other reasons.

The article fails to mention that Standing Rock is currently a very cold place. From what I can tell, it's been below freezing for weeks now.

In those conditions, batteries can drain much faster, report capacity incorrectly and then fail unexpectedly. It's probably magnified by all the extra work the radio has to do to find and hold a signal from the overloaded rural cell towers.

https://www.getorchard.com/blog/iphone-battery-dies-in-cold-...

And anyone who's used a phone in extreme cold with gloves on knows that touchscreens can do a lot of weird things, including opening apps unexpectedly.

My hunch is that a large part of the reports are hearsay by visiting protestors who aren't used to the conditions.