Smog Alert >>
<< How Quickly Do Companies Respond to Web...
 tdicon 

(Mis)Uses of Technology

by Mike Masnick

Fri, Jul 7th 2000 9:08am





Forcing Cell Phones to be Quiet

from the public-goods dept

There have been similar attempts before, but now a company is using Bluetooth to try to lower the volume on cell phones when they're in public places. It's not a bad idea. I like how they let doctors override the feature, though. I still don't understand why people don't just use a silent or vibrate mode on their phones most of the time.

4 Comments | Leave a Comment

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments (rss)

(Flattened / Threaded)

  1.  
    identicon
    Ed Classic, Jul 7th, 2000 @ 12:17pm

    qsort (cart, horse)

    Interesting quote from the article:

    "We had been wanting to do something with Bluetooth and at that moment it was, 'A ha! That's it,'" she said.

    In other words: "We had this solution and we were in search of a problem...."

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  
    identicon
    wonko, Jul 7th, 2000 @ 1:46pm

    Silent mode

    Over time, I seem to have developed a psychic connection with my pager. I have it set to a silent mode where all it does is give a quick little

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  
    identicon
    wonko, Jul 7th, 2000 @ 1:51pm

    Silent mode

    Over time, I seem to have developed a psychic connection with my pager. I have it set to a silent mode where all it does is give a quick little 'beep' (similar to a watch beep) and then vibrates. This is more than enough to get my attention when I'm wearing the pager.

    Strangely enough, even when I'm not wearing the pager, I can hear it. Several months ago, I had a part in a play, and I was onstage in a dress rehearsal. My pager was still hooked to my pants, which were in a bag in the very back of the auditorium, behind a stack of chairs. On three separate occasions (three separate dress rehearsals) I was backstage talking to friends and suddenly, without even consciously hearing a "beep", I had an overpowering feeling that my pager had just gone off. I went and checked, and sure enough, it had. This happened three different times. It's downright freaky, if you ask me.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  
    identicon
    Ed, Jul 7th, 2000 @ 4:10pm

    hardly a solution

    Doctors can override the feature? What do they do, download a copy of their medical school diploma into the phone? If there's an override, everyone will be able to use it.


    How about a cell phone that can ring just loud enough to be heard over the ambient noise level? There's already a microphone available to sense this -- no fancy new technology required.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


Add Your Comment

Have a Techdirt Account? Sign in now. Want one? Register here
Get Techdirt’s Daily Email
Save me a cookie
  • Note: A CRLF will be replaced by a break tag (<br>), all other allowable HTML will remain intact
  • Allowed HTML Tags: <b> <i> <a> <em> <br> <strong> <blockquote> <hr> <tt>
Smog Alert >>
<< How Quickly Do Companies Respond to Web...
 tdicon 
Follow Techdirt
Flattr rss rss
A word from our Sponsors...
Sponsored Resource
Essential Reading
Techdirt Reading List
Techdirt Insider Chat

A word from our Sponsors...
Recent Stories

Monday

5:00pm: DailyDirt: Taking Another Look At Nuclear Energy... (2)
3:30pm: Chicago Blackhawks Fire Reporter Over Silly Old YouTube Videos (7)
2:15pm: Prenda's Paul Hansmeier Asks Appeals Court To Delay Sanctions; Appeals Court Says 'No, Try Again' (10)
1:13pm: Major Hollywood Studios All Sent Bogus DMCA Takedowns Concerning The Pirate Bay Documentary (34)
12:07pm: The War On Journalists: DOJ Claimed Fox News Reporter Was An 'Aider, Abettor, Co-Conspirator' With Leaker (62)
10:59am: Court Finds Fantasy Stories Obscene (55)
9:59am: Swedish Prosecutor Claims Registrar Of .se Domains An 'Accomplice' In Infringement Because Of Pirate Bay Domain (55)
8:53am: Your Word Against Ours: How The FBI's 'No Electronic Recording' Policy Rigs The Game... And Destroys Its Credibility (28)
7:50am: Trade Group Representing Many Large Companies Claims That Exceptions For The Blind Would 'Cast Aside' Copyright (92)
5:46am: A New Hope: How Going Free To Play Brought Redemption To Star Wars MMO (45)
More arrow
A word from our Sponsors...

Close

Email This