Shutting Up Annoying Cellphones

NoWhere Man writes: "North Carolina-based BlueLinx, which produces consumer applications for short-range wireless systems, and" Hold on I gotta take this call.... " a telecommunications center at the University of Adelaide in Australia are developing a feature for mobile phones that interacts with Bluetooth shortwave radio-link systems in public places. The feature is designed to automatically silence cellphone ringing. Once inside the Bluetooth coverage area, cellphones with the "Q-Zone" feature will be silenced."

Comments

And I would buy this phone why?

[sulli]

Modern cellphones have a SILENT feature that works wonders. I guess some people can't be bothered to use such a thing, but I for one would prefer to control my own damn phone than submit to something like this. You know, personal responsibility and all that?

sulli

Not Terribly Interesting

[Seumas]

The idea is not all that interesting, but I certainly don't see any problems with using it. If I'm a doctor or if I'm on call when a server goes down, I can over-ride the feature and still receive my call.

At best, this is just a small feature to allow busy people who don't want to have to remember to turn their phones off when they enter a movie theater, to have it done automatically. Fine with me. This isn't going to prevent the annoying noise of cell-phones, unless people make the voluntary decision to do so.

I don't really even find cell-phones that annoying, unless it's in certain circumstances such as theaters. And chances are that some dumbass is going to think that waiting for a call from his buddies downtown is just as important as the call for the doctor who has to rush to the hospital to save a car-accident victim's life.

I'm not suggesting we should force anyone to turn their phones off or down, either. That's a bit stupid and big-brotherish, to me. It also could leave a lot of room for lawsuits and liability issues.

This only serves to make life a tiny notch simpler for those who care to be responsible enough to keep their volume down or off in certain public places. The problem of those who could care less about making those 'sacrifices' will have to be dealt with via old-fashioned intolerance by people around them when their phones go off and they engage in annoying conversation while you're trying to enjoy a flick. That is, next time someone's phone rings in the middle of a movie and they don't immediately shut it off -- or worse, they answer it and start talking, the people around them should chastise them for it. It's better than enforcing some dumb law and the moron still has the choice of leaving the theater or staying there and being a prick, if he can put up with the resulting disapprovement of the other movie-goers.
---
seumas.com

Excellent!

[The Night Watchman]

I, for one, am seriously thrilled to no end by this bit of news. Now, if only children came with this feature...

/* TNW */

My company is doing something like this too.

[Shoeboy]

Seattle, WA Shoeboy Industries, a leading producer of homemade bongs, has announced plans to enter the wireless market in a big way.
"Many people are bothered by individuals who use their cell phones in innapropriate places." announced Shoeboy. "Just yesterday I was taking a leak and the guy at the next urinal was on the phone with his wife. I'm sorry, but if a guy is going to say 'I love you honey' in a public restroom, I expect a blow job."
Shoeboy Industries hopes to combat these annoying mobile phone users by introducing a technology called ActiveGlock.
"ActiveGlock will provide a convienient point and click interface to silence those mobile users once and for all!" exclaims John Cheese, tech stock analyst for pointlesswasteoftime.com. "I'm very bullish on Shoeboy Industries stock right now. Shoeboy should be able to mow down the competition and shoot his way to the top of NASDAQ."
A representative for the Disgrunted Postal Workers Association revealed that it's members had been evaluating ActiveGlock technology and hope to implement it "When those bastards least expect it."
Others are less optimistic. "Technically it's murder," declares University of Utah law professor Dr. Rajeev Papshigali, "we wish it was justifiable homicide, but it isn't."
Dr. Papshigali's warnings went unheeded on wall street where Shoeboy Industries closed at 2.25 for a gain of 2.24 points on the day.
--Shoeboy

Re:Censorship

[Monte]

Am I going to be the only person who realizes that this is censorship?

Yes. Here's the clue: Censorship can only be done by the government.

You don't like the fact that the theatre you paid to get in to blocks cell phones? Walk out.

classrooms

[emgeemg]

Hrm, I wonder if this feature was funded at all by university professors. :) At least at my school the number one annoyance for professors is probably the two or three times per class that someone's cellphone rings. It's like the professors are beaten into submission too. Most times they just shake their head in disgust and go on with the lecture. The funniest (and most annoying) incident was when a classmate of mine asked the professor a question. The professor started into answering it, then the student's cellphone went off. Now, most times they'll just quickly smack the thing off like an alarm clock on a monday morning. Not this guy! He proceeded to get up and go out into the hall and take the call! I dont think the professor actually believed what had just happened as all he did was chuckle and move on. Could have been worse though, at least he had the decency to leave the room. He could have taken it right from his desk. :)

phonebashing

[Fist Prost]

Personally I find it much more fun to take care of annoying cellular user the Old Fashioned way.

Mobile phone etiquette

[Goonie]

In Australia, and (presumably) the US and the UK, having a mobile phone ring while in the cinema is considered *extremely* rude. However, when I was in Hong Kong last year, it seemed like this was perfectly acceptable behaviour. What differences in acceptable mobile phone etiquette have other Slashdot readers noticed from place to place?

The user has to allow it.

[Matt_Bennett]

For this feature to work, the user is going to have to allow it. Once Bluetooth enabled phones come out, users are going to quickly learn that they should not automatically connect to any bluetooth enabled device- first of all, the local Bluetooth piconet (limited to 16 devices, I think) is going to go quickly to capacity. Of course bluetooth will quickly be adopted by spammers and their ilk, which will cause most people to quickly disable the automatic discovery and promiscuous communication.

I have a feeling that the features that allow this sort of thing (stopping ringers) will not be automatically enabled (unless Microsoft dominates the technology). Would you be willing to share the contents of your PDA with anyone who walks by?