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Mobile Phone Abuse and AbUsers
Doctor Hu writes "The Economist has a story ("Think Before You Talk") describing a new range of mobile phone prototypes designed by Ideo to discourage antisocial usage - devices ringing in concert halls, loud proclamations that the caller is on his way home, etc. The first of the series uses electric shocks to condition the user to talk at a non-intrusive level; the others are similarly ingenious. Not intended to be commercially produced, just to provoke discussion (and provide publicity for Ideo, presumably). Nice comment at the end from one of the designers that for devices like mobile phones, "user-centric" design needs to take the needs of people nearby the user into account as well."
How about any ringtones at all? Seriously, there should just be laws saying that all cellphones can operate in vibrate-mode only if in any public place.
But then again, I would rather see litering fines collected against every single smoker that drops a butt on the ground.
There will always be people who "have" to be reachable for one reason or another - on call, babysitter, etc etc.
A better idea would be to make people check their phone in the lobby, and having someone answer it for them.
Oh, I can't help quoting you because everything that you said rings true
The SoMo4 (the knock-knock phone) is a great idea, though. By being able to communicate not just that I want to talk, but the importance I place on the conversation, it makes it much easier for the other person to decide if it's a good time or not. Even for me, as a call receiver.
"Caller ID" phone numbers are a bad method of determining priority. People call for multiple reasons, and people call for all sorts of devices... including devices owned by another person. Any method of letting me know that someone who I trust is there and wants to talk to me is good. The "secret knock" would be tremendously functional, so that someone could get my attention regardless of where they're calling from.
Not that we explicitly need the "knock-knock" style, but if my cell phone provider always asked the caller "Select a Priority" before ringing me, and then letting me see that priority, it could enhance the experience for me. So when I'm just sitting around I can take those Priority-5 "Hey what's up?" calls, but when I go into the theater I could set my phone to reject everything but Prioirty-0 calls (which I would leave the theater take).
There are all sorts of "permission" issues for things, but this can be handled with passcode-type answers (where anything above a certain level requires a code to be accepted) or automated system permissions (calls from hospitals would always be allowed to go to a higher level than other calls), without requiring me to identify based on phone numbers.
A nice tech solution would be an interrupt message that explains to the incoming caller that the user is within a zone where cell phones work, but would not be welcomed. The caller then gets the option to allow a $1.50 charge to their phone to complete the call. Calling a doctor to an emergency is worth $1.50, calling little Jimmy to check up with him when he's out on a Friday night usually isn't.
I think the problem is more the volume at which people talk on the phones. The number of times while commuting I've sat while somebody bellows at a mobile:
"I'm on the train. ON THE TRAIN. YES. I'LL BE THERE IN FIVE....hello? HELLO..."
is countless. Travelling on Connex southcentral was bad enough without having to put up with that as well.
You'd think that'd work wouldn't it? I distintly remember, at towards the end of the two towers, one schmuck who no only didn't turn off his ringer on his cell phone, but actually had a conversation on his phone in the theatre. When I was paying $14 to see the movie. People shushed him, people even shouted at him, but he kept on talking on his phone.
I'm sorry - if you're a doctor or something and have business that important, just get a beeper or use text messages or something.
The problem, of course, is making sure you always have the phone's ringtone set that way. Forgetfulness is the most common reason for ringing phones in movie theaters, I imagine.
Trolls lurk everywhere. Mod them down.
So make "dual mode"(ok, bad term, sorry) phones that will vibrate, but automatically transfers the call into voicemail - where there is _no_ option to answer it. Have this Pager-Like option enabled by a low power transmitter located in the building.
That way the user could still have their phone and still be alerted that there is a phone call, but they wouldn't have to make any sound and could then walk out into a "Cell OK" area, listen to the message and call the person back.
Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but copyright will always protect me.
Don't need a law.
But perhaps there could be an infrared and Bluetooth code which tells cell phones "public space - vibrate-only mode". Another code which says "safety zone - ring phone and turn off, or change to pager-only mode".
Timeouts would exist on the modes, of course...I'd particularly like theaters with timeouts linked to show ending time, so the show is protected and phones will unlock quickly even if I don't leave through the lobby (which should require passing through a short-timer zone which would reset phones of people who leave early).
It could work like this: You get call. You hear it on your bone conduction headset and see on head up display. You type replies with twiddler and synthesizer converts text into sound and sends it to the person at other side.
Other people might not even realize you have wearable phone and are 'talking' on it, see modern wearable computer example here.
Downside: Don't see anybody with above like product out ... yet.
I have often thought that it would be a good idea (and I mention in here lest someone patent it sometime in the future and make ludicrous amounts of money), to have ones phone monitor the background noise and alter the volumne of the ringer based upon it.
i.e.
In a quiet theatre, on a long distance train journey, there would be little ambient noise and the phone would ring quietly.
In a noisy bar, or whilst walking near heavy traffic it would ring loudly.
It would be trivial to implement - all phones have built in microphones after all.
If I were able to write my own firmware and UI for my phone (i.e. If the APIs were available, and everything didn't have to be signed). This would be one of the features I would add.
Of course there would be complications - what volume should be used if the phone were tucked away in a thick coat, or in a ladies handbag?
I like what one of the local Movie Houses does
The put up a short that says "There is No problem with you getting a phone call during the movie , we'll wait"
An the footnote says that they will stop the movie, turn on the house lights, and wait
The next slide then encourages the REST of the audience to pelt the offender with popcorn
BTW The first time I was there after the notice went up, yep, someones cellphone rang. They stopped the movie, and started bring up the lights - you should see how fast the phone got hung up!
-- 73 de KG2V For the Children - RKBA! "You are what you do when it counts" - the Masso
For anyone that speaks Japanese, you might want to listen to the song by Ayumi Hamasaki entitled "Endless Sorrow". Much more convincing, however, is the music video. Try to find it on a P2P network, or email me for it ... it's a really powerful piece about big brother and laws exactly like this.
[insert witty comment here]
There's been a device on the market for several years in Japan that does straight out blocking. Works by blocking the initial cell network -> handset 'are you there' signal rather than the carrier. Cost, from memory was ~US$500 per unit, and effective blocking range was in the 5-10 metre range. Very popular with restraunts, who advertise that they are genuinely a cellphone free space.
The biggest problem with these devices is that the offender would have to have purchased them. "Yes, I'd like the phone that will shoot electricity into me when I'm rude". ;-)
Personally, I have no patience for people who are rude with their phones:
I know very well that I would never remember to put my phone in "vibrate" mode when walking into a movie theater. So, I just *always* keep my phone in vibrate mode. Problems solved. Why can't others do this? I don't know.
Most phones have Caller ID, so the argument that you always have to be available to answer emergency calls is bogus. Yes, if you get a phone call that is likely an emergency, just answer it. But if its not a likely emergency, ignore the vibrate. Or just give a quick "can I call you back?" to check that its not an emergency.
No matter where you are, it is usually (not always) easy to find a spot where you can talk without annoying people.
Manners 101.
As for whether or not it should be a law... The libertarian in me opposes any law against cell phone rudeness. Every business has the ability to eject customers that are rude to other customers -- and cell phone use is no exception here. Let the free market figure it out.
Throwing your drink at a fellow movie-theater-goer would be vigilante justice, and very, very wrong. So, please refrain from doing that while I'm looking the other way. ;-)