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Cheap Cell-Phone Detector

Posted by timothy on from the and-tim-gets-10%-for-fairness dept.

An anonymous reader contributes a link to a BBC News article on a cheap cell-phone detector created by six New Zealand high-school students for a business competition, excerpting "The detector, which they have called CellTrac-r, works by picking up the bursts of radio frequency activity that emit from a mobile each time it sends or receives a call or a text message. The device can detect these bursts of electro-magnetic energy up to a radius of 30 metres. It can also measure the amount of the energy to determine the distance of the mobile.", and noting "Seems like a perfect /.er hack project, and as initiator I get 5% of gross profits."

3 of 296 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Neat, Now if only by Albanach · · Score: 4, Insightful
    I can see police cars equipted with this kinda stuff in places where Yack and Drive is illegal.

    I don't drive, though I'm often a passenger in cars. I'm often a passenger on buses too, strange as this may sound to some North Americans. In both situations I'll frequently use my mobile phone - are the police really going to start tracking vehicles and trying to establish if there's more than one occupant? What about single occupant cars with a proper hands free kit installed? What about sensible folk who when driving ignore the fact their phone was ringing and let it divert to voicemail? I really can't see the police wasting much time with this.

  2. Re:Neat, Now if only by tzanger · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The only thing that stops me is that it would jam medical pagers for doctors and emergency service reserves on duty..

    That, and I'd personally beat you senseless for determining that you have any say whatsoever over my use of a cell phone on a train, bus or any other form of public transit. I am perfectly capable of using my cellphone properly; your use of vigilante justice would earn you some in return.

  3. Re:Neat, Now if only by BroccoliGod · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The only thing that stops me is that it would jam medical pagers for doctors and emergency service reserves on duty..

    That, and I'd personally beat you senseless for determining that you have any say whatsoever over my use of a cell phone on a train, bus or any other form of public transit. I am perfectly capable of using my cellphone properly; your use of vigilante justice would earn you some in return.

    To paraphrase Ennio Flaiano: "On Slashdot there are two kinds of cell phone fascists: fascists and anti-fascists."

    -BroccoliGod