A Cell Phone That Won’t Stop Screaming Is The Latest Way To Yell Back At A Thief
Posted October 3, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Now your phone can do the screaming for you.
A British company has come up with new technology that makes a selected handset emit a high-pitched wail when it receives a signal that it’s been taken by a thief.
And that pilfering person can’t get access to your sensitive data.
The company responsible for the idea, Synchronia, has designed the anti-theft device to work even if the crook tries to replace the SIM card inside the phone itself. They’ve created a system that stores all your information – contacts, appointments, ringtones, text messages, email and more – on a central server.
That means if the device disappears, you can simply get a new phone, reload it and immediately reclaim everything you’ve lost.
But the person who took or found the phone can’t see any of it.
And once it’s reported missing, the company can remotely start the screaming, rendering the portable useless for resale.
The high pitched wail sounds exactly like a woman screaming in terror and it can’t be stopped without removing the battery. The device can’t be rebooted and the screaming begins again immediately after the power source is re-inserted.
“It makes a loud squealing noise which is enough to distract a restaurant if it went off and it completely locks the phone,” explains Remote XT Managing Director Mark Whiteman.
The phone will still work while it’s screaming – but only to call the British version of 911.
“According to industry sources, it takes on average only 30 seconds for someone to notice that their phone is missing, compared to an hour for a wallet or purse,” explains the company’s Carsten Brinkschulte.
“Using our service, crime victims can be reassured that their information is immediately removed from the stolen phone, along with the satisfaction of annoying the thief with a screaming handset.”
It costs about $18 a month to safeguard your secrets but the service is only available in the U.K. for now.
If it’s as successful as its creators hope, the technology could scream its way into North America within the next two years.
To hear the scream for yourself in an MP3 format, click here.
