Microsoft Patents Tech That Would Silence Your Phone For You 251
tsamsoniw writes "Microsoft has filed a patent for a mobile technology called Inconspicuous Mode, aimed at helping you not be 'that guy' who disrupts movies, meals, or meetings with noisy, bright-screened phone alerts. It's a setting that would effectively put your phone in stealth mode when the device sensed it was in a movie theater (thanks to location information) and that the lights had gone down. The idea is, you could still receive alerts if a call or text came in, but no one around you would be disturbed by phone sounds or screen flashes."
Already got it. (Score:5, Insightful)
I already have a phone that does this. As someone who is aware of my surroundings and generally conscientious, I simply turn my phone to "vibrate" or even - God forbid - OFF... It works very well indeed. And I even still receive alerts if a call or text came in. Amazing technology.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
You turn your phone to off, and still get alerts if a call or text come in? That is amazing!
Re:Already got it. (Score:4, Interesting)
The missus already programmed her Android phone to engage in location based auto configuration. She uses it for power management but certainly the same principles can be use for "do not be a jerk" purposes.
A lame *ss software patent for the USPTO. Whodathunkit?
Re:Already got it. (Score:5, Informative)
I love Tasker for this kind of thing.
Turning on wifi at home and at work.
Toggling GPS off when battery power gets low.
Guess though would would need some kind of patent on stuff like this to use it on iOS or Windows Phone 8.
On Android though Tasker has been on every one of my phones for a few years now.
Re: (Score:3)
thanks for censoring yourself. the word "ass" probably offends a LOT of people on this site.
I'm not offended. I prefer ass over ssa, srt or sub any day of the week.
Re: (Score:3)
When you are at a movie, do you even want incoming calls or notifications of anything? I sure as hell wouldn't.
Even then, with Google Voice you can still receive text messages and a list of missed calls even if you have your phone either turned off or in airplane mode to enjoy a movie while saving battery juice; you'll just be left alone for the duration of the movie (I see that as an advantage, not a disadvantage...), but as soon as the phone is connected again you'll be able to read and reply to any text
Re:Already got it. (Score:5, Informative)
I already have a phone that does this. As someone who is aware of my surroundings and generally conscientious, I simply turn my phone to "vibrate" or even - God forbid - OFF... It works very well indeed. And I even still receive alerts if a call or text came in. Amazing technology.
Yes Apple already patented the technology, silencing the phone based on GPS location. [appleinsider.com] Similar to geofencing that came out in iOS 5
Re:Already got it. (Score:5, Informative)
I already have a phone that does this. As someone who is aware of my surroundings and generally conscientious, I simply turn my phone to "vibrate" or even - God forbid - OFF... It works very well indeed. And I even still receive alerts if a call or text came in. Amazing technology.
Yes Apple already patented the technology, silencing the phone based on GPS location. [appleinsider.com] Similar to geofencing that came out in iOS 5
Cute, Apple patents something in 2012 that I've had on my Android phone since 2010 (little app called WhereRing). That sort of thing never happens.
Minor bitch, a script that takes input from existing sensors and uses said input to cause a particular action in existing hardware is not what I would refer to as "technology."
"Bloody obvious" would be a good alternate term.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
I remember having this app for my s60 phone around 2003.. merkitys/meaning was the name.
you could program things based on context.. based on gps(bt-dongle) or cellid(_no_ extra power use, the app would get woken by the os only on cellid changes..).
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Thanks for the link, actually. Yeah, it confirms what the parent said.
Inventors: Bell; Michael (Cupertino, CA), Lovich; Vitali (Toronto, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc. (Cupertino, CA)
Appl. No.: 12/215,592
Filed: June 26, 2008
Re: (Score:3)
Not according to the USPTO
United States Patent 8,254,902
Bell , et al. August 28, 2012
That's the date it was granted. Look closer:
Filed: June 26, 2008
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Already got it. (Score:4, Insightful)
And regardless, isn't it a genial, brilliant idea? Of the kind that even your dog might think while taking a crap. The obviousness of these patents is so clear that it stopped being funny long ago, now it is only outraging.
I agree, sucks companies have to patent the obvious, but if apple didnt patent it someone else would in 2015 and then sue apple for using it for 8 years like the patent troll patenting podcasts in 2009. [slashdot.org]
Re: (Score:2)
Minor bitch, a script that takes input from existing sensors and uses said input to cause a particular action in existing hardware is not what I would refer to as "technology."
What? I have seen some teams use the word technology to describe replacing a std::vector data member with an std::multimap data member.
Pointy-haired-team-lead: "Coming the defect DR-34123 Record selection dialog slows down as the number of selections increase on large data sets. We have implemented a new optimal datastructure technology in the module foo...".
Re: (Score:2)
I already have a phone that does this. As someone who is aware of my surroundings and generally conscientious, I simply turn my phone to "vibrate" or even - God forbid - OFF... It works very well indeed. And I even still receive alerts if a call or text came in. Amazing technology.
Yes Apple already patented the technology, silencing the phone based on GPS location. [appleinsider.com] Similar to geofencing that came out in iOS 5
Please pay Apple $2 every time you use their idea. Just because you press a button rather than use an app does not negate that it is THEIR idea.
Re:Already got it. (Score:5, Funny)
No, this is also about shutting down somebody else's annoying phone.
Which I can do, too - it's amazing what you can accomplish with a simple sledgehammer.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
It may not be as elegant, but flipping the smartphone to vibrate is good enough for me.
I like having my device notify me on my terms. On Android, I can have the device not ring or alert at certain times of the night. On iOS, Do Not Disturb mode is similar.
Geolocation is interesting, but there are a number of issues. If I'm passing by a movie theater and needing to get an important call, will the device give me the option to ignore the marked location, or will it think it is better than I and mute the pho
Re:Already got it. (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm sure I'm not alone.
Re:Already got it. (Score:5, Insightful)
You're so spoiled. Mobile phones have only been commonplace about 15 years and already people talk about them as if they have an inalienable right to be connected everywhere at any time.
People were able to cope with leaving their kids with a babysitter in the 1990s and earlier you know. Without going all prima donna and threatening lawyers.
Re: (Score:2)
Yup and I can also detect when I'm in a movie theater or automatically adjust it when I see a No Cell Phones signs. Its amazing what we humans can do by ourselves.
Re: (Score:2)
You wouldn't buy a screaming hat (Score:4, Interesting)
I agree with you, in this particular case. But there will be situations where I find something trivial and obvious that you find to be a pain in the ass, and vice-versa. Once person might say "I'm aware of what I'm watching and it's trivial and foolproof to press fast-forward on my Tivo remote when there's a commercial" and the other person might say "I shouldn't have to do that or think about that, when I'm trying to concentrate on the actresses' boobies, so mythfrontend should automatically commercial-skip for me." One person might say "I want a padlock icon when it is a totally sure thing (except for a glossed-over list of exceptions, all of which I want to always be un-acknowledged) there is no MitM attack, and I want lack of an icon when the certainty is less than 100.00%; I don't want to think about grey areas and degrees of certainty" and another person might prefer a realistic UI which says "MiTM is probably not happening" or "MitM is very very likely not happening" or "The level of conspiracy required for a MitM right now, has precedent." or "You only have one stranger's assurance that nothing shady is going on, and betrayal would require no conspiracy at all."
We say just a little awareness and common sense solves the problem, maybe because our phones happen to be something we sometimes think about, for whatever reasons that have emerged from our personal quirks. Someone else says "I shouldn't have to be aware of something as unimportant as the current sleep/wake state of one of my pocket computers, among the dozen items I happen to be carrying." If eyeglasses or shoes or hats sometimes spontaneously started screaming in response to external activity, that same person might want the behavior automatically suppressed at some times, whereas you and I would probably raise an eyebrow at the thought of ever buying a screaming hat in the first place, because we already have enough to worry about (our phones) without having to worry about screaming hats.
Different strokes for different folks.
Re: (Score:2)
lol... you know the groupthink here is the only right way.
I'd rather see some kind of signal being sent that you can set to alert, or automatically accept or always ignore rather than location-based services, but location is easier to deal with for now, I'm sure. I agree that this shouldn't be something patentable unless it's a very unique implementation... and even then probably not.
Re: (Score:3)
Actually, from reading further down it looks like there is a claim 6 that triggers this based on a signal from a wifi access point.
Re: (Score:3)
What if this patent is so that the phone can do it without your approval?
That changes the ball game I think.
I'm all for my phone being smart, but only when I tell it to, or only when I'm aware of it, and when I'm ultimately in control of what it does.
Or you could turn it off ... (Score:5, Insightful)
this is like trying to make people good drivers (Score:4, Insightful)
people drive like asswipes because they think the world revolves around them
same here, the people disrupting the movie won't care about this. and probably won't enable it even if their phone had it.
the only solution is to wait two weeks or more until after a movie comes out to see it in an almost empty theater
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
or you can grab it off them and throw it against a wall, and then say "oh man i thought you had a spider on you"
Re: (Score:2)
and they can call the theater security and have them call the cops for stealing and destroying your property
Re:this is like trying to make people good drivers (Score:5, Insightful)
the people disrupting the movie won't care about this.
Even if they did, they'd still answer and say "I can't talk, I'm in the cinema... Really? No way, dude!! Haha. So what did he do next??? You're kidding me!!! " etc.
Re: (Score:2)
Sometimes my wife freaks me out with this sort of stuff. No, she says it really quiet and does it rarely, but... Like, main character's baby falls off a cliff to a certain death and the superhero rushes to the rescue, she'll be like: "Ooh, I like her shoes, I should get ones like these."
Re:this is like trying to make people good drivers (Score:5, Insightful)
the people disrupting the movie won't care about this. and probably won't enable it even if their phone had it.
Most of the people who disrupt movies are not jerks, just forgetful, or they came in a few seconds late and missed the ever present "Cell Phone Off" request that appears on the screen in every theater I've been to in the last 5 years.
This would save a lot of embarrassment and I suspect a lot of people would turn it on if it worked properly.
If they do get it working properly, I'd like to see it on by default, with the setting to turn it off buried 5 menus deep. That would keep the clueless users who can't figure out how to silence their phones from being able to defeat it without the manual.
Re: (Score:2)
Most of the people who disrupt movies are not jerks, just forgetful, or they came in a few seconds late and missed the ever present "Cell Phone Off" request that appears on the screen in every theater I've been to in the last 5 years.
*Raises hand*
I'm someone who chastises friends who look at text messages or answer their phones during a movie. A couple weeks ago for the first time in my life, I forgot to silence my phone before a movie started. It's startling and embarrassing as all hell, but not intentional.
That said, I have met people who seriously just do not care -- they think having it on vibrate is good enough, and if they duck down and talk low enough that nobody will see or hear them. I'd guess there are probably more asshole
Re: (Score:2)
I'd guess there are probably more assholes like this than forgetfuls like me.
But that would be the wrong comparison, would it not?
Since these assholes are (for the moment at least) a small minority of those in the theater, you have to count all those that light up their phones only AFTER the movie IS OVER as non-assholes. And the forgetful, like yourself, as accidental deviations from the non-asshole group.
That puts the thing in proper prospective I think. Where are those ushers with the merciless flashlight that I remember from my youth?
Re: (Score:2)
Most of the people who disrupt movies are not jerks, just forgetful.
Yes, the ringers are forgetful (and thus forgivable), but the texters who insist on blinding the whole theater are just outright jerks. Seriously folks... either go to the lobby or wait and read it later.
Re:this is like trying to make people good drivers (Score:5, Funny)
the only solution is to wait two weeks or more until after a movie comes out to see it in an almost empty theater
that's what I do. otherwise there's always some jerk who thinks it's funny to throw popcorn at me while I'm trying to talk on the phone.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:this is like trying to make people good drivers (Score:4, Insightful)
They're illegal for good reason.
Perhaps you've never had an important call before. One of the jobs I interviewed for was Communication Engineer for the Ambulance Service. That job required 24/7/365.24 on-call duties because
when 911 stops working, it has to get the fuck up fucking fast.
Sometimes doctors go home, sometimes MPs will go to a movie.
Re: (Score:2)
I meant members of parliament, but let's say you were a military policeman watching a movie when someone attacked the US.
They'd want you at the base PDQ.
Re: (Score:2)
Actually, whether you 'must move over' depends on where you are:
http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html
In most states of the US, however, you are not required to move over if you are going at or above 'the normal speed of traffic'. Unfortunately, the law doesn't actually bother to define what that's considered to be, so interpretations vary.
On the bright side, almost all states now allow passing on the right when there are multiple lanes traveling in the same direction.
How does it know when the lights go down..... (Score:5, Insightful)
as opposed to just sitting in your dark pocket?
Re: (Score:2)
Just when you thought they had already invented every phone accessory possible, the come up with special pants.
Re: (Score:2)
Everyone will have some of THESE [cnet.com] Just when you thought they had already invented every phone accessory possible, the come up with special pants.
Kneejerk reaction: That's got to be the dumbest, first-world-problem product I've ever seen!
Secondary reaction: Hey, those would be damn handy for secret games of Angry Birds on those "Death By Meeting" days...
Re: (Score:3)
3. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1 wherein the at least one ambient condition is selected from the group consisting of ambient light and ambient sound.
6. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1 further comprising: detecting a signal from a wireless local area network communication having a network identifier indicating that the mobile communication device should enter the inconspicuous mode; and switching to the inconspicuous mode when the signal is detected.
Claim 3 and 6 of the patent indicate it is looking at light, sound, or a wifi signal.
Re: (Score:2)
I turn my phone face down so the gyroscope and proximity / light sensors trigger to silence it. Prior art, anyone?
Re: (Score:2)
They're probably assuming that everyone wears sheer dresses... (and pants, and shirts,...).
Seems reasonable...
Hey, if that's the NWO dress code, I take back everything bad I ever said about our mysterious overlords!
On second thought... how the heck am I supposed to hide a boner in sheers?
Re: (Score:2)
Meaningless Patents (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
....but I guess you have to play the game.
Only if you intend to perpetuate it.
"I must do evil, because everyone else does" is not a valid excuse, and only serves to eternalize douche-baggery.
Re: (Score:2)
Tasker (Score:2, Informative)
Doesn't tasker already let you do this?
Re: (Score:3)
Does your mom run Tasker?
Re: (Score:2)
Does your mom run Tasker?
Couldn't you have worked in a "Yo mama.." meme there, somewhere?
A hammer? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
I thought hammers have been known for centuries, how did they manage a patent on that?
The same way you patent anything else, by adding the words "over the Internet" to its description.
Turn it off, or leave (Score:5, Interesting)
I own and operate a movie theatre. I have policy trailers that I play before every show telling you to turn your cell phone off. If I see a light from a cell phone while the show is on, I'll go in and ask you to turn it off until the show is over. If I see your light again, I'll ask you to come to the lobby with me, and when you get there I'll tell you to go home.
Since I have been doing this for years, ever since cell phones existed, I have very little problem with cell phones here.
Consistent enforcement is the answer. I have to tell maybe one or two people a month to turn their phones off, sometimes I can go a few months without having to do it once. And I can't remember the last time I threw someone out for that -- it's been at least a couple of years.
Re: (Score:3)
How do you handle it when the theatre is near full and the offender is in the middle of a row?
How do you handle it when the customer declines to get up out of his chair and leave the theatre at your request?
Forgive my skepticism, but the approach you outline here sounds like it would only work on people who are courteous enough not to use their phones in a theate in the first place.
Re: (Score:2)
How do you handle it when the theatre is near full and the offender is in the middle of a row?
That's usually not a problem since the people around him/her will tell that person to turn the phone off. If not, I'll "excuse me" past the crowd in that row and do it myself. 45 seconds of disruption from me going in and out is better than the rest of the movie with a light shining in that row.
How do you handle it when the customer declines to get up out of his chair and leave the theatr
Re: (Score:2)
This last weekend I saw Django Unchained with my girl. The theater was almost full
Re: (Score:2)
install a faraday cage? i'd like to see one in action in a cinema.
Re: (Score:2)
I have a few questions about your experiences, any chance you can email me (your email is not showing), I'd appreciate your insights.
Re: (Score:2)
Thought about installing a GSM and WiFi jammer?
Personally I don't mind, hate people using phones during any gig...
I doubt a theater owner wants to open himself up to FCC liability for running an illegal jammer.
But if it becomes legal and theaters start doing this, then I'll stop going to movies entirely - I *want* the babysitter to be able to call me in case of emergency, that's why I give her my cell number.
I own and operate a movie theatre. I have policy trailers that I play before every show telling you to turn your cell phone off. If I see a light from a cell phone while the show is on, I'll go in and ask you to turn it off until the show is over. If I see your light again, I'll ask you to come to the lobby with me, and when you get there I'll tell you to go home.
I'm surprised you can stay in business with such a small theater - at the big multiplex theaters, they can't even spare the staff to sit through the first few minutes of a film to make sure the sound is running dur
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Thought about installing a GSM and WiFi jammer?
If you're going to break federal law like that, why not just shoot the bastards? I bet you'd have a zero percent recidivism rate after once, maybe twice, you did that.
Personally I don't mind, hate people using phones during any gig...
Yeah, you're rights are more important than anyone else's. How DARE someone want to be reachable in an emergency and still have a life?
"Any gig" makes you sound like a performer of some kind. Yes, I'd sure hate, as a performer, to have someone in the audience texting something like "Am seeing awsome performer, you gotta come see the act...
Re: (Score:2)
How DARE someone want to be reachable in an emergency and still have a life?
People managed just fine before mobile phones came along. Don't be so spoiled.
Yes, I'd sure hate, as a performer, to have someone in the audience texting something like "Am seeing awsome performer, you gotta come see the act..." to their friends while I'm performing. How dare they!
Are you really that dumb? Yes, of course any performer would hate people to be doing that whilst they're performing.
Slashdot, if you want to know the kind of jerk that doesn't have the common sense and curtesy to use his mobile phone appropriately, Obfuscant is a prime example. Kick him next time you see him at the cinema/theatre/concert hall.
This Already Exists... (Score:4, Informative)
Location services isn't that accurate (Score:3)
Currently, using wifi location, my phone thinks it is on the other side of the road from where it actually is. Accurate enough to find the nearest bus stop or whatever I'm looking for, but certainly not accurate enough to know that I am actually inside a particular screening room of a theatre rather than out in the foyer or in a shop next door. As I'm indoors, GPS or Glonass location isn't an option, and even if it was, it still isn't accurate enough for that.
Re: (Score:2)
The problem for location services in theaters is that to improve the reliability you have to do something that is counter productive to encouraging people to NOT use their phones. Location services are most accurate when the the handset can see multiple satellites. Under those conditions accuracy can get below 5 meters. When the handset can't accurately determine it's location from satellites it falls back to towers. So if theater owners really wanted your cell phone to know where it was they would inst
What I'd like... (Score:2)
The room should tell my phone that there's a movie, meeting, et al. going on (based on a published schedule)
Calls should have a priority
The phone should respond appropriately based on the situation and priority of the call
For example: a low priority call might go to voice mail if I'm in the middle of a meeting, but make the phone ring if the same call happened after the meeting is over. A high priority call could make the phone vibrate or ring depending on the situation and my preferences.
Re: (Score:2)
The room should tell my phone that there's a movie, meeting, et al. going on (based on a published schedule)
Calls should have a priority
The phone should respond appropriately based on the situation and priority of the call
For example: a low priority call might go to voice mail if I'm in the middle of a meeting, but make the phone ring if the same call happened after the meeting is over. A high priority call could make the phone vibrate or ring depending on the situation and my preferences.
Yeah, I'd rather see this - have businesses install a short-range beacon to announce itself along with information I might be interested in (hours, movie times, etc) and then my phone can do what I want with the information. Though I suppose it could easily be done with geolocation if it worked indoors.
MsShotgun? (Score:2)
Wait what? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
You don't even need a smartphone with GPS functionality. Any cell phone has the capability of pinpointing your geographical location with pretty decent accuracy as long as it is turned on and connected to cell towers. And, of course, a traditional home phone line/number is traceable to the exact address/person... the only advantage is that you can't just take a home phone everywhere you go and use it, so it's locked to that location. Which is exactly why cell phones were invented and are currently eclips
what (Score:2)
If the phone is in your pocket (or purse) how can the phone determine if the lights have gone down? Does is see through cloth and leather?
What if microsofts location information turns out to be as accurate as Apple Maps? Will phones randomly go silent?
Lights (Score:2)
Err, how would it detect that the lights have gone down if it's in your pocket?
Being "That Guy" might not be so bad (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
When the lights have gone down? (Score:2)
Do they mean, when the person puts the phone away in his or her pocket? I'm not sure exactly how light sensing is a good method of telling anything about the location of a phone, even when combined with GPS data...
wait... (Score:2)
Can this device also detect when any of my friends are around and hide the microsoft/windows logo and show an Android one instead?
Movies, meals or meetings (Score:2)
That's going to be one heck of a database. Every little bistro, conference hall, concert hall, tavern with live music, etc.
Why not some short range (Bluetooth?) protocol on a device that broadcasts a "please use quiet mode" signal?
The idea is... (Score:2)
that this is not an invention, but an idea, or worse, a combination of several simple ideas. It's like a patent for a pianodeskbed, something that you can sleep in while playing the piano, sitting on a desk. Wow, are we clever at Microsoft. Are we quick at Apple?
Every time I leave home my phone reminds me to take it with me, based on location. Wait, no, sorry... I get back on that one.
Cant do it. Violates first amendment rights. (Score:2)
It unfairly and unilaterally impedes the first amendment rights of the callers who have the right to express their opinion that the callee would benefit by the new and exciting services the caller has to offer. Corporations are people my friend. Robot autodialers are agents of the corporate-people who are assigned the right from the corporate people.
Ms Learning Curve (Score:2)
Last year they applied for patents on interpreting users striking their devices. Now, they want to make devices less annoying.
Are they learning from their previous mobile efforts?
Hey Bob, users find our phones annoying and want to hit them. Can we do something with that?
need app for the toilet (Score:2)
This better trun off when you call 911 (Score:2)
This better trun off when you call 911 as the last thing you want to for the sound to be to low when you call 911.
Why are US people so annoying with their phones? (Score:2)
Here in Australia, all the movie theaters (the ones I have been to at least) have signs in the lobby that say "turn off your phone during the show" and they have signage on-screen during the ads that says "turn off your phone during the show". I have never experienced people being annoying with their phones.
What about the US is different and why cant theaters just tell people to turn off their phone (make it a condition of entry and eject people being annoying). If you absolutely have to be contactable, you
Re: (Score:3)
Because in the US rudeness varies a lot as do our other personality attributes. There are some ethnic/cultural attributes which vary interestingly. For example, asian people seem to have the most positive of stereotypes where they are nearly always concerned about whether or not they are in someone else's way. They never want to be rude. Black people tend to be the opposite as they never seem to care when they are in the way of anyone else, talking TO the movies and more. White and hispanic people seem
I want this for my car's GPS (Score:2)
I have long wanted my TomTom to sense the sound level of what is going on around it and to detect if someone in the car is talking. If it detects talking, it will merely beep and put text on the display when it has something to say.
I can't tell you how many times that thing interrupts conversation in the car with some speech I would rather not hear at that exact moment. A beep with text and maybe a "say it anyway" button would be great.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Sounds a lot like basic mapping features that date back to Mapquest.
"Am I in a theater" is the same problem as "are we there yet" or "where can I see the latest special effects spectacular".
Re: (Score:2)
So who is going to volunteer to maintain a list of every movie theater's latitude and longitude? How will they be paid? Will this sort of "location aware" 'feature' be turned into a premium cost of a few pennies per user that is silently added to every smartphone with it enabled (or, with licensing, a few dollars)? What happens when whoever decides to maintain this list doesn't feel like it anymore?
If Google can publish photos of every business, including photos from the *inside* of many businesses, it doesn't seem unreasonable for them to add a field to describe the business type (theater, school, hospital, fire station, etc) in their map database.
Re: (Score:2)
It couldn't possibly detect meetings, or pocket/purse with any reliability.
Theaters, maybe, but even that will be unreliable.
What is needed is the presence of some inexpensive low power transmitter (wifi access point, Bluetooth, Simulated Cell Tower CID, that can't actually be connected to, but which triggers phone silencing/dimming behavior. Users would probably still demand the ability to override this feature.
Re: (Score:2)
It couldn't possibly detect meetings, or pocket/purse with any reliability.
Theaters, maybe, but even that will be unreliable.
What is needed is the presence of some inexpensive low power transmitter (wifi access point, Bluetooth, Simulated Cell Tower CID, that can't actually be connected to, but which triggers phone silencing/dimming behavior. Users would probably still demand the ability to override this feature.
My phone automatically detects when I'm in a meeting and silences the ringer.... at least, it does so as long as my calendar is up to date.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
You can surely feel your phone buzzing, can't you?
Maybe you need to try putting the phone in a MORE inside pocket.
Re: (Score:2)
So this is an idea: When you set your phone to "stealth", it will start broadcasting, maybe once per minute, some kind of bluetooth or wifi message that urges neighboring phones to go into stealth mode automatically. If the other phones pick up enough of these requests and are so configured, they will comply. Phones going into stealth mode automatically don't retransmit the request. It only works when you have a large number of phones in a small area, which also happens to be when it needs to work. Possibility of abuse, some.
Anything to avoid being responsible adults, considerate of those around you, right?