Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

September 7, 2008 7:44:16 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

'You Got Jammed!'

Posted Nov 4, 07 2:58 PM CST in Technology 

(Newser) – Ever find yourself cut off mid-conversation, on a bus or train, by a lost signal? Could be the work of the guy sitting next to you, the New York Times reports. An increasing number of people are snapping up pocket-sized jammers, which emit signals strong enough to knock out cell phone communication within, say, 30 feet. They're illegal in the US, but restaurant and shop owners admit to using them, too.

Costing as much as several hundred dollars, jammers are wielded by vigilantes and pranksters alike. “Just knowing I have the power to cut somebody off is satisfaction enough,” one user bragged. “If anything characterizes the 21st century," an analyst notes of talkers and jammers alike, "it’s our inability to restrain ourselves for the benefit of other people.”

Source New York Times

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Verizon Seeks Alltel Deal, Challenge to Top Dog AT&T

    Jun 4, 08 4:06 PM CDT
    Verizon Seeks Alltel Deal, Challenge to Top Dog AT&T Verizon Communications is in negotiations to buy wireless carrier Alltel, a merger that would cover 80 million US subscribers and create the nation's biggest cell-phone company, the Wall Street Journal reports—though the potential $27 billion deal could easily fall through. But if it's consummated, and the feds see no antitrust problems, the new company would surpass AT&T, with 71 million customers, as No. 1. More »

  • FCC to Examine Cancellation Fees for Cable, Phone, Web

    May 31, 08 1:02 PM CDT
    FCC to Examine Cancellation Fees for Cable, Phone, Web The FCC says next month’s hearing on cell phone cancellation fees may also include similar charges leveled by cable and Internet providers. Chairman Kevin Martin hopes the hearing will ease consumer tension over the fees, which were among cell phone users’ five most common complaints last year, the Washington Post reports. The fees typically range from $150-200. More »

  • Cell Phone Market Nears Saturation

    May 30, 08 8:46 AM CDT
    The number of Americans signing up for cell phone service is slowing down after more than a decade of explosive growth, reports USA Today. Within a couple of years, experts say, just about everybody who wants a cell phone will have one, meaning good news for consumers as companies focus on luring each other's customers away instead of signing up new ones. More »

  • Cellphone Sales Drop

    May 20, 08 2:35 AM CDT
    Cellphone Sales Drop The cellphone market is experiencing a significant sales slide, with the most serious decline so far among lower-income users, reports the Wall Street Journal. Studies reveal first quarter sales dips ranging from 5% to  22%. Analysts expect growth to slow even further. The market may be reaching saturation with 83% of Americans owning cellphones. More »

  • Consumers Giving Up Landlines

    May 14, 08 8:29 AM CDT
    Consumers Giving Up Landlines Mobile and Internet-based phones are replacing landline phones in US households as younger Americans lead a movement to newer technologies, reports USA Today. The number of homes depending on wireless phones jumped 159% between 2004 and 2007. Nearly 35% of people 25-29 years old lived in wireless-only households in the second half of 2007, more than double the percentage of wireless-only 30-44 year olds. More »

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Cell phone jammer rocks!   (mutualfunmanager (YouTube))

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 1)

Tags

cell phones  • FCC  • Verizon


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular


Other Technology Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »