a couple of articles from silicon.com



Peeping Tom filter lets phones see through bikinis

October 25 2004

by Jo Best

Vodafone accessory has 'unexpected' uses

A phone that lets you see through clothes is the stuff of teenage boys' dreams - and now it's a reality in Japan.



A third party developer in Tokyo, Yamada Denshi, has developed an add-on to Vodafone handsets, intended to be used as a night filter to allow Big Red's customers to take pictures with their phones in the dark.


Unfortunately, the night vision camera has an unexpected side effect - in the right circumstances, it allows users to see a lot more than they bargained for.

As well as taking snaps in the dark, the Yamada Denshi infrared filter sees through people's clothes.

When attached to a high-end camera, the device can give the effect of seeing through some garments it depends on how easily infrared can penetrate the fabric in question - and is reportedly particularly effective on dark bikinis.

The handset most often used with the £100 filter - the V602-SH - is only available in Japan.

A Vodafone spokeswoman confirmed the peeping Tom accessory isn't a problem in the UK. She added that Yamada Denshi is a third party supplier, Vodafone's control is limited. "They are not an approved third party," she said.

"We would never go to market with a phone with any kind of capacity to see people naked."

Camera phone technology has long prompted fears of voyeurism, leading several gyms - and even some Scottish schools - to ban picture phones in case they were used to take inappropriate pictures.

Voyeurism with camera phones became such a problem in South Korea that the government legislated the phones must make a noise when pictures are taken.


New mobile for Christmas? Give the old one to charity

December 23 2004

by Sylvia Carr

It's easy...

If a new mobile phone awaits you under the Christmas tree, you don't have to toss the old one in the bin - there's a simple way to donate it to charity.


Falkirk-based recycling company The Recycling Appeal runs a programme whereby a portion of the funds generated from the sale of used mobile phones and empty ink cartridges is donated to charities.

Jamie Rae, chief executive of The Recycling Appeal, said: "This Christmas there will be millions of mobile phones exchanged as gifts. Most recipients already have old phones. This is an easy way to help the environment and charity at same time."
Hardware can be sent directly to the company or - if you call it on 08712 505050 or visit its website - it'll send you a freepost envelope for your donation.
Businesses looking to make regular donations can receive several freepost bags or have a courier sent to pick up the used hardware.
Last year The Recycling Appeal recycled some 680,000 phones and 1.2 million printer cartridges through the programme.
UK charities involved include Marie Curie Cancer Care, the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, the Royal National Institute of the Blind, the Children's Hospice Association Scotland and Northern Ireland Hospice Care.
The Recycling Appeal operates in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain and will open its doors in the US starting next April.
According to market researcher Gartner, 167 million mobile phones were sold worldwide in the third quarter of 2004.