Mobile Phones With Manners

Xeni Jardin, as a new contributor to TheFeature.com, writes about a Lemelson-MIT Invention Index study on Americans' attitudes towards cell phones which reveals that "30% of the respondents cited the mobile phone as the most-despised yet essential invention, edging out old stand-bys like the alarm clock (25%) and television (23%)".

"The irony is that technologically instilling mobile phones with social intelligence may be easier than teaching people manners. To that end, Schmandt and his colleagues are developing software agents that minimize the inappropriate behavior of mobile phones. Beyond just combating rudeness though, Schmandt's innovations would also be a godsend to those who want to be both accessible and polite.

One of the research group's approaches is to enable mobile phones to ask each other what the best behavior may be for a given situation. That way, even if you forget to switch off your ringer when you sit down in a theater, your phone would wirelessly query the settings of the other handsets in the vicinity.

For instance, you could program your phone to be on the lookout for your supervisor's phone. Then, if you're chatting with the boss and someone happens to dial your number, the call would automatically be routed to voicemail."

emily | 4:30 PM | Cell Phone Etiquette |
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