Barry Fox patent find: Fraud-proof phones

Barry Fox for New Scientist describes an IBM patent that should thwart cell phone thieves from making phone calls.

"Under a special new setting, personal contact numbers stored on the device are marked as "OK-to-dial" without a password. ... And adding someone to the phone's memory also requires the correct password.

If a thief steals your phone and tries to call a number not in the memory, the phone prompts them for the right code. If the wrong one is entered, the device shuts down completely until it is inputted."

emily | 4:17 PM | Technology |
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