Screaming mobiles scare off phone thieves

2 October 2006 13:59 GMT / By Amber Maitland

The developers of the Remote XT technology are hoping that their software will stamp out mobile phone theft for good.

The new technology renders a stolen mobile useless as causes it to emit a ceaseless human scream and wipes all of the personal data on it.

Software is first installed on to the phone so that once a mobile has been reported to the call centre as lost, the scream can be triggered remotely.

Although taking the battery out temporarily disables the sound, it activates once the battery has been replaced.

Data stored on the phone, however, is not lost when it’s wiped from the system, as the service includes daily remote backup so that it can be downloaded on to a new handset.

“By making mobiles unusable to anyone but the rightful owner, the phones become worthless and we’ll see the market for stolen handsets stamped out once and for all”, said Mark White, managing director of Remote XT.

Although similar software has previously primarily aimed at business users, as it only runs on Symbian or Windows Mobile, Remote XT supports most mobile phones. However, a subscription costs an eyebrow-raising £10 a month.

Perhaps mobile service providers should be encouraged to offer the technology in a package deal.

Keep an eye out for Pocket-lint's own Stuart Miles, offering insight on the new service on Sky News all day.

Full tags

Phones, Phone accessories, Remote xt, Jabra, Bluetooth, CES2007