Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Cell Phone Tight Beam

 Legitimate users only.
  (+4)
(+4) 		  [vote for,
against]

With privacy swiftly eroding, take some of it back by making calls which can't be physically located. Using a highly directional antenna, this cell phone makes contact with exactly one tower. With only one data point available to the authorities, triangulation and multilateration locating techniques are thwarted.

As a bonus, phone efficiency increases because less power is wasted sending signals into space.

—Aq_Bi, Jan 07 2015

//Taken to it's logical conclusion// South_20Facing_20Ear_20Trumpet
[mitxela, Jan 08 2015]

It works without the string also http://fineartameri...zanne-schaefer.html
[normzone, Jan 08 2015]

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       So, how does the phone find the tower, in the first place ?
—FlyingToaster, Jan 08 2015
   

       Point the antenna around, until it receives a good signal.
—Aq_Bi, Jan 08 2015
   

       Taken to it's logical conclusion, you would engage in line of sight communications with the other party.
—normzone, Jan 08 2015
   

       // Point the antenna around, until it receives a good signal.   

       Wouldn't this sacrifice inbound calls? And you could only call other regular phones.
—tatterdemalion, Jan 08 2015
   

       No, it would still work as normal. Cell phones are able to communicate just fine with a single tower.
—Aq_Bi, Jan 08 2015
   

       Two cans connected by a string solves all of these issues.
—xenzag, Jan 08 2015
   

       [+] but I think that cell communication in cities rely on sometimes transient reflections. Your strongest signal, when the phone is looking for one, could be something bounced off a bus which isn't there a minute later.
—FlyingToaster, Jan 08 2015
   

       [xenzag], it's possible to achieve that without the string also (link).
—normzone, Jan 08 2015
   

       Once DNA sequencing becomes fast enough and cheap enough, you'll be able to find out where anyone is at any time. Unless they have the good sense not to pee in a toilet.
—MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 08 2015
   

       Directional antennas aren't exactly small. You're going to have a hard time lugging one around with you. And since the primary lobe has to be pointed at a tower, you won't get incoming calls unless you carry it around horizontally pointing at a tower that is in range.   

       Of course directional antennas aren't that specific, so you probably could still pick up random towers if they were close enough, but it's not certain.
—MechE, Jan 08 2015
   


 

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