h a l f b a k e r y"Not baked goods, Professor; baked bads!" -- The Tick
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Perhaps this is just nostalgic, but I'd like to hear a dialtone for cellphones.
(Note: is dialtone no longer a word?! It didn't used to be two separate words!)
It would be nice to know before punching in numerous digits, if one's cellphone call were going to go through. This could be indicated
by generating a dialtone only when the signal strength was adequate for communication.
Baked? Buy yours now for $200.
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/286
Not sure if the dial tone indicates service level. [scad mientist, Jan 15 2012]
Similar sort of thing
http://www.sqnewton.com/features.htm
Dial tone when connected and ready to call [mitxela, Jan 17 2012]
[link]
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It's definitely dial tone (two words). Infact, it's also cell phone. |
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Replace dual tone dialing with the sound of pulse dialing... |
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Nostalgia isn't what it used to be. |
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I just added a link to a cell phone that has a dial tone. It also has a rotary dial. They don't say if the dial tone actually indicates service or not, but that would definitely be a useful feature in this case since it doesn't have a display to show how many bars. It's also probably a bit bulkier than the cell phone you've got now... |
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I once taught a Wilderness Safety Course partnered with an
older gentleman, a retired state game warden, whose cell
beeped
every time it caught a signal. The gymnasium we held the
course in had spotty reception, so the thing beeped pretty
much every time he moved--especially on his repeated
trips to the restroom or the coffee machine during my
parts of the presentation. It drove him as crazy as the rest
of us. At the end of the first day of the
course, I finally figured out how to deactivate the damn
thing for him. |
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// At the end of the first day of the course, I finally figured out how to deactivate the damn thing for him. // |
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It took you a whole day to work out how to smash something with a rock ? |
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Oh, sorry - you're from Maine. Yes, that figures. We understand that knowledge of fire and the use of edged tools made from knapped flint is spreading though Vermont and NH like lightly chilled treacle running uphill. Should be with you any Milennium now .. |
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Re: Trebuchet: look up... now. |
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Thanks for the link! What a hoot. I can't quite justify the cost, but glad to see someone's done the job. |
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Great idea, especially for those who have less than stellar eyesight. Those indicators tend to be quite small. For this to actually indicate availability of service "picking up" the phone (i.e. pressing send/call without dialing anything) would have to provide some kind of 2-way connection to the tower. Wouldn't be that hard all it would have to do is indicate that service is available, and the phone could "play" the tone. |
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Don't they have to know where I'm calling to before they can tell the signal strength? E.g. if I'm calling Antarctica, the signal would be weaker than if I'm calling next door. |
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Don't forget to press the buttons harder when dialling long distance. It makes a better connection so you don't have to shout so loud. |
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//Don't they have to know where I'm calling to before they can tell the signal strength?// |
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Good point; there is a distinction between signal strength (between my cellphone and the closest cell tower) and that between the called cellphone and it's localmost tower. |
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Not sure how a recipient cell strength could be measured before a call, but would be useful for cell > landline calls. |
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