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Cellphone Walkie-talkie mode

 Broadcast to all cellphones within a cell area simultaneously
  (+2)
(+2) 		  [vote for,
against]

Primarily a safety feature, this would allow emergency voice or text broadcasting to any cellphone within the coverage area of one's local cell.

"Hello, I'm being chased by a rabid grizzly bear! Anyone nearby with a suitable weapon?"

Probably safely hidden many menus deep, this feature could be used in the event that one wished to notify anyone within (cell) shouting distance of an impending disaster or other critical information.

Not sure if this could or should make all phones within a cell act as a "party line," like a conference call.

—csea, Oct 06 2010


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Annotation:







       Seems easily exploited, no?
—DrWorm, Oct 06 2010
   

       I've many times wished cell phones could talk for free to anyone within a very short range, but at the end of the day, companies would make no money from it.   

       It is a hassle carrying walkie talkies *and* a phone though.
—mitxela, Oct 06 2010
   

       The local schools send alert messages simultaneously to everyone on a parental sign-up list. Last time it was because some kid rode past the school with a BB gun on his bike.   

       Nextel phones have some sort of walkie-talkie feature that I am assumed to want whenever I try to find a ruggedized cellphone.
—baconbrain, Oct 06 2010
   

       Isn't this just the push-to-talk feature available on many cellphones?
—xaviergisz, Oct 06 2010
   

       My phone has PTT, but I don't use it. [csea], it seems to me this would be more practical if you were able to choose the coverage area. For instance, if you were in your local Costco and saw that it was most inconveniently burning down, you might take that opportunity to holler FIRE into your cell. Unfortunately, you might also be emptying every commercial enterprise within a twenty mile radius. 10 out of 10 for good intentions, but...
—Grogster, Oct 07 2010
   

       The walkie talkie naming protocol should be applied to other stuff like, spoon: "scoopy eaty", clock: "lookie timey", tv: "lookie drooly".   

       .......*
—doctorremulac3, Oct 07 2010
   

       And the halfbakery: "lookie kookie?"   

       Please feel free to make this a separate idea.
—csea, Oct 07 2010
   

       PTT does allow groups. I believe you have to accept an invitation to be available to someone by PTT. This is to prevent getting PTT "Buy this now!" messages from retailers. PTT also works over any distance.   

       UK police radios are based on PTT and work over the GSM network.   

       Your idea is more suited to Bluetooth, but ideally you'd want more range and an app that automatically recorded an audio clip and broadcast it.   

       I suppose you could use WiFi, but only i everyone had the same app, which is still easier to implement than everyone having the same phone.   

       Basically, you can have PTT-like functionality over wireless internet with an app. It's not too dissimilar to BBM, Skype, etc.   

       //I'm being chased by a rabid grizzly bear!// More of a Runnie Shoutie than a Walkie Talkie.   

       <Thought that does not warrant its own idea>A Walken Talken. Distorts your voice so that everything you say sounds like Christopher Walken.</TTDNWIOI>
—marklar, Oct 07 2010
   


 

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