While casually handing your cell phone to muggers, sneakily activate panic mode and your phone starts taking pictures or video and sends them in a continuous stream. Pics could go straight to the police, or somewhere else. Maybe muggers on flickr...

As with a few other suggestions, sending the phone's location is also pretty handy with this.

You can decide whether or not to inform the culprit that their picture is being sent. Perhaps if they're smart they might just hand it back? Or you just get stabbed for being a smartarse.

iphone app anyone?
-- Sandbach, May 11 2010

Considering the video quality of cell phone cameras, and that most muggings take place at night, this would never work.
-- DIYMatt, May 11 2010


Maybe. ideally it sets the exposure level as high as possible at night time, or if it's a phone with flash that fires too. With non-flash phones it could be a secret process, so sooner or later it gets an image that works...
-- Sandbach, May 11 2010


muggers on flickr I like - a bit less than great tits.

welcome [sandbach] are you welsh?
-- po, May 11 2010


hi. er no, but some of the family were
-- Sandbach, May 11 2010


typical welsh response.

//hi. er no, but some of the family were// [marked-for-tagline]
-- po, May 11 2010


Would it be possible to remotely send an activation command to the phone via the internet? If you get mugged there is usually not enough reaction time to press a button, I also assume your keypad has to be unlocked before the button can be pressed, muggers don't respond well to you screwing around on your phone before you hand it to them or before they take it. Also your phone could be stolen and it could be a while before you realize it.
-- Uncle Goatlips, May 12 2010


Good idea Uncle G. Much better that way.

The original idea was for camera phones with a flash so it was obvious the pictures were being taken. then by telling the muggers I thought maybe they'd just give up the idea. But probably this plan would have just resulted in much amusement for the muggers and big trouble for the smartarse. Your plan of remote activation of the camera is much safer!
-- Sandbach, May 12 2010


ha ha. OK OK.... I'm welsh and I'm proud! Ah, there is better now, is it.
-- Sandbach, May 12 2010


//muggers on flickr// (sp. "muggrs")
-- hippo, May 12 2010



random, halfbakery