You're sitting in the office, concentrating hard for the crucial deadline that's only minutes away, when out of the corner of your eye, you see the Phrog's eyes light up and its mouth begins to gape open; its detected a signal.
Oh no, you've got less than a second before someone's annoying ringtone disrupts your train of thought. Gaaah, there it goes, Sweet Child of Mine, that's Perkins in sales, and wouldn't you know it, he's gone to the toilet and left his phone on his desk.
Until last week, you'd have had to put up with it, hoping it would shuffle itself off his desk and shatter on the floor, but no more, you race over to the phone and toss it in the Phrog. The cushioned tongue of the Phrog senses the weight of the phone and slams shut, the padded roof of its mouth preventing any noise escaping.
The only evidence of the Phrog's recent meal is the dull glowing of its eyes as the hapless caller persists. Ah Perkins, someone called, your phone's in the Phrog.
The deluxe model, The Mobile Toad, features a moneybox option where the phone will not be released until a fine has been inserted into one of its warts.-- marklar, Sep 10 2007 Indeed; this is much more civilised than the lump-hammer solution. [+]-- pertinax, Sep 10 2007 While the phone's in the Phrog, the Phrog ought to be able to answer incoming calls and make frog noises to whoever's calling.-- hippo, Sep 10 2007 You have omitted dimensions. May I suggest eight feet tall?-- the dog's breakfast, Sep 10 2007 I was thinking more along the lines of it coming in a 40cm^3 box.
There could be several models, such as the Venus Phone Trap.-- marklar, Sep 10 2007 How about the creature from Alien?-- Canuck, Sep 11 2007 [+] Excellent improvement [Hippo]-- pocmloc, Jun 16 2011 [Indeed; this is much more civilised than the lump-hammer solution.]
How so? I maintain that the application of a lump hammer to an unattended, ringing mobile phone represents a nett increase in civilisation.
A step in the right direction, nevertheless (+)-- Twizz, Jun 16 2011 random, halfbakery