ESPOO, Finland – While all of us here at Nokia Conversations like a good yarn, the ones we usually chase are about the amazing and great things people do with mobiles or online services. But, I must say that occasionally I cross over some really bizarre or, shall I say, “interesting” tidbits. From nude pics to prison breaks to the really fake, the stories from the the mobile Twilight Zone never cease to amaze me.
Want to see what I found recently? Read on.
The Naked Truth
Cameraphones have revolutionized the way we capture memories and moments in our lives. Indeed, some go so far to have revolutionized the way we stay in touch with the more private aspects of our loved one. But, pics on phones are usually only as private as the phone, and when the phone is lost, the photos are for all to see.
El Campeador reports on a couple from Arkansas, USA, Phillip and Tina Sherman, who accidentally (I mean, it had to be an accident) left his phone at a McDonald’s. Assured that the staff would hold on to it, they delivered. Not only did they hold on to it, they browsed his gallery and found nude pics of his wife, which were then posted online in all their glory.
D’oh!
And if you have the time, go and read all the comments. Pretty funny.
Prison Break
On a more troubling note, mobile phones have changed the dynamics of prisons, with inmates smuggling in phones to keep in touch with the outside world and coordinate their business, or worse. WZZM from Michigan, USA, lists a whole bunch of stats from Texas, South Carolina, and Florida. Prisons are doing what they can to crack down on this dangerous trend.
Twins
We’ve mentioned before a Nokia N79 knock-off that was copied even before the phone launched. The newest one is a copy of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. UnwiredView has a few comments on this derivative phone. As expected, we have a few comments as well. While you know we don’t comment on device speculations, forgery is also a subject we are not comfortable discussing. Illegal copying of products is such a touchy subject here at Nokia, that I prefer to leave it for more legally serious communications channels.
Stand by Me
To shake off the feelings of the previous two links, I want to end, as we began, with a bit of a laugh.
There is no limit to human ingenuity, no cost spared in the pursuit of a better mouse trap, no lengths spared to provide comfort and service to the unwashed masses. But that’s not what this is about. This is about shelling out a few hundred bucks for a sleek curvaceous media consumption device only to have to stop by the stationery store to pick up a binder clip for pennies to prop up your device. Oh, and there are three ways to do it.
BTW, the N96 has an inbuilt stand. That’ll save you the trip.
Image, “Saturday Night Fever” from, my boss, Mark Squires. He says, “You go to a greek island and then you catch a ferry to the most remote greek island, the reputed birthplace of Odysseus, Ithaca. And there in a small cafe that was built in the 17th century you find an old woman with a rosary in charge of a large collections of CD’s and logged into the the PC MP3 player (she was the patron’s mother on guard duty apparently). You are looking at the premier night spot on Ithaca. That’s the disco.”