Official News - page 9

REAL LIFE NEWS: THE KIDS' RINGTONE

Speaking of kids and ringtones... remember a few months back I reported on the noise that only kids could hear, which was being suggested as a way to stop youths hanging around outside shops (or inside malls) without affecting adults? This technology has now been adapted to provide a ringtone for mobile phones which only children can hear, allowing them to use their phones without teacher hearing. Oh dear!

The Mosquito is marketed by a Welsh security company; it is a loudspeaker that emits an irritating high-pitched sound, but because the ability to hear high-pitched noises declines with age, it is inaudible to old people (well, anyone older than about 25). Try your ears on the sound by listening to a mp3 file on the BBC web site at http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/audio/mosquito_sound.mp3. I couldn't here a thing!

British kids were quick off the mark to sample this sound and turn it into a ringtone, and now it's crossed the Atlantic. Mosquito is actually offering it as an official ringtone from their web site, making this application official.

More on this story in the New York Times.

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