Silencing mobile phones

BBC Go Digital's Jon Wurtzel casts a wry eye over developments in the world of technology.

Do you hate the sound of mobile phones ringing everywhere around you? Can you not stand listening to people's phone conversations in public?

With a spare US$1,000, you can have the power to stop mobile phones all around you and become an anti-cellular vigilante.

You can do this with the Executive Silencer, a device that disables cell phones within a 60-metre (190 feet) radius.

Available for the last year, the kit can fit in the palm of your hand and has all sorts of potential uses.

You could deploy the gadget:

• in theatres to ensure performances will not be interrupted;
• in a business meeting to establish a corporate environment free of external disturbance;
• in a restaurant to create that perfect ambience;
• on public transport to get a bit of peace and quiet.

Before you create your own mobile-free cocoon, however, you might like to consider that people actually have a right to use mobile phones.

And they have become critical devices for doctors, emergency services, and businesses.

What's more, it is illegal to run the Executive Silencer if you are in the UK.

You will need government permission to operate it in the US, as it also shuts down the frequencies the police use to communicate.