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Sony recently launched a cellphone that lets you record your own infuriating
ring tones. But now, in EP 1041849, the firm finally admits what a nuisance such
phones can be. So it has invented a decoy base station that silences cellphones
in restaurants, theatres, hospitals or aircraft. Placed in the sensitive area,
its miniature antenna transmits the same control signals as a regular base
station, tricking the phone into revealing its location. The decoy sends out a
signal that disables the phone, but normal communication resumes as soon as the
owner moves out of range.