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These two are not using their mobiles on the train - must be in the quiet carriage...
We’ve all been there – having some inordinate bore tell their friend/family/significant other that they are “on the train” – well done Sherlock, next you’ll be telling us where you are going – oh, you just have…
Well that might be coming to an end soon, since one train company is planning to cover its carriages in a film that blocks mobile phone signals
Travel firm C2C will use the coating in its “quiet” carriages to stop shrill ringtones and loud conversations. C2C runs busy commuter services from Essex into Liverpool Street and Fenchurch Street. One carriage in all of its trains is designated a quiet zone, where mobiles, personal stereos and other electronic gadgets are banned and travellers must chat to each other “quietly and with consideration for others”.
Interestingly, whilst these zones exist, people still flaunt the rules – which has prompted the application of the coating, allowing light through Windows, but blocking all wireless signals.
Personally I’d love to see this on all carriages – I appreciate it’s probably not that practical in reality, and there is also the issue of battery life on devices? What? Well, when there is no signal, devices ramp up their power usage to try and pick up the nearest mast – except they won’t find one with the blocking film working.
So perhaps a middle ground of these quiet zones is the way forward – now I’ve just got to wait for my local train operator to cover some carriages – well, that and get their trains running on-time!!!
[Story via: Evening Standard / Image via: chromasia.com]
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
