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Detector finds smuggled cellphones even without batteries or SIM cards |
April 30, 2013
Turning off cellphones or even locking them in metal boxes won’t be enough to keep them hidden with a new phone detector introduced on Monday.
The Manta Ray, made by Berkeley Varitronics Systems, can find phones through walls and other barriers even if their batteries and SIM cards are removed. The materials that the handheld detector can penetrate include aluminum, brass, copper, concrete and plasterboard, according to the company. The device, available from the company’s website for US$499, has been demonstrated in YouTube videos here and here.
The Manta Ray is designed for use in locations where phones are forbidden. A major market for such phone detectors is in prisons, where inmates often attempt to smuggle in handsets, but restricted sites also include sensitive government or corporate facilities that want to prevent unauthorized photography or electronic transfer of secrets, according to Scott Schober, president and CEO of Berkeley Varitronics. Instead of using invasive pat-downs or less-discriminating metal detectors, guards could do quick scans with the Manta Ray, which has a range of about six inches (15 centimeters), he said.
The Manta Ray could also have a role in espionage, detecting phones hidden in hotel rooms or even classic miniature “bugs,” though that’s not the company’s target market, Schober said. On a more pedestrian scale, it could be used in high schools where cell phones aren’t allowed. But movie theaters and concert halls, which some people wish could be free of cellphones, aren’t likely to put Manta Rays in the hands of ushers, according to Schober.
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Link: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2036795/detector-finds-smuggled-cellphones-even-without-batteries-or-sim-cards.html#tk.rss_all
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