Friday, May 11, 2007

Cell phones stink

Last month, Motorola received a patent for a "Communication device having a scent release feature and method thereof."

The phone becomes what amounts to a wireless-capable Glade PlugIn. It uses the phone's battery to heat a replaceable scent pack to 54 degrees Celsius, which releases the fragrance.

The unit is designed to have a stronger smell than other local odors. "Plug-in units typically provide a stronger scent over a broader area than non-plug-in scented items, given that the scents are activated by the heat energy in the plug-in devices," the patent explains.

Is there a need for a scent-generating phone? Motorola believes so. "Some cellular telephone users are the same individuals who enjoy having plug-in scent units located around their homes, and may miss not having a nice smelling fragrance while they are on the go," the patent states. "Therefore, a need exists for a communication device such as a cellular telephone that can address some of the above-mentioned problems."
--EETimes

Most fragrant ... er, flagrant misuse of the word "need" ever?

2 comments:

fermicat said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
fermicat said...

Great idea... Now cellphone users can annoy several of your senses at one time.