Lachlan Grant19 June 2006, 6:58 AM
Next time an annoying teenager approaches you, turn your phone towards them and activate the mosquito. However, if you are over 25, beware: teenagers may turn it against you.
Last year, a UK security company announced their revolutionary teenage deterrent product, the Mosquito (pictured). It's a sounder unit that emits a very high (ultra-sonic) tone that statistically, people over the age of 25 cannot hear.
It relies on presbycusis, the loss of hearing that gradually occurs in most individuals as they grow older. The device is designed to allow shopkeepers to get rid of “surly youths” who loiter and at the same time without distracting potential customers.
The product’s website boasts feedback stating astounding success, and that it managed to “chase away annoying teenagers who gather on street corners, on shopping parades and in other problem areas”.
However, tech-savvy students have managed to record the tone that the Mosquito emits and have turned it into an alert tone on their mobile phones.
They then use the tone to notify them of new text messages they receive in class, where adult teachers can’t hear it. This is especially useful for students in schools where mobile phone use during class has been banned.
The ring tone has been named “Teen Buzz” and is already available freely over the web at the following sites:
Put a decent ringtone on your phone
Of course, if the idea of a high pitched squeal coming from your mobile doesn't appeal, why not use your own MP3s as ringtones?
There are dedicated tools that automate the process of cutting full songs down to an appropriate ring-tone length, saving in MP3 format and uploading to your phone.
CoolRinger is one freeware app that's certified free of spyware, adware and viruses by Softpedia. So basically, this thing doesn't load any crap onto your PC, unlike most of the "free ringtone" software you'll find with a quick online search.
CoolRinger automatically finds the chorus section of your song and crops to that, or alternatively you can select which section of the song to use. If your phone has a memory card and your PC has a card reader, then that's the easiest way to put a ringtone on your phone, but if not, there are instructions on how to upload the ringtone to your phone, too.