>> Here I think there is a market for cell phone *detectors*. Cell
>>> phones transmit every few minutes even when you're not making or
>>> receiving a call, in order to keep the tower apprised of where they
>>> are. "Turn off your cell phone" could have more teeth if equipment
>>> were in use to detect cell phones that were still turned on.
>> How do you figure? My phone *never* gets turned off. Period. Not in
>> theatres, not in churches, not in other places of public assembly.
> You'd better turn it off on airplanes and near sensitive electronic
> equipment when told to. It transmits every few minutes even when you
> are not using it and it is not making noise, as long as it's turned > on.
Actually no it doesn't -- My phone has an "airplane" mode which completely disabled the send/receive functionality.
I discussed it with a flight attendant on my first flight with that phone and it's not a problem.