They say cellphones have ruined dramatic fiction. Next time you watch a TV police procedural or read a modern novel, check how many times the characters stray out of cellphone range, or lose their handsets altogether. The truth is that – in fiction just as in real life – the cellphone is just too useful, too good as a means of rescue.
Would Stargate have worked so well if James Spader could have just snapped a photo of those runes and used Google Translate? No. Would Marty McFly have gone back to 1955 if he could have just FaceTimed Doc Brown when he woke up late? Of course not.
And yet it gets worse. Now there’s a case which will let TV characters –and you – get rescued every damn time.
The case is called the Lifesaver, and that’s just what it does. You know those scenes where the victim is hiding in a closet and the serial killer is rooting around in the bedroom? Usually the victim tries to call the cops (like they’d get there in time anyway) and the killer catches them at it and goes crazy (or crazier I guess). That won’t happen with the Lifesaver case. All you need to do is slide and push the switch on the side.
This trigger an emergency signal which also sends your GPS coordinates and your information (photo, age, name and so on). IT also switches on the iPhone’s mic and camera to record the situation.
Actually, I’m already seeing dramatic situations where this could be used. Maybe Garcia could hack into the case suing her magic skills and the rest of the Criminal Minds team could watch along as another victim is dispatched? Or perhaps the cops arrive too late, and the only evidence is the video recorded by the iPhone camera and case…
For folks at risk though, this could be a (forgive the pun) real lifesaver. They’ll have to hold out a little longer though, as this is an Indiegogo campaign set for delivery in August 2014. Prices range from $59 to $79.
Me? I’m just happy that the next story I write can have a neat new plot device in it. After all, written fiction has no limits on budget, nor any need for its gadgets to be available in real stores.
Source: Indiegogo
Thanks: Scott!
