'Kill switch' may be standard on U.S. phones in 2015

CNN ^ | April 16, 2014 | Doug Gross

[kingattax]

(CNN) -- The "kill switch," a system for remotely disabling smartphones and wiping their data, will become standard in 2015, according to a pledge backed by most of the mobile world's major players.

Apple, Google, Samsung and Microsoft, along with the five biggest cellular carriers in the United States, are among those that have signed on to a voluntary program announced Tuesday by the industry's largest trade group.

All smartphones manufactured for sale in the United States after July 2015 must have the technology, according to the program from CTIA-The Wireless Association.

Advocates say the feature would deter thieves from taking mobile devices by rendering phones useless while allowing people to protect personal information if their phone is lost or stolen. Its proponents include law enforcement officials concerned about the rising problem of smartphone theft.

[Nowhere Man]

35 to 43 Mhz? Hmm, then the military FM radios would have been able to pick up the transmissions. We could get channels 2 thru 6 TV audio bands but there was never anything on worth listening to ;)

True. I've talked to someone who served in the Australian Army and they use their radios to losten to TV audio when they were in the bush. They kept up with the soap operas that way. B-) I have a BaoFeng transceiver I bought for less than $50, I'm an amateur radio operator, it transmits and receives from 130 to 176 Mc and 400 to 520 Mc as well as receive FM radio from 65 to 108 Mc. I have to be careful and triple check when I program it for the amateur radio bands to make sure I do not transmit where I'm not suppose to but it is a good little radio.