We'd been contemplating getting rid of our land line permanently after reading Abby's post awhile back, but we just haven't made the leap...yet. However, this morning we got an interesting email entitled, "Five Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do" and frankly, we WERE surprised. Who knew you could unlock your car with your cell phone? Read all five things after the jump...
[ Photo from Freerangstock's Flickr ]
1. Worldwide Emergency number is 112, so if you find yourself in a pickle and out of your coverage area, dial those three lucky numbers. The phone will search any existing network to establish the emergency number anywhere in the world. Also, it can be dialed even on locked keypads.
2. Locked your keys in the car and the spare is at home or with a friend? Call that person on their cell phone with your cell phone, then hold your phone about a foot from your car door. Have your buddy press the unlock button holding it near the cell phone on their end. Your car will unlock, no matter how far away your buddy is. Beats waiting for AAA...
3. If your cell battery is very low, press *3370# to restart with the reserve. Next time you charge your phone, the reserve will get charged.
4. Got your phone's serial number? If not, key in *#06# to get it. This may come in handy if your phone is ever stolen because you can give this unique serial number to your cell phone provider to disable your phone--even if the SIM card changes.
5. Sick of being charged for 411 directory service calls? If you dial 800 FREE 411 (800-373-3411), you won't incur any charges on your cell.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Sorry, but that e-mail forward isn't entirely true:
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/cellphones.asp
(My boss sent that out to the company last week.)
I recommend 1-800-GOOG-411 and Google text though.
view Brianne's profile
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/cellphones.asp
view Cilantro's profile
Urban ledgend...
view Carder's profile
And if you blow really hard into your door lock, it will unlock your car door! No cell phone needed. Didn't work? Blow harder, but wait 'til I get my video camera...
view plain jane's profile
I thought free 411 was a great idea until I started using it. Their speech activated system stinks, it usually doesn't understand what I'm saying. And then when I go for an operator it hangs up on me. But maybe they were just closed then.
view DianaRead's profile
Love knowing the 112 and the reserve power. THe car door bit is fake though.
view protogarrett's profile
Goog 411 is great.
view plasticorange's profile
the car door bit is not fake. i've seen my friend do it. may not work with all cars/phones, but it sure did work with hers.
view HeatherAB's profile
Are you sure #3 and #4 aren't only for certain makers of cellphones?
view Melissa A.'s profile
ROFLMAO at plain jane's answer!!!
view little flower's profile
The door lock thing hasn't worked since the very earliest of cells phones (analog signaling) and car door locks (audio tone based in the high frequency range).
The *3370# thing actually can DECREASE battery life in Nokia phones and only applies to the codec used for compressing the audio, NOT anything to do with a battery.
Both of these are myths; please stop spreading them unless it's to get a friend to do something really goofy. In that case, video or it never happened!
view Jason's profile
Please delete the car door information. Don't perpetuate this urban myth!
Actually, it's pretty funny that someone is going to try it. Maybe leave it up, and let them learn their own lesson!
view artist's profile
I JUST DID the car door thing and it worked...
I'll post it tomorrow at my blog.
(I never would have believed it.)
view blackbird's profile
One time my grandmother called me and said that the battery of her remote had died and she could not get into her car. My dad drove the 10 miles to where she was and proceeded to use the KEY that was still attached to the defunct remote.
Hmm.
Should of asked her about the key beforehand.
view hessilou's profile
oh my god! that's amazing!
view indiasoup's profile
Yeah, this illegitimate email has been floatin' around for a long time now...
view tashar's profile
goog 411 is awesome. it can even understand french accents.
view pinstripeprincess's profile
I love AT, but you're really searching hard for topics when you're posting random emails without even researching them. We expect better of you! There are plenty of great house tours, new products and other cool stuff you can post instead.
view superbeetle's profile
the opening of the car via the cell phone is bullcrap. i did that expt yesterday and nothing happened.
view meso's profile