Shutting phones up with Bluetooth, revisited: musings

I posted a while back that I was looking for some kind of  suppression device that could silence my ringer while I was in the office, and mentioned Bluetooth as a likely candidate.

Since then, I got myself a car with a Bluetooth module in it, and something just hit me – the phone never rings when it’s paired. Sure, it vibrates a bit, but that’s preferable to the slightly loud Bliss edit (by Muse: airy electro (gives me a chance to pick up with minimal noise pollution) then big thumping guitary BOW BOW BOW BOW da-da-da-da da-da-da-do-do BOW BOW BOW BOW etc) that I’m using as my regular ringtone.

I got a Samsung i617T with the new job, but I’m pretty sure the same thing happened with my HTC Touch Dual.

So, I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that if you get a Bluetooth module for your desktop (or heck, even a cheap Bluetooth headset that you leave on the charger), and add the pairing to your phone, your Headset profile settings might well stop the loud ringing, kicking in magically when you’re within range of it.

(Or: There may be other fun things you can do depending on the capabilities of the Bluetooth device and PC software. My imagination tells me diverting calls to your desk phone would be optimal, but nobody else seems to design software from my imagination. Perhaps a project for a cold winter’s night…)

Oh, and of course, if you rely on actually being able to take calls on your mobile while at work, this might require you to wear the headset. Which could make you look like a cybermen co-conspirator. But that’s just my opinion, nobody else thinks you look a bit silly with a blue flashing light in your ear. (Further note: Please, don’t try wearing a Bluetooth USB dongle.)