©2008 The Media Desk
http://themediadesk.com

From: A lady
To: the Desk
Re: Cel Phone Email
Date: 24 January 2008

Does this sound "kosher" to you?  Before I go any further, I wanted other opinions as to whether this was all true or not.
  K

      Well. This is one of those where the answer is 'yes and no' but mostly NO.
      So the last line of the email is... well... nevermind.

      We'll take them point by point and debunk them, then post the overall email as received.

• 112 emergency number worldwide.
        This one is simply false (at least in the US), and could lead to somebody NOT getting the help they need in an emergency, which makes this one the Worst Kind of spam.
        112 (or *112 or whatever) is an emergency number which works in some places in Europe and elsewhere in the world. In some places the number is 999 or as in the US, 911.
        Also, while some phones allow one button emergency calls when the keypad is locked, not all do.
        The best advice is to learn how your phone works for emergency calls and what the local numbers are and NOT believe everything in a spam email.
        The Desk's first article on something like this was in 2004 http://www.themediadesk.com/files/celcop.htm

• Unlock your car over your phone.
        The Desk debunked this one two years ago.
        In short. It won't work. And if some 'editor' says it did, they're lying. See The War on spam, celphone unlocking edition http://www.themediadesk.com/files/unlock.htm

• Hidden battery power.
        In short: No.
        According to the people who know this kind of thing. Namely Nokia, who makes cel phones, the code in the email will DECREASE the battery life on some phones. Cel Phone Codes are manufacturer and even Model specific. What works on a Motorola phone probably won't on an iPhone or anything else.
  See more at NokiaUSA.com
  And
  programmerworld.net

• * # 0 6 #
        Again with the codes. This is possible with a Nokia that has had that feature installed. But. If that code works on those phones, it probably won't on anything else. See above.

• Free Directory Assistance.
        This is the ONLY THING in the entire email that is true!
        1-800-373-3411 (FREE-411) is a free Directory Assistance service that not only works over cel phones, but over land lines and VoIP too! It is paid for by commercial advertising.
        Another free service is 1-800-466-4411 or better known as 1-800-GOOG-411 sponsored by the Google Search Engine.

Email below as received. Some reformatting done for easier reading.

  5 THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR CELL PHONE COULD DO
Print a copy for your Car, & Friend's.
If your friend's don't have a computer.
5 Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST    Emergency
 The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobiles is 112.
If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND Have you locked your keys in the car?
Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell  phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!"

THIRD Hidden Battery Power
Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.

FOURTH How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 # A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't ge t your phone back, but at least you know that whoev er stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

And Finally....

FIFTH Free Directory Service for Cells
Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Prog ram this in to your cell phone now.
This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass it on to your family and friends

CELL PHONE GUN

Most see airport security as a pain. Some deal better than others. Some feel violated, when you watch this movie, you'll understand why they want your cell phone through the xray machine.
If you get asked to test your cell phone at the airport, this is the reason.
Cell phone guns have arrived. They are real.....