Japan’s “Infidelity Phone” Is Smarter Than A Smartphone

What’s the Latest Development?

Even though smartphones are well on their way towards conquering the world, smart philanderers in Japan aren’t giving up their Fujitsu F-series flip phones anytime soon. That’s because these “dumb” phones have advanced stealth privacy settings that are missing from most smartphones. When the phone is in “privacy mode,” the user is alerted to incoming calls and texts from contacts they designate as private only by a very subtle change in a screen display element, such as the battery sign or antenna bars. If the user ignores the call, it doesn’t appear in the call log. Once privacy mode is turned off, all hidden calls and messages are revealed.

What’s the Big Idea?

Fujitsu’s privacy feature has been available since 2002, when Japan’s largest carrier requested it for all phones it sold. The company doesn’t openly acknowledge its phone’s popularity with cheaters, but as it begins to phase out its older models, it has added some of the same security settings to its smartphones. However, fans of the “infidelity phone” say the new phones aren’t nearly as good at covering their communication tracks. One blogger who writes about his adventures says he bought an iPhone but refuses to give up his Fujitsu: “In terms of keeping my cheating hidden, this does more than enough.”

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Read it at The Wall Street Journal