Upskirt iPhone

Maybe they were right about the iPhone not doing well in Japan...
The iPhone 3G in Japan has a special feature unique to that country: The camera always makes a conspicuous “shutter” sound when a picture is taken, even when the phone is set to “silent” mode.
The loud shutter sound is supposed to deter voyeurs from taking sneaky pictures up women’s’ skirts — or down their tops.
In Japan, upskirt and downblouse shots have become increasingly popular with the advent of high-resolution camera phones.
As a result, all cell phones sold in Japan make a conspicuous shutter sound, or say the word “cheese” when a snap is taken, according to Nobuyuki Hayashi, a tech reporter based in Tokyo. On almost all new cell phones, the camera shutter sound can not be muted, Hayashi says.
“Some manufacturers have even put louder shutter sound,” he reports.
The shutter on the first iPhone sold in Japan could be muted in silent mode; an anomaly that many wondered whether Apple would correct in the iPhone 3G, Hayashi says.
Apple did: The shutter sound cannot be turned off, even in silent mode, Hayashi says.
The real price of the iPhone in Japan really turns out to be 80,000 yen. They advertise something like 30,000 yen but you need to take out a two year contract and pay the rest of the 50,000 yen over the months. Not worth it for 16GB. I will wait until the 32GB comes out in a few months time ^^;
iPhone news: Cult of Mac via Mike Abundo's twitter feed.
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Medical School Student
hee...never thought there are such "good" ways to use your cellphone's camera :P
Comic Artist, writer
http://jimmykitty.com
I like the graphic on that sign.
No words needed.
It just needs a following graphic of the woman backhanding him with a big red slap mark on his face
Assembly line worker, nationally certified madman
http://urisblog.morbid-sore.de/
And another one of me curb stomping him with my rangers on...
Student
It seems that more and more phones with camera have always enabled or hard to turn off shutter sounds. One reason is definitely to deter voyeurs, but I've also heard corporations prefer such phones (or phones without camera) to avoid easy leaking of corporate secrets.
オタク all day long
http://www.nekomagic.com
2 years contract for a cheap iPhone isn't so bad. We need to sign up for 3 years contract in Canada, what a ripoff. =/
Otaku/Lolicon/Student and future teacher
I wish I had the money to get one...
VP
http://mikeabundo.com
One more reason not to get an iPhone 3G. ;)
Student/Freelance Programmer
Dunno
I was one of those spreading hate for the iPhone since I got my hands on it and discovered I wasn't all that.
But the iPhone 3G is quite good(who would've thought such few hardware improvments could make it so good. Jailbreak it with the new Pwnage 2.0 and zomg~
But please fix the horrible camera!
Network Admin
I do not like the fact that you can't modify if the sound plays or not. It's my phone I have the right to determine if it plays a sound or not.
Assembly line worker, nationally certified madman
http://urisblog.morbid-sore.de/
personal rights end where other peoples rights or their inviolability is in danger. That's a basic principle of a free society. Making pictures affects your inviolability so there has to be a sound so people know that you have taken one and so they can tell you to delete it if they don't want their picture to be taken. And if it keeps those darned, perverted bastards from taking such picks it is a damn good thing to have these sounds.
End of discussion!
Student
http://anime.scripts.mit.edu/miteiru/
A lot of my friends got theirs for around 30,000 yen without the 2 year contract thing. I dun like the shutter noise because i like taking pics secretly. Heehee.
Student
LOL...but i thought this feature has been around for a while, i mean i cant turn my shutter sound off lol
Mind Navigator
http://xenoprobia.blogspot.com
I figure if they're insisting on having us live with shutter sounds in our phones, at least give us a benefit of downloadable shutter tones (like ringtones) I already have an idea on what <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z1IGjr2cT0">mine would be.</a>
Mind Navigator
http://xenoprobia.blogspot.com
Darn. Either I didn't know or I forgot.
Goes to show what happens when you don't do things often enough.
Student
http://bk201.wordpress.com/
Shutter Noise! Doesn't really concern me anyway ^^! But of course, the shutter noise is for the better good. However taking secret photos of people pisses them off :)
Engineer by weekdays, Hikki by weekends
http://ejump.wordpress.com/
Same in USA, either enjoy your AT&T for few months contract, for usd199 for the iphone, or enjoy usd699 for it alone.
Cant we just tape the iphone speaker holes?
Software Pirate
http://ff3366.com
AFAIK it's been law here in Australia for some time that all mobile phone cameras make an audible shutter sounds that can't be turned off, even in silent mode.
Assembly line worker, nationally certified madman
http://urisblog.morbid-sore.de/
Same here in Germany.
Video Game Tester
http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/Xelotath
Wouldn't it be easy for voyeurs to remove the speakers of a cheap phone and then take pictures with that?
Otaku Parent
Perverts have more determination than this! I could think of a few ways around this problem... not that I'd apply it though ^^;;;
Teacher, Artist, Writer
http://eatdrinkmanotaku.blogspot.com/
Hmm having used new age phones for a while I must say I have never in my life taken a photo or used the phone for anything other than text and phone. Maybe I am just behind the times.
MS pilot
haha..gotto love the visualizations
free lance otaku, full time Protector of Peace.
isn't there a mirror at the back of the iphone? Or the ipod classics? Isn't that enough?? >=D
Computer Science Student
http://gnuoykun.bebo.com
Nyah, if I lived in Japan I would import an cellphone from another country :3~
Dropping computers, starting all over again at Journalism
http://immalion.com
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this isn't an iPhone 3G feature.
My current cellphone and previous also didn't had a way to take pics without a shutter sound.
But it seems nowadays that every detail in an Apple related product is a "first", or something "only found in Apple products"...
Anyways, adding to this, people already found out that you actually can disable the sound by hacking the iPhone with jailbreak stuff. Read it on Gizmodo earlier today.
About the iPhone 3G, I'm also thinking of buying it, but several months from now.
VP
http://mikeabundo.com
"But it seems nowadays that every detail in an Apple related product is a 'first', or something 'only found in Apple products'..."
That's what I hate most about all this iPhone 3G hype. Steve Jobs talks like he invented 3G. :P
Online Shop
http://wildarms.egloos.com
Wonder people actually getting the iPhone for that particular function...
Hikikomori in the making
http://supermariabros.deviantart.com/
LOL the phones here don't make a shutter noise when we take pictures, so...
SMS隊所属
http://lightofthedawn.wordpress.com
Iphone 3G camera isn't good as compared to other phone nowadays... iphone is for the features it contain definitely not for its camera.. but 80k yen for an iphone is really expensive...
Mechanical Engineering student
http://sabekujikaneda.multiply.com/
LOLZ I think phones here don't make shutter noises. Well, my phone doesn't so... XD
Polytechnic Junior, Bronze Lifesaving Trainee, Mech Designer In-training.
http://thehangerbay.wordpress.com/
Singapore needs more of said shutter sound phones XD
http://quentinlau.blogspot.com
Upskirt shooting is still fairly common in Hong Kong, even though the shutter sound feature in phones is introduced way before Japan has.
Engineering Student
http://wakuwakusuru.zeroclipse.net
No sound with my phone when it is switched to silent mode. Even the normal camera shutter sound is very silent.
Gundam
LOL what for taking pantsu photo..
If you really want just go to lingerie shop or surft the web and take as many as you like...
Engineer by weekdays, Hikki by weekends
http://ejump.wordpress.com/
They aint fresh with heat of loev
Future Pioneer and a Dreamer
lol jailbreak then tweak no problem
Schoolkid
http://did-someone-say-anime.blogspot.com
Okay, remind me to stock up on mace spray when I go to Japan. xD
Glaring at you *_*
lol mace spray...i always wondered why that isnt illegal...
90's F1 Afficionate and Anti-Otaku
http://www.livestream.com/f1action
THE COMBATRIBES!!!!!