UK officials are considering banning the sale of small mobile phones designed to resemble car key fobs.

A government spokesman told the BBC that it was discussing the issue with the National Trading Standards Board and the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

In the meantime the NTSB has asked retailers to stop selling the products

The Times had reported some of the Chinese-made products were being advertised with prisoners in mind - having a mobile in JAIL is an offence.

The devices, in some cases marketed as the "world's smallest mobiles", are available from mainstream retail websites including eBay and Amazon.

They are designed to resemble the fobs used to transmit a signal to unlock vehicle doors, and feature logos from brands including BMW, Volkswagen, Bentley, Audi and Porsche.

A spokesman for the UK's Society of Motor Manufacturers and TRADERS said it believed the devices were being made without its members' permission.

The product description of one device sold via Amazon states that it features "very very very low metal contact badges [which] can be removed due to metal CONTENT alarm", while another says the fob is "easily concealable".

The Times said it had spotted one advertised elsewhere alongside a cartoon of a prisoner behind bars.

Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23782136He means a FOB like this:


Selling a real one as a replacement is not the issue. The OEM FOB radio has a range of maybe 100 meters or so, about 328 feet. Rather, the selling of a fake that has a more sophisticated radio inside with a range over 8 km or 5 miles. (My guess, Citation needed.r.)
Quote from: Geek-9pm on August 21, 2013, 03:30:58 PM

He means a FOB like this: