Stop, I've been stolen! Mobile phone system sounds alert 停！我被偷了！手機系統發出警訊

◎鄭寺音

A mobile phone service which makes your handset scream when it's been stolen has launched in Britain, with its makers claiming it could spell the end of mobile theft altogether.

一種會讓你的手機被偷時發出尖叫的服務，已在英國推出，製造商宣稱，這種服務可以讓手機竊案完全消失。

The Remote XT system would also automatically wipe clean all the information on the stolen mobile, after having saved them on a central computer server. The piercing high-pitched sound emitted by the handset, which sounds exactly like a human scream, can only be turned off by removing the battery from the phone.

這種遙控XT系統也會自動清除被竊手機上的所有資訊，之前還會把它們存在中央電腦伺服器。手機發出的尖銳聲，聽起來就像人類的尖叫聲，只有拔掉手機的電池才能解除。

"Theft-proof phones spell disaster for the huge criminal industry that has profited from mobile theft," said Mark Whiteman, managing director of Remote XT.

遙控XT的總經理懷特曼說：「防盜型手機，對以竊取手機獲利的廣大犯罪集團來說，將是大災難。」

Under the system, if an owner is mugged or has their mobile stolen they phone a 24-hour call centre to have it registered as stolen. The handset is then wiped and disabled, and cannot even be used if a new SIM card is inserted.

在這個系統之下，如果主人被搶或手機被偷，可以打電話到一個24小時的通話中心登記失竊。手機隨後就抹除資料而且無法使用，甚至插入新的SIM卡也不能用。

There's only one glitch： for the moment the system is aimed at business customers and comes with a subscription of 9.99 pounds per month, possibly prohibitive for private mobile owners.

唯一的缺點是：目前這個系統鎖定商業客戶，訂費每月9.99 英鎊，可能讓私人手機用戶望之卻步。

新聞辭典

spell disaster╱trouble︰為…帶來災難╱麻煩 。例句︰The new regulations could spell disaster for small businesses. 這項新規範將為小企業帶來災難。

wipe︰擦去、去除。 例句︰You'd better wipe the thought from your mind.（ 你最好打消那個念頭。）

glitch︰小缺點、小問題。例句︰We'd expected a few glitches, but everything's gone remarkably smoothly. （我們原預期會遇到一些問題，但事情進展得非常順利。）