An iPhone Case Doubles as a Stun Gun

[weakmagneto]

PC World
July 13, 2012
By Alex Cocilova

There are plenty of cases that will protect your iPhone from just about anything, but how many will protect you?

The Yellow Jacket is a case for the iPhone 4 and 4S that doubles as a 650,000-volt stun gun to ward off the dangers of society. They are currently running a campaign on indiegogo.com for funding and have a myriad of options for the early investors; they normally retail for $125, but you can get the Early Bird special for $85, your choice of color (currently black, white, or pink).

The idea behind the product is to put a defense tool on something that you already have on you at all times. There are plenty of people with pepper spray or a Taser in a purse or on keys or sitting useless in a drawer at home, but that does no good when a surprise attack happens. I'd say they made a pretty safe assumption that you will have your phone handy almost all of the time.

But how smart is it to place a 650,000-volt weapon next to your face when having a quick chat? Luckily, the case has a couple of safety features to prevent accidental misfires. A rotating electrode-cap blocks off the dangerous part until needed and a safety switch disables the device. The team claims that in less than a second, both of these features can be disabled and ready to take on an assailant.

Will it still fit in your pocket? The unit is a total of 1 inch thick and adds a total of 3/8 of an inch to the height of the device. The case itself weighs 4 ounces, tuis doubling the weight of the phone to 8 ounces; it's a little bulky, but not too bad for a concealed defensive weapon.

Finally, the Yellow Jacket has another effective use for your phone that almost outshines the feature function. The device is capable of extending the phones battery life up to 20 additional hours. A switch on the bottom switches the power from stun-gun standby to actively charging the phone. But beware of using too much of the battery or the device will become useless, and watching that extra cat video is just not worth your safety.

I see a lot of good coming from a device like this. If there was a chance anyone could have a stun-gun on their phone, it may ward off the next purse-snatcher. However, I do see a lot of mishaps and drunken bar tricks happening as well because tazing yourself just wasn't as funny as you thought it would be. And you'll want to check with your local law enforcement agency to see if there are any restrictions on carrying something like this.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/259223/a ... n_gun.html

Would you buy one of these? Why or why not?

[CanadysPeak]

A good way to get yourself killed. Having it on you will make you bold, but a simple stun gun is unlikely to stop a determined mugger or an enraged assailant. You probably should n't carry any weapon less deadly than a 9 mm and, then, only if you're good with it and philosophically committed to killing.

[edy420]

I agree with CanadysPeak.

I'd add, that little kids are very capable of finding and playing with other peoples phones. (sure they may get growled, but it still happens.)

Just the thought of little kids running around with a stun gun makes me cringe :P

[Watson]

We'll if you watched the video sales pitch, it starts with a sterotype young black male in a hoody, with a gun in the camera, slurring "Wa'y yo money at? It didn't get much better hearing from the two morons pushing the device.
The iphone is already bigger and heavier than a BB, and adding size and weight doesn't seem practicle. And like edy says making a gun look like something harmless is just asking for trouble.

Twenty extra hours of cell phone use seems like little advantage, but all I can see with it. "Darn, cell phone is dead. I'll just plug it into my handy stungun case, for extra power?" Then you think you are getting robbed, and the phone/gun say "Low Battery"

Bad idea pile.

[ising79]

i also agree with you CanadysPeak its better to use stun gun than to have the dangerous weapon`

[cristofkelley54]

for me i guess its better to have a simple stun gun and not stun gun in a phone coz there are kids who play your phone and they might don't know that there playing with the wrong phone..

[weakmagneto]

Welcome ising79 and cistofkelly54! :)

[Watson]

Another disadvantage is the the possible accidental discharge, while making a call?

Talk about, "calling itquits?"

[jesone]

In the scope of cheap iPhone covers it comes down to five basic choices regarding what the covering of your case will be. Your iPhone covering will either be rubber, metal, leather or plastic. Out of those coverings it is best to determine what type of covering you want best and that fits into your price range. The leather covering will be the most expensive and the rubber covering will be the least expensive. If you have a long history of dropping your iPhone, then you might consider the metal case. The choice of coverings really comes down to your lifestyle. You can choose a covering that has a certain theme and color to it. Make that whatever you decide that like it.

[Watson]

Hi Jesone, and welcome,

You missed to things here. First the point of the OP, was regarding the iphone case doubling as a stun gun. Althou, you are quite correct in ignoring a stupid idea.
Second, there is also an option for a rubber waterproof case, for those who work/play around water. Any of the cases mentioned are more practical than a stun gan case.

A question comes to mind? Does the stun gun case still work as a stun gun, if the iphone is dettached? I'm guess ing yes, as it has its own battery, and the phone doesn't have a tigger. So it is actually a stun gun, with a docking port to charge your iphone.

Stupid, stupid idea.

How best to embarass yourself, "Look what I just bought?"