Nokia announces cell phone stun gun

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Tokyo, Japan (HLN) – Nokia Corp., the world’s largest mobile phone maker, announced it will release a cell phone that doubles as a stun gun.

The Protector 9600, which will run on both the GSM and CDMA networks, is being hailed by the Finnish cell phone giant as the next evolution in smartphones.

“Not only will you be able to talk to people, take pictures and send text messages,” said Nokia chief executive Jorma Ollila, “now you will be able to protect yourself in a humane and legal way.”

The gun part of the phone disables offenders with a 50,000-volt shock and fires a cartridge with two probes that attach to skin or clothing from five to 10 away, discharging a shock that incapacitates the recipient, but has no long-term effect.

The Protector will run on the Symbian OS, an open-standard system for date-enabled mobile phones. In mid-February, Nokia became the majority stockholder in Symbian, the leading smartphone OS.

“We have no problem with the Protector running our software,” said Symbian chief executive David Levin, after controversy erupted after the debut of the phone at the 3GSM world congress in Cannes, France. “If a consumer can be responsible with a cameraphone, I see no reason why they can’t handle a stun gun.”

But not everyone feels the same.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says it is studying whether or not the device is safe for consumers to use without a license. According to their website, the phone is currently being tested on people of various height and weight, including children and animals.

“If people want to talk on the phone and stun people at the same time, that’s their business,” said CPSC commissioner Mary Sheila Gail, “We just want to make sure [the phone gun] is safe, and if that means requiring the consumer to get a license, then so be it.”

The cell phone will be available in Japan just in time for the 2004 holiday season, says Nokia Corp. Pending government approval from both communication and product safety agencies, the phone will debut in Europe and North America some time in 2005.