Ben's Useless Blog

Since they're planning to open up the iPhone to 3rd party applications, I think someone needs to finally go ahead and implement protection against drunk dialing.

This could be a puzzle, or series of questions -- any means to test a person's sobriety level -- that would need to be correctly solved before unlocking the phone for outbound calls.

With the advent of consumer-grade portable breathalyzers (which have come down remarkably in price over the past few years), all we'd need is a USB or Bluetooth enabled breathalyzer that can be paired up with your phone, and hazzah! -- We could restrict calls based on how much alchohol is detected in the user's breath.

Or it could just lock certain contacts - that way you can always drunk dial your best friend, but not that boy you just met last week to tell them how much you really really like him ;)


Allow different levels of drunk dialing. Think "thresholds."

1. (low): No dialing recent dates or new crushes
2. (medium): No dialing anyone of the opposite sex (or same sex, whichever)
3. (high): No calls except to cab companies or 911
4. (alcohol poisoning): Automatically call an ambulance for you ;)