Posted on 05/22/2019 6:34:59 AM PDT by ptsal
Original full title "New market opens up in Mexico for sale of $10 fake cellphones bought by fearful locals who hand them over in muggings"
Commuters are turning to a new tactic when tasked with being forced to hand over their cellphones to thieves aboard buses in Mexico City.
The clever residents are now buying fake smartphones as they seek to combat muggers who demand their real handheld devices.
Merchants are selling the 'dummies' that cost 180 to 800 pesos, approximately $10 to $40, in the historic city center.
The devices are so sophisticated that they feature a startup screen and bodies that are dead ringers for the originals, and inside there is a piece of metal to give the phone the heft of the real article.
Public transportation customers have found the fakes to come in handy when trying to fool trigger-happy bandits who regularly attack the buses, big and small, that ferry people from the poorer outlying suburbs to jobs in the Mexican capital city.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
[]Urgent "need" finds a saleable solution
Marketing 101
You also need a market in a sh*thole country for this product.
Coming soon to this country.
There is a similar situation here in Vietnam.
First let me say, there is very little crime here. Really safe. For real, despite having some of the most bizarre traffic in the world.
But cell phones will be swiped right out of your hand, on the street. Happened to me. Twice. Held onto the replacement, though got knocked around a bit. For about two years, I used a very simple cell phone. That is what people use on the streets here. Simple and cheap.
Fancier cell phones are used in coffee shops and places like that, and I have since upgraded once again. But I am (very) cautious now. I never, ever used my phone on the street now.
Will repeat though, basically it is very VERY safe here. But phones will get snatched.
If you let them.
Won’t THAT be fun in Mountain View and Cupertino in 5 years..!
They could really use them in Chicago.
What is needed is an exploding cell phone that blows up when moved over 10 ft from the owner.
They should sell a very showy, cheap phone that is a bomb, similar to South African drivers placing a poisoned bottle of whiskey in the glove compartment.
No duh!
Finally, some non-Fake News
The fake phones should have GPS so the criminals can be arrested.
Make the fake phones exploding with remote detonation and it would be a real winner.
Pack them with a lot more explosives and make it 100 feet.
Say, thanks for the comment and insight into local conditions.
Blessings
These phones would be popular in Minneapolis for students at the University to hand over when attacked by marauding Somali yutes wielding hammers.
Capitalism 101:
Find a need and fill it.....................
Couldn't be worse than Italy.................
Sounds like a good market for a Lanyard or safety chain connected to a bracelet to prevent snatchings.............
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.