Be careful where you point that phone

Sony Ericsson phones of the non-lethal variety

(Credit: Newlaunches)

For those who want some personal security without resorting to an Avurt IM-5, the phone stun gun may be a more discreet alternative. But many of those on the market are fairly obvious even to the untrained eye. (The prominently labeled "STUN" button might have something to do with it.)

But British authorities have confiscated one that looks particularly real, and for good reason: It apparently is. Nottingham police seized a potentially lethal weapon disguised as a Sony Ericsson W700 handset, according to Newlaunches, one that's capable of delivering a 900,000-volt jolt. The BBC reported that the device was seized from a 21-year-old burglary suspect by local officers, who carry Tasers capable of sending shocks of a much lower 50,000-volt intensity.

Perhaps it's time to dispense with the pretense of these clandestine and makeshift weapons and just carry them out in the open as fashion statements.