cell phone flashlight
Just some quick info - I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this (I didn't find it anywhere) but any cell phone can double as an emergency light. Even when the signal is jammed or out, the phone emits a strong glow sufficient to light one's way out of a dark spot, and both the light and the NOISE it makes can help signal others. Newer phones also have a GPS locator signal that works whether the phone is turned on or not - as long as the battery is charged (a feature that annoys me, but is admittedly useful in an emergency).
Obviously, if the phone is being used constantly, the battery may go out at the worst possible moment. I'm in the habit of charging it to full and then turning it off before entering a hazard zone (car, any public transport, movie, Walmart...).
This, of course, did not help me when the power went out last night in a big storm, and I got up and searched blindly through three rooms for my flashlight - and the phone had been within grabbing range when I woke up. Didn't realize what I'd done until I shone the flashlight on it.
But I'll remember next time.
Obviously, if the phone is being used constantly, the battery may go out at the worst possible moment. I'm in the habit of charging it to full and then turning it off before entering a hazard zone (car, any public transport, movie, Walmart...).
This, of course, did not help me when the power went out last night in a big storm, and I got up and searched blindly through three rooms for my flashlight - and the phone had been within grabbing range when I woke up. Didn't realize what I'd done until I shone the flashlight on it.
But I'll remember next time.