This concept, developed by Debra Lilley and Garrath Wilson of Loughborough University "aims to prevent inappropriate use by encouraging users to consciously reflect on whether an interaction should take place" [1].

Using sensorial inputs the mobile phone collects relevant data regarding the user behaviour and the context of use. It is equipped with “inherent memory” which it uses to determine its current state, “previous memory” which refers to learned experiences, Bluetooth connectivity (operational within a 10 metre radius), a global satellite positioning tracking system used to pinpoint the current location and to ascertain whether the phone is in transit or stationary, a 24 hour clock and voice recognition to determine whether the user is engaged in physical conversation.

The benevolent mobile phone uses three levels of intervention - “passive”, “assertive” and “aggressive” which are enacted in a sequential manner in response to three variables; the user’s level of compliance, the gravity of the consequences of actions taken and the context in which the interaction takes place.

Initially the phone would have a limited range of protocols to deal with three forms of misuse in a social context; <“Raised Voice”> <“Prolonged Conversation”> and the presence of <“Physical Others”>.

The phone retains a cumulative memory of the user’s actions in the “previous memory” which it uses to compute a suitable entry point in the “passive – assertive – aggressive” scale of intervention. For example, if the user persists in shouting whilst surrounded by company in a restaurant, switching to partial speaker phone may not be a sufficient deterrent; therefore the phone may immediately default to full speakerphone.

Further upgrades are installed via a <central database>.

To illustrate in more detail how this product would respond to different types of user behaviour enacted in a specific context, a scenario of use was devised.