How do I disable the camera on my camera phone?

[loinburger]

I never use the camera -- the only reason I got a camera phone is because I wanted a flip phone (the pre-paid phone I had before wasn't a flip phone, and so I couldn't carry the thing in my pocket without inadvertently hitting a dozen buttons) and the cheapest flip phone they had was a camera phone.

The problem is that I'm not allowed to bring cameras into work. Right now I've just got some electrical tape over the lense, but that won't satisfy an anal retentive security person. Does anybody have any experience in disabling these things? The worst case scenario is that I just wind up smashing the lense with a screwdriver or ice pick or awl or whatever, but I'd rather do this elegantly if possible.

[Colonâ„¢]

Re: How do I disable the camera on my camera phone?

Originally posted by loinburger
I never use the camera -- the only reason I got a camera phone is because I wanted a flip phone (the pre-paid phone I had before wasn't a flip phone, and so I couldn't carry the thing in my pocket without inadvertently hitting a dozen buttons)

Wasn't it possible to have to have the keypad locked? (unlock + * with Nokia)

[Az]

ahh, the joys of working/serving for defence.

It's a real pain in the arse. Maybe you can stab it with a pencil, and then pour rapidly solidifying plastic in it? ( I am half serious)

[Colonâ„¢]

Re: Re: How do I disable the camera on my camera phone?

Originally posted by Colon


Wasn't it possible to have to have the keypad locked? (unlock + * with Nokia)

Come to think of it, with my old (ancient) Motorola it also used to be possible to lock the keypad.

clamshells

camera-phones

[loinburger]

Originally posted by Colon
Wasn't it possible to have to have the keypad locked? (unlock + * with Nokia)

You locked the keypad by holding down * , which meant that rather than hitting a dozen buttons every time you put the phone in your pocket you instead hit a dozen buttons about 20% of the time that you put the phone in your pocket (which seems to be the frequency with which I'd inadvertently hold down * when I put the phone in my pocket).

Originally posted by Az
Maybe you can stab it with a pencil, and then pour rapidly solidifying plastic in it? ( I am half serious)

I've got some epoxy that I was going to use to seal up the hole after I stabbed it with a screwdriver/awl/whatever, just to make sure that I didn't have little pieces of camera lense come loose in my pockets.

[Az]

actually the more I think about it, the more is sounds like something plausible. not sure about:
1) what kind of damage it can do to the circuitry.
2) it may look fugly.

[loinburger]

It already looks pretty fugly covered in electrical tape, so that's not really an issue. It's the concerns about the circuitry that prompted me to look for a more elegant solution.

[Az]

I don't know how your cellphone looks like, but usually, there is a rather serious gap between the camera lense and the outer translucent protecting cover. maybe you could break the outer cover, and pour some room temperature solidifying stuff in. In any case, it won't be the epoxy that would ruin the circuitry, it would be the whole "stab cellphone in the heart" thing.

[Solly]

Drop it down the toilet?

[Sava]

drill into it?

hot glue gun?

sodering iron?

[reds4ever]

Clamshells are for losers!!!...;O)

[Tattila the Hun]

Magic marker on the lense. Or a drop of soldering iron. Hot enough to screw the lens permanently, or cover it, but not hot enough to burn trough to the cirquitry. Or so I believe.

[loinburger]

Solder's a solid plan. I wasn't sure that the epoxy I've got would be opaque enough to satisfy the security people, and I'd hate to waste money on some sort of special opaque epoxy for the sole purpose of breaking my phone, but I'm sure that I can wrangle a soldering iron out of somebody.

[:) Smiley]

Have you considered calling the manufacturer?

[loinburger]

I asked the people at the store where I bought the thing, and they graciously offered to sell me a new phone.