The ever-looming danger of phoning an ex, a boss or any of the several people in their phone books most people would not want to call while drunk only increases with their level of intoxication.
The release of two iPhone applications that allow users to block themselves from calling certain contacts for a set amount of time will help remove the potential repercussions of drunk dialing.
The applications, "The Bad Decision Blocker" and "Don't Dial," have the same premise and operate very much in the same way.
Users can select the contacts they wish to ban themselves from calling and designate a period of time in which they cannot call the numbers.
For most users, a few hours will probably do the trick, but for those planning on extended intoxication, the option to ban contacts for days is also available.
After confirming the list of banned contacts, the application will overwrite the user's phone-book data, eliminating the possibility of drunken call or text message.
The data is completely unavailable until the time expires, even if the application is deleted and reinstalled.
"Don't Dial" has one more feature, allowing users to create a password for a friend, who can login and unblock the numbers before the allotted time ends.
Of course, neither application can stop users from manually dialing a number and calling it, meaning any memorized numbers could still pose a threat.
The application is very attractive for iPhone users on campus who plan to party hard.
Wharton sophomore Keith Williams was amused by the application.
"I would buy it because it would probably save you some embarrassment," he said, adding, "That's if you were of age, of course."
Wharton and College sophomore Aneesh Jain indicated one more feature he would like to see in the application.
"Calls which were attempted during the drunk dialing period should be shown the next day so you can figure out exactly what happened the night before," he said. "Perhaps they could even use the GPS in the phone to tell you where you were."
Wharton and College sophomore Balvir Singh looked to find higher meaning in the applications.
"Most people do have the self-control [to not drunk dial]," he said. "This is probably aimed at that minority that is struggling to stop."
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