By IANS
New York : Scientists are trying to make electronic gadgets, like MP3 players and mobile phones, which won't get charged unless they are owned by the person charging them.
Every portable gadget has a charging circuit that recognises when the charger jack has been plugged in. It then begins trickling a current to the battery.
Now, US-based electronic product manufacturer Apple has claimed that the Digital Charge Management (DCM) technology that it has developed can stop a person from using gadgets if he or she does not own it.
In a patent application filed recently, the company said DCM technology uses a 'guardian' circuit to spot when someone is trying to use a cell phone with an unauthorised synching system, reported the online edition of the New Scientist.
If codes buried in the synching or download software do not match those assigned to a particular gadget, its battery charging circuit is disabled and the gadget becomes unusable.
Some people may object to such a restriction and there is a risk that the ID codes may be misread and an expensive and legitimately owned gadget might end up becoming an expensive paperweight.