London- Commuters take
note -- the respectable person sitting next to you on the train
fumbling with their cell phone might be a "toother"
looking for sex with a stranger.
Cell phone sex reaches a new dimension. Wireless
Dating is coming soon to Bluetooth Phones near you- releasing
in all major cities, the thriller of a lifetime.
"Toothing"
is a new craze where strangers on trains, buses, in bars and even
supermarkets hook up for illicit meetings using messages sent via
the latest in Bluetooth Phones technology.
"Toothing is a
form of anonymous sex with strangers -- usually on some form of
transport or enclosed area such as a conference or training seminar,"
says the "Beginner's Guide To Toothing" on a
Web site dedicated to the pursuit.
It is made possible
by Bluetooth technology which allows users to send
phone contacts, pictures and messages to other Bluetooth-enabled
equipment over a range of about 10 metres (yards). Bluetooth is
chip technology enabling seamless voice and data connections between
a wide range of devices through short-range digital two-way radio.
It is an open specification for short-range communications of data
and voice between both mobile and stationary devices. For instance,
it specifies how mobile phones, WIDs, computers and PDAs interconnect
with each other, with computers, and with office or home phones.
Users discovered they
could send anonymous messages to people they didn't know with Bluetooth
equipment, spawning a craze dubbed "bluejacking".
Jon, aka "Toothy
Toothing" and the guide's author, explained toothing was born
after he was "bluejacked" by an unknown girl while commuting
to work in London. After a few days of flirting, she suggested a
brief encounter in a station lavatory.
He claimed the meeting was pure sexual and no romance was involved.
He said potential toothers
begin by sending out a random greeting -- usually "Toothing!".
"If the other party
is interested, messages are exchanged until a suitable location
is agreed -- usually a public toilet, although there are tales of
more adventurous spots such as deserted carriages or staff areas,"
his guide adds.
Toothing on the
Train
Jon, who's in his 20s
and works in finance, estimates there could be tens of thousands
of toothers from all sorts of professions and lifestyles. Certainly
the Web site's message board is busy.
"Any toothing on
these trains?" asks one poster about services between Cambridge
and London, prompting positive responses from "Dannyboy"
and "Zeke".
"I'll be around
London Bridge mainline station around 9.45 - 10 a.m. tomorrow if
anyone's interested...," another poster called "Boi"
wrote hopefully.
While some happily recount
their successful encounters, others suggest there are a few teething
problems with toothing.
"I tried toothing
in Tooting (south London) last night... not a device to be found,"
a frustrated "Snowdog" posted sadly.
Although clearly not
what the industry had in mind, toothing may lead operators towards
similar, more mainstream projects.
Recently it was reported
that a team in Boston had created a service for cell phones called
Serendipity, a wireless alternative to online dating.
Wireless dating may just be the next new thing.