Bothered by people who blab away loudly on cell phones in public places? A newly publicized device could help, but it’s illegal.

The New York Times reported on Nov. 4 that phonejammer.com, in London, says it is shipping 400 of the pocket-size devices a month into the United States and has holiday orders for more than 2,000. They emit a radio signal that cut out all cell phone transmissions within up to 30 feet. Customers include restaurant owners, theater operators, bus drivers and train and bus commuters.

But, the Federal Communications Commission warns of fines up to $11,000 for the first offense and is prosecuting distributors and users.

The report brought a flurry of lawful strategies that may help. One Times letter writer tells yakkers, “This is a restaurant, not a phone booth” or “Could you speak just a little louder – they can’t quite hear you in Brooklyn.” A woman who said she was old enough not to care what others thought of her simply starts reading her book out loud in competition. Another just yells, “Shaddup already!”

Or, how about the woman who sidles up to the blabber, pulls out a steno pad, and starts writing down the side she can hear of the conversation. That last method has the virtue of pointing out what cell phone use has done to our culture. Do you remember phone booths? Instead of seeking privacy, many cell phone users bark into their instruments in public, often in tones much louder that normal conversation. Why? Possibly because they fear the person at the other end can’t hear them. Or maybe it has become a means of conspicuous consumption, Thorsten Veblen’s phrase for bragging about status and possessions.

Critics ponder over the new obsession of keeping constantly in touch and reporting every thought and action instantly to someone else. They call this narcissism and worry that many folks no longer find time to take a quiet walk to enjoy the scenery and think their own thoughts.

Still, the cell phone, whatever its faults, is here to stay and has expanded to serve as a camera, a computer and a television set.

Seven years ago, when cell phones were younger, a writer named Dan Briody published a Ten Commandments of cell phone etiquette. His advice included sparing others “the banality of your conversation,” turning off the instrument during public performances, and not speaking so loud. He wound up by saying, “Thou shalt not grow too attached to thy cell phone. For obvious reasons, a dependency on constant communication is not healthy.”

It remains good advice.