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A martial arts enthusiast pulls a vehicle with a rope connected to his eye sockets during a performance in Hefei, Anhui province November 30, 2009. Picture taken November 30, 2009. REUTERS/China Daily

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    How deep is your love? Passion phones know

    SEOUL
    Thu Feb 14, 2008 1:55pm EST
    A man walks out of an exhibition hall where cell phones are on display in Seoul January 15, 2008. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won

    SEOUL (Reuters) - Valentines Day in South Korea means chocolates, romantic dinners and a high-tech mobile phone device that can secretly check the passion in the voice of a lover.

    Oddly Enough

    The "Love Detector" service from mobile operator KTF uses technology that is supposed to analyze voice patterns to see if a lover is speaking honestly and with affection.

    "We created this service because we thought people would want to know what others were feeling about them," said Ahn Hee-jung, a KTF official.

    Users who speak by pointing their mobile phones at themselves for video conferences can see a "love meter" bar on the screen of their handset during a conversation.

    They later receive an analysis of the conversation delivered through text message that breaks down the amount of affection, surprise, concentration and honesty of the other speaker.

    The service costs subscribers a flat fee of 1,500 won ($1.59) a month for unlimited use or can be accessed at 300 won for each call, KTF said.

    "The caller is paying the money, so the information is provided only to him or her," said Ahn.

    (Reporting by Lee Jiyeon; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by David Fogarty)



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