I always carry a Photon II in my pocket, mostly in the little coin pocket that most 5 pocket jeans have. This way I always have a light, even if I don't have my regular EDC light (inova x5) that I carry in my bag.

I saw something rather clever long ago. Some kids had wandered away from a campground in (I think) Humboldt State Park. They were within hearing distance, but it got dark fast and they couldn't find their way back to their father's voice. I lent him my cheapie dying-2-D-battery flashlight, but instead of going to look for them, he just faced their voices and kept making a large circle of light in front of him by moving it quickly in a 2-ft circle with the light pointed at them. It made a larger target for them to aim for.

It has occurred to me that this would be a good idea for someone with a small light (cell phone, Photon) when they can see someone looking for them in the dark. Think?

Sue

One of the more effective uses for a chemical light in a survival situation is to tie a string to it and spin it in a circle. Much more visible for some reason.

I suspect this is because human perception of brightness (like human perception of sound volume) isn't linear, so the same amount of light spread over more of the visual field may appear brighter. Of course, you're not trying to maximise brightness so much as contrast, which complicates things.

The problem I see with spinning a photon light (as per Susan's suggestion) is that, unlike a lightstick, most of the light will go directly away from the centre of motion. It might still be better to spin it so that the plane of motion is parallel, rather than perpendicular to, the direction of the observer, but it'd be nice to have some empirical evidence.

eeph

Fortunately, I carry a couple red light sticks and paracord for a lanyard. The light sticks can be used for both light and signaling.

Thanks Matt for the info,

I have that phone and did not realize it had that feature (no, I did not read the instruction manual ). I found the button and played with the light all afternoon and evening, much to the dismay of my wife and children .

Pete

There are a couple GzOne Type phones. Neither list an LED light in the specs or features.

I have the S model.

Pete

My new SE P1i has one too, but currently there's no software to turn it on except by using the camera.

I have last years model. it came with the camera which gets used a lot for my work as a housing inspector. The light is the flash for the camera. Hold the speaker button down and the light will come on. I did not realize it had the light until a coworker showed it to me. It's really bright! used it in the backyard two weeks ago looking for my house keys. (Had to take a detour around the back of the house to avoid the skunk)