Generics Intrasonics emergency response system

Originally developed for interactive toys, Generics' (what a name, guys) Intrasonics is seeing a new life being repurposed as an emergency communication system for cellphones, even when cell towers are down or overloaded.
When disaster strikes, cell networks obviously oft become clogged with traffic or may even crash, depending on the nature of the disaster; enter the Intrasonics Sound Link and Sync (SLS), which can send messages and instructions embedded into broadcast airwaves to any cellphone in the area — including devices underground, in some cases. Sounds kinds good n' crazy, we know, but when you find out exactly how it's supposedly transmitted, it'll blow your mind: the data can come in acoustically over the cell's mic by way of (really) loudspeaker, which decoded by an installable app.
Ok, so maybe it sounds a little fishy, but make no mistake about it, emergency communications systems are a clear and present necessity, and we're hoping someone's on the job to make it happen sooner than later.

[Via textually]