Can't/won't/never did.
HAL: Totally serious question...I'm not bullshitting you or trying to press your buttons...I just seriously don't KNOW...but have always complied.
What is the potential threat to "whatever" in the aircraft of some of all the crap most of us carry being turned on? I kinda sorta understand cell phones...crap, I can't even stand by a gas pump with one...but the other seemingly "benign" stuff that isn't in any sort of data-exchange/transmit mode? Why does it [e.g., the threat] apparently cease to exist above a certain altitude?
"TINS" (This Is No Shit...) I frankly didn't know until today how to use the 7-second switch position to "blank screen" my Kindle. So...I continue to learn.
I personally know of one incident where a guy talking on his phone caused the screens to blank out in the cockpit. About 6 or 7 years ago, my friend was flying an ERJ in the mid-teens doing an arrival into somewhere when all their cockpit screens started intermittently blanking. He was telling his FA what the problem was as part of his getting ready for anything on landing when the FA heard the other pilot say "there it goes again." She told my friend she heard the other pulot and right as he said it, she saw a pax talk into his cell phone. A little experimentation and yup, it was the cell transmitting causing the screens to blank out. Later on after maintenance looked into the issue they found some wires that were not properly shielded.
The reason for shutting down all electronics is that theoretically, any electronics can have some leakage whether they transmit or not. So the FAA took the worst case scenario and said since the shielding in the plane is not tested for everything, nothing can be used. But since they know pax want to use computers, iPads, DVD players, etc., the FAA say things that do not actively transmit can be used above 10,000 feet. Below 10,000 is considered a critical phase of flight and they do not want any unnecessary distractions/problems during this time. They figure once we are above 10k, our workload is less and we have more time to trouble shoot or respond if an electronic device is causing interferance.
I also have read about instances of unplanned transmisions from cell phones, handheld radios, etc. interfering with ILS signals. Because of this, there is an ILS critical area where ground vehicles, aircraft, etc. are not allowed when planes are on approach below a certain altitude during no shit IMC.
As far as Otto's crap is concerned, what got me going was his whole "screw what the FA is telling me, she's an idiot" attitude. He's going to give the FA a hard time for doing her job just like he's not going to tell the cop he has a concealed weapon. It doesn't matter that he is once again talking out of his ass and dead wrong, he's going to belittle and defy authority because he thinks he's smarter than them.