1) Make the crime more severe, akin to grand theft auto. Have variations of the theft classified, like stealing a car if the keys are left in it on a street at night is less severe than snatching a phone out of someone's hand on a subway. Make the later crime more inline with a physical assault to retrieve the device. If a bag or pocket has to be accessed in any way to grab the phone (as opposed to someone simply left it on a table or chair) make that more inline with breaking and entering, which includes the bag in question being stolen.
2) I've said this many times but I'll say it again, Apple should make any hard power cycle force a restart (not simply turning off the device) and require a PIN to do a soft shutdown. This wouldn't prevent someone who planned ahead from using a container of some sort that can block radio waves but it may prevent and catch the more opportunistic crimes. Also, add a PIN code option to Settings since a phone that is obtained within x-duration can was have the perp go into Setting to enable Airplane Mode.
3) Why doesn't Android have a similar feature to Find My iPhone? Why is it still called Find My iPhone?
Forcibly stealing from someone is in a higher crime classification, but the courts are busy with more severe crimes than a iDevice getting taken from someone especially if they were unharmed.
The ability to resell stolen phones at a profit is a risk to all of us. Here in the bay area the new strategy is the blitz mugging. That is you punch the target out and the ask them to hand over the phone. A good friend of mine has been a victim of two such attacks. The problem is partly a responsibility of the carriers. They apparently have some ability to block a phone from its network that has been stolen. Apparently the carriers in Australia block such access which resulted in a substantial reduction in phone thefts. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/nevius/article/An-easy-way-to-curb-smart-phone-thieves-2344797.php
Undermining this to some degree is the fact that a good number of phones stolen here are shipped outside the country, however at the margin it should have a positive impact.
99% of thieves are smart enough to turn the phone off as soon as they steal it. Then all they need to do is perform a reset and they've got a fresh iPhone for sale.
Has Apple made strides towards hindering thieves? Yes. Could they do more? Yes.
Apple might want to consider a system where it's impossible to turn a phone off without entering a passcode (difficult as the power switch interacts with the software at a very low level but probably not beyond Apple) or forcing the user to enter a passcode when they flash/wipe a device in iTunes. These are two ideas just off the top of my head; I'm sure there's even better ways to stop thieves.
Thet really should require a password to turn the phone off. No one turns their phone off, and anyone with an iPhone in a city should be used to entering their passcode mulitple times a day anyway. I've made the request here http://www.apple.com/feedback/ and I hope will make the request as well. A simple toggle to require passcode to turn off the phone would go along way in retrieving stolen phones and have thieves thinking twice about stealing them (until they can figure out a hack around it).
It seems reasonable to build better security into the iPhone if possible. Anything that makes an iPhone less easy to steal has to be good for the life of the iPhone owner. I would like to see the phone mated to the new charger as an extra line of security and maybe give the phones chip and and motherboard some sort of digital/physical signature that is random but unique.
Why am I not surprised there are the usual assortment of people objecting to the Mayors reasonable request? These companies could easily implement a cutoff policy to help the police and people who have had their phones stolen.
And many of the bad neighborhoods are now overrun with hipsters, especially in Brooklyn.
What's a hipster? I did a search but it seems like there is no clear definition. Is it sort of like a modern day hippie?
Mostly it mentions that they're an alternative subculture of early adopters and free thinkers which doesn't sound all that bad compared to what normally comes to mind when one speaks of bad neighborhoods.
It seems reasonable to build better security into the iPhone if possible. Anything that makes an iPhone less easy to steal has to be good for the life of the iPhone owner. I would like to see the phone mated to the new charger as an extra line of security and maybe give the phones chip and and motherboard some sort of digital/physical signature that is random but unique.
99% of thieves are smart enough to turn the phone off as soon as they steal it. Then all they need to do is perform a reset and they've got a fresh iPhone for sale.
Has Apple made strides towards hindering thieves? Yes. Could they do more? Yes.
Apple might want to consider a system where it's impossible to turn a phone off without entering a passcode (difficult as the power switch interacts with the software at a very low level but probably not beyond Apple) or forcing the user to enter a passcode when they flash/wipe a device in iTunes. These are two ideas just off the top of my head; I'm sure there's even better ways to stop thieves.
And if a "real" owner forgets the pass codes? Then what? They somehow magically get them? They get them from Apple? They have to register them with Apple?
The only certain way to prevent theft of this type is to not buy or use the product. That's 100% prevention of stealing it. Once you buy and use, there is always a way for someone that what's the item to steal it.
What's a hipster? I did a search but it seems like there is no clear definition. Is it sort of like a modern day hippie?
Mostly it mentions that they're an alternative subculture of early adopters and free thinkers which doesn't sound all that bad compared to what normally comes to mind when one speaks of bad neighborhoods.
Modern day hippie is close enough. Even the baddest of neighborhoods have good hard working people, and many have gotten priced out of their homes because the hipsters are able to pay higher rents. Williamsburg used to be a shit hole (just watch where Eddie Murphy moves into in Coming to America) and now the rents there are comparable to Manhattan.
I've only owned Wifi iPads, and though I've luckily never had a reason to use the "Find iPhone" app, it did work on the few occasions when I tested it.
Even if a Wifi only iPad were to be stolen, the "Find iPhone" app could be used, because the thief will eventually connect to a Wifi network. And even though the Wifi only iPad lacks GPS, Wifi localization seems to be pretty accurate, because when I tested it, it located the exact location of the iPad, down to the exact building that it was in.
Where I live, the cops won't do anything for wifi only because of the margin of "accuracy". I'd like to imagine a world where the thief would be smart enough to wipe it instantly. Alas, our entropic public education system...
Williamsburg used to be a shit hole (just watch where Eddie Murphy moves into in Coming to America) and now the rents there are comparable to Manhattan.
I thought that was Queens. I distinctly remember them going to Queens to find King Jaffe's queen.
I thought that was Queens. I distinctly remember them going to Queens to find King Jaffe's queen.
No where they lived was Brooklyn but the Queens border isn't far and the McDowell's was actually a Wendy's on Queens Blvd. The inaccuracies in NYC movies is hilarious to me, they rarely get it right. The train chase scene in The Taking of Pelham 123 being one of the worst.
No where they lived was Brooklyn but the Queens border isn't far and the McDowell's was actually a Wendy's on Queens Blvd. The inaccuracies in NYC movies is hilarious to me, they rarely get it right. The train chase scene in The Taking of Pelham 123 being one of the worst.
I'd like to visit that barber shop and catch the next gig of Sexual Chocolate.
Cool link thanks. I actually saw Demi Moore (looks like a average MILF now) and Dakota Fanning (radiantly beautiful) filming in Brooklyn last summer and the Chicago whorehouse in Boardwalk Empire is really in Brooklyn.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by GTR
Even Snake Plissken on standby?
My family lived in New York for three years. The first night we arrived, we got mugged.
It was awesome!
We could have used Snake then but, in his defence, we'd heard that he was dead.
I miss The City That Never Sleeps.
How long ago was that? New York has changed a lot and places like Times Square have been cleaned up and sanitized. A bit too much, in my opinion.
Forcibly stealing from someone is in a higher crime classification, but the courts are busy with more severe crimes than a iDevice getting taken from someone especially if they were unharmed.
And many of the bad neighborhoods are now overrun with hipsters, especially in Brooklyn.
Undermining this to some degree is the fact that a good number of phones stolen here are shipped outside the country, however at the margin it should have a positive impact.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dasanman69
And many of the bad neighborhoods are now overrun with hipsters, especially in Brooklyn.
I haven't been to Brooklyn in a bit, but yeah, I hear that there are a lot of hipsters there.
It was a long time ago, and I'm sure it has changed.
However, we still loved it exactly as it was.
A superb city.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoobee
Before the iPhone there was nothing. Nothing.
False. Worrying about stolen phones has been a concern for a long time, especially since the earliest smartphones were mostly used by business people.
Before the iPhone, there were various ways of tracking and disabling phones.
There were location tracking programs for smartphones ( WinMo phones for sure had them).
CDMA carriers like Verizon/Sprint disabled stolen phones.
Remote wiping of stolen phones was available on WinMo phones via MS Exchange, and I'm pretty sure on Blackberrys as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RichL
99% of thieves are smart enough to turn the phone off as soon as they steal it. Then all they need to do is perform a reset and they've got a fresh iPhone for sale.
Has Apple made strides towards hindering thieves? Yes. Could they do more? Yes.
Apple might want to consider a system where it's impossible to turn a phone off without entering a passcode (difficult as the power switch interacts with the software at a very low level but probably not beyond Apple) or forcing the user to enter a passcode when they flash/wipe a device in iTunes. These are two ideas just off the top of my head; I'm sure there's even better ways to stop thieves.
Most police forces could do more too though.
Thet really should require a password to turn the phone off. No one turns their phone off, and anyone with an iPhone in a city should be used to entering their passcode mulitple times a day anyway. I've made the request here http://www.apple.com/feedback/ and I hope will make the request as well. A simple toggle to require passcode to turn off the phone would go along way in retrieving stolen phones and have thieves thinking twice about stealing them (until they can figure out a hack around it).
Quote:
Originally Posted by dasanman69
And many of the bad neighborhoods are now overrun with hipsters, especially in Brooklyn.
What's a hipster? I did a search but it seems like there is no clear definition. Is it sort of like a modern day hippie?
Mostly it mentions that they're an alternative subculture of early adopters and free thinkers which doesn't sound all that bad compared to what normally comes to mind when one speaks of bad neighborhoods.
Like a chipped car key?
Quote:
Originally Posted by RichL
99% of thieves are smart enough to turn the phone off as soon as they steal it. Then all they need to do is perform a reset and they've got a fresh iPhone for sale.
Has Apple made strides towards hindering thieves? Yes. Could they do more? Yes.
Apple might want to consider a system where it's impossible to turn a phone off without entering a passcode (difficult as the power switch interacts with the software at a very low level but probably not beyond Apple) or forcing the user to enter a passcode when they flash/wipe a device in iTunes. These are two ideas just off the top of my head; I'm sure there's even better ways to stop thieves.
Most police forces could do more too though.
And if a "real" owner forgets the pass codes? Then what? They somehow magically get them? They get them from Apple? They have to register them with Apple?
The only certain way to prevent theft of this type is to not buy or use the product. That's 100% prevention of stealing it. Once you buy and use, there is always a way for someone that what's the item to steal it.
Modern day hippie is close enough. Even the baddest of neighborhoods have good hard working people, and many have gotten priced out of their homes because the hipsters are able to pay higher rents. Williamsburg used to be a shit hole (just watch where Eddie Murphy moves into in Coming to America) and now the rents there are comparable to Manhattan.
Where I live, the cops won't do anything for wifi only because of the margin of "accuracy". I'd like to imagine a world where the thief would be smart enough to wipe it instantly. Alas, our entropic public education system...
I thought that was Queens. I distinctly remember them going to Queens to find King Jaffe's queen.
Then script had it in Queens. It was filmed all over NYC. I think the McDowell's was in Queens. I could really go for a Big Mc. No seeds.
Edit: http://www.movielocationsguide.com/Coming_to_America/filming_locations citation
No where they lived was Brooklyn but the Queens border isn't far and the McDowell's was actually a Wendy's on Queens Blvd. The inaccuracies in NYC movies is hilarious to me, they rarely get it right. The train chase scene in The Taking of Pelham 123 being one of the worst.
I'd like to visit that barber shop and catch the next gig of Sexual Chocolate.
Cool link thanks. I actually saw Demi Moore (looks like a average MILF now) and Dakota Fanning (radiantly beautiful) filming in Brooklyn last summer and the Chicago whorehouse in Boardwalk Empire is really in Brooklyn.