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GadgetTrak hunts down stolen gadgetry for free
Since it's unlikely that we're all sharp enough to install a traceable version of SETI@home on our laptop to track down its eventual thief, and considering that the software won't exactly run on DAPs and PMPs, the GadgetTheft recovery service is stepping up to the plate to protect your goods. While gadget theft has been an unfortunately growing annoyance worldwide, devices like your iPod or Archos 604 aren't exactly likely to be found once they're swiped, but the GadgetTrak software can be installed on any USB-connecting device in order to upload the larcenist's data back to you. Essentially, users who fall victim to a gadget theft can flag the system to start tracking down any applicable IP information, location, usernames, and ISP deets that are found when the crook plugs your gizmo into their PC. Most impressive, however, is that the basic forensic data services are absolutely free, but a "Pro" service that offers up "increased location accuracy, active connection analysis / reports, and firewall workarounds" should be available shortly for an undisclosed fee. So if you're interested in adding a little protection to your currently uninsured gadgetry, and don't mind paying the low, low price of nada, be sure to hit the read link for all the juicy details.[Via Engadget Chinese]
SETI@home claims its first major discovery: a stolen laptop
Although this case doesn't represent the first time a thief has been tracked down by the very item he / she swiped, it does mark the first time in the history of SETI@home that the number crunching actually discovered something substantial. In another tale of good things happening to diligent people, a Minnesota husband installed the Berkeley-created software onto his wife's laptop to run whilst sitting unused, but he probably never imagined that having it check in with the California-based servers every so often would help him track down a crook. The lappie, which just so happened to house numerous crucial documents from his wife's writing collection, was jacked from their possession on New Year's Day, but as any determined and intelligent being would do, James Melin monitored the SETI@home database until the missing machine logged back into the UC mainframe, where a subpoena was then used to unearth the physical location of the stolen property. As of now, no arrests have been made, and while no pertinent documents were deleted or tampered with, Mrs. Melin noted that the perpetrator (or the eventual underground buyer's) taste in music was among the worst she's ever heard of judging by the foreign tracks that were gifted to her when the laptop returned. But what we really have here is just another good reason to join Engadget's Folding@home team![Via Slashdot]
New Zealand teen jacks Xbox 360, divulges credentials to Microsoft
Apparently, a 14-year old teenager in New Zealand doesn't visit Engadget (or use his brain) a whole lot -- you'd think that team of crooks who swiped a PlayStation, only to return for the power cord and eventually end up in police custody might have swayed him from doing the exact same thing. Not so. Oddly enough, the teen in question jacked the console and left the oh-so-critical power cable behind, but instead of devising yet another heist, he simply phoned Microsoft, gave out all his credentials (including the machine's serial number), and awaited the cable. In the meantime, the irate original owner dialed up the company as well; after discovering that his Xbox 360 had already been registered to its thief, he registered to obtain a court order to induce Microsoft to release the bandit's details. (Jailarity ensues.) So while our first PSA must not have been potent enough, we'll simply reiterate that stealing consoles probably isn't your calling if you can't even remember the accessories.[Via Xbox 360 News]
Cancer patient has Xbox 360 stolen whilst in hospital
There's inhumane, and then there's despicable, but unfortunately for a 17-year old cancer patient receiving treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital, he knows all too well about both of them. A Vermont-based teenager had been suffered from osteosarcoma, bone cancer in the leg, and was "recovering from surgery" a few hundred miles away from home. Apparently, someone(s) the family actually knew broke into their home while they were obviously away, and proceeded to jack his Xbox 360 as well as "over $1,000 worth of games and DVDs" while they were at it. Local police suggest that they "do have some good leads involving current and former students at local high schools," and while none of the culprits have been apprehended just yet, folks have been more than generous in helping Jeff return to some state of normalcy by donating funds to help with family expenses, and one individual actually dropped off a new Xbox 360 console for a local radio station to deliver.[Via Xbox360Fanboy]
Thieves balk at 13-inch CRT television, refuse to steal
Although we've seen our fair share of zany criminals pulling off (or at least attempting to) incredible feats in order to snag a few good pieces of electronic kit, it seems that our era has all but eliminated the value previously associated with low-end, old fashioned electronics. Sure, there's a few folks out there shopping for bulky, cumbersome, and cheap 13-inch CRT televisions, but in numerous dodgy neighborhoods in and around Canada, researchers simply couldn't convince thieves to take one. In a ploy to track a thief from the moment the crime happened to where it ended up, the crafty schemers discretely installed a GPS device in the TV, and then proceeded to leave the functioning set in various unlocked cars around less-than-amicable boroughs for thieves to jump on. After nearly a month of trying to get a single thief in all of Canada to jack this thing, their attempts proved overwhelmingly futile. So while there's no exact moral to this story, we'll just assume that potential larcenists might be a tad more apt to pass on by your crib if you're caught watching snow-filled soaps on a 1982 RCA than say, a $10,000 plasma, but you already knew that, eh?[Thanks, Camperton]
Thieves jack 14 GPS devices, forget to turn them off
Yeah, we've seen quite a bit of mishaps happen in conjunction with operating a GPS device, and the list of brainless criminals is (fortunately) seeming to get longer each day, but this heist made the cops' jobs so easy it's almost implausible. A few crooks with a potentially bright idea set out to swipe a dozen or so cellphones from the Town of Babylon Public Works garage in Lindenhurst, NY, but unfortunately for them, the 14 units they swiped turned out to be GPS devices. As expected, Suffolk County police didn't have any qualms tracking the bandits down, and actually found the head criminal holding one of their prizes when they entered his home, as he was presumably trying to call his mother (or partners in crime) and explain all he'd accomplished. Nevertheless, the father and his 13-year old son, along with another 20-year old culprit, were all taken in on charges of grand larceny and stupidity, but at least justice prevailed, eh?[Via Fark]
Mom-of-the-year calls cops on son who opened "PlayStation GameBoy" pre-Xmas
As the PS3 crime spree chronicles continue to unfold, a zany mother in South Carolina apparently got a few wires crossed (and an incensed son, to boot) according to a recent police report. After claiming to purchase a "PlayStation GameBoy" for her mischievous 12-year old son to open at Christmas, the woman filed a petty larceny incident report to have the youngster arrested for opening it this past Sunday. Reportedly, the woman came home to a haphazardly opened box, and found the unit after the child claimed he "didn't know where it was," sending the mum into a fit which led to her son's arrest. While the boy was known to be a troublemaker in school, purportedly "attempted to assault a police officer" in the past, and has a thing for "stealing," the mother's soft heart still found it possible to purchase the coal-deserving brat an object that hasn't even been released (nor created). Whatever it really is, we hope it ends up on eBay so some deserving kiddo can give it a whirl.[Via Digg]
PS3 crime spree, part III: Rise of the righteous
While selling a PS3 soon after launch day probably paid some hefty dividends for those lucky enough to secure one, pistol-whipping someone in order to make it happen probably isn't worth the trouble. Apparently a cash-strapped (or completely crazed) Massachusetts duo couldn't quite weigh the consequences before taking action, and are now under arrest for "attempted murder and robbery." One gunman, William J. Robertson, is already being held under a $1 million (or about 600 to 700 properly eBayed PlayStation 3s, whichever you prefer) bond, while his 17-year old partner in attempted larceny remains "on the loose." While we knew the PS3 launch would potentially bring out the worst in people, unloading ammunition to get your game (or profiteering) on is just taking things a bit too far -- so while camping out weeks in advance for a next generation console may surely pay off in the short-term, we'd say pulling a criminal stunt to get one probably won't.Update: Looks like the second fellow has now been apprehended and faces his own $1 million bond. Tsk tsk.
Parents file larceny charges over lengthy cellphone confiscation
Sure, time is money, and nobody has time to wait around to make a phone call, but two parents in Lone Grove, Oklahoma are exemplifying the bounds of being impatient by filing larceny charges against a high school principal and superintendent. Based on an estranged rule that we seriously hope isn't widespread, students are not allowed to have any sort of "wireless telecommunications device" on their person during school hours, and when a cavalier student's mobile rang in the midst of class, it got snatched -- for five days. Based on the "school handbook," officials have the right to confiscate cellphones for a full business week if a student dares to bring one on campus, and reports explain that the superintendent has no inkling to return the device a moment too early. While we can understand how hopeless the poor child must feel without his connection to, well, everything, we're hoping the charges lead to fewer restrictions at Lone Grove High School (and beyond) for everyone's sake, right kids?[Via Fark]
