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Apple thefts continue, but don't work so well for the crooks
Another day, another dumb criminal gets snared by Apple technology. In this case, 2 dumb criminals. This latest foiled crime involved the theft of 4 iPhones from the Apple Palisades store in West Nyack, New York. According to the Journal News up that way, the two crooks ran from the store, and police put out a description of the thieves. The phones were also tracked using the built-in iPhone GPS, and the info led police to a hardware store parking lot in Orangetown. The hapless thieves are scheduled to appear tomorrow in court to answer to to the charges relating to the stolen iPhones and also to explain why they had 2 more stolen iPhones in their possession. The apprehended men are now in the Rockland County jail, hopefully thinking it may not have been so smart to steal phones with GPS tracking. Oddly, the Journal News article quotes cops saying the value of the four stolen phones was close to $4,000, which seems quite high; perhaps they meant the value of all six phones found with the suspects. Meanwhile, our friend 'Jim' says he is getting good cooperation from his local police in apprehending the thieves who stole his MacBook and iMac. As you'll remember from our previous coverage, Jim has the Back to My Mac feature of MobileMe and using the screen sharing function saw someone filling out an online job application, which helpfully listed their address, phone number, name and Social Security number. Then yesterday, Jim snagged a picture of one of the alleged crooks who had used the built in iSight camera to pose for a snapshot.. As Jim continues to make contact with his stolen laptop, he finds more goodies. Someone logged into their MySpace page, and Jim was able to copy and download various pictures of the alleged perps. He also retrieved one of their cellphone numbers. Police have made a couple of visits to the address, but haven't found anyone at home. They are persisting and will undoubtedly find them, likely ruining their day. [Thanks to Jim R. for the West Nyack tip]
World's dumbest crooks: the saga continues
Yesterday we told you about some crooks that broke into a house and made off with a couple of Macs and a PC. We recounted how the victim used his replacement MacBook Pro to screen share with the stolen device, and even watch as someone filled out an online form to find a job, displaying an address, social security number and phone number. Well, the crooks are still at it, and seemingly oblivious to the consequences. Last night, I heard from 'Jim' the victim, and he said he was connected again to his laptop, but no one appeared to be home. He saw an unfamiliar jpeg image on the desktop, and you guessed it, the alleged perp had proudly taken a picture of himself with the built in iSight camera. 'Jim' grabbed the pic, and has now forwarded it to his local police department. It's kind of amazing that the crooks would know enough to grab a pic from the camera, but not realize they have left the Mac wide open to the features of Back to My Mac. Hopefully, the police will get in gear, and rescue the stolen computers, and grab the perps. Meanwhile, 'Jim' is cautiously considering getting back into his Mac and erasing any files with personal info on them. He just doesn't want to get caught and spook the thieves. We'll keep you posted.
An incredible stolen Mac story without a final chapter
Update 2:30p ET 9/1: We've heard more from the theft victim; see the latest news on this crime story here. We're getting our share of crime stories lately, and today's is really a jaw dropper. I'm going to be sketchy on details and locations because there is an investigation underway. Here's what we have so far. An East Coast man had his house broken into with 2 Macs and one PC stolen, along with some other household items of value. One of the Macs was a laptop, and our victim bought a new MacBook Pro to replace it, and used a Time Machine backup to restore all his files. The crime was reported to police, who said they had no leads, but there had been a string of similar burglaries in the area for quite some time. When our victim (we'll call him Jim) sat down at his replacement laptop last night, he saw one of his missing computers come up as a share via the Back to My Mac feature of MobileMe. He clicked on the share, and explored the files of his stolen machine. You can guess what comes next. Taking a chance, he clicked on screen sharing, and saw that someone was using his Mac, checking lottery numbers on a web page. Jim didn't want to take control of the Mac, so he just watched, fascinated. Later, when activity on his missing computer stopped, he went to the network panel and grabbed an IP address, and took a screen shot of it. This morning, he saw someone applying for a job online using the stolen laptop, and Jim now has the Social Security number, address and phone number used on the job application. Jim speculates it is possible the machine has been sold to someone and that is who was applying for the job. Or it could still be with the crooks. He's contacted the police, and we don't know how this saga ends yet, but we'll let you know how it all works out. So far we've got a pretty smart victim and some really dumb crooks. Jim says he is sure he'll be renewing MobileMe when it's time. Details at 11. [Thanks to 'Jim' for sharing his experience with all of us]
iPhone turns Pittsburgh man into Columbo, helps cops catch robbers
The MobileMe Find my iPhone service certainly paid off for a Pittsburgh area man. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that police said the man was robbed at gunpoint in Shadyside (a neigborhood on the east side of Pittsburgh, home to an Apple Store) by two men who asked for his credit cards and the PIN numbers. Police say he turned over his wallet, PIN numbers, and his iPhone. Later the man used his computer and MobileMe to find the location of the phone, and police located the crooks at a gas station. Officers recovered a pellet gun, stolen ID cards, credit cards and cash. Three men have been charged in the incident with device fraud, conspiracy, receiving stolen property and possessing instruments of crime. 2 of the 3 are also being charged with robbery. The victim, not identified by the police, is probably a happy guy, and will no doubt renew his MobileMe subscription when it comes up. One caution. If something similar happens to you, don't go chasing the thieves by yourself. Confronting criminals is serious police work & nothing for the amateur sleuth to try. [Via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and thanks to Sean for the tip]
Ask TUAW: Syncing notes, iLife '09, iTunes downloads, keychains and more
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about syncing notes, iLife '09, iTunes downloads, the importance of keychains and more. As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.Scott asksWhen I sync my iphone (3.0.1) with my Mac (10.5.8) and have "sync notes" checked in iTunes, I cannot find my notes synced anywhere in Mail.app - including under "Notes"...what am I missing?To sync 'Notes' first make sure you have your iPhone connected to your Mac with iTunes open. Then, be sure to have "sync notes" checked in iTunes. Also, be sure to check "Sync Notes" in the MobleMe Sync options in System Preferences. Then, sync your iPhone as normal. After that, check in Apple's Mail program under "Reminders" to see if the notes appear. You need to click on the little triangle to show the contents of Reminders. If they don't appear, close Mail and open it again. Also, restart your iPhone completely before trying another sync. Also, keep in mind Notes sync works only via USB and not over the air. If you are not seeing notes appear, be sure you sync your iPhone via USB with your Mac or they won't appear at all. If the notes still don't appear in Apple Mail, it might be time to give a call to Apple tech support because at that point the problem may be something larger than the scope of what this column can answer.Evan asksI bought a new MacBook Pro last month, which came installed with Leopard and iLife '09. My purchase was within Apple's "Up-to-Date" program timeline, so I was able to order a copy of Snow Leopard for $9.95. I know Snow Leopard doesn't come with iLife '09 but considering my new computer already comes with iLife '09, I'm not going to have to re-buy iLife, am I?
Can't upload pix to MobileMe? Apple has a fix for that
If you've been trying to upload a picture from your iPhone to a MobileMe gallery, and are getting the message "Unable to connect to MobileMe" message you're not alone.The problem appears to be related to a bug in user name recognition. Apple has published a KB article dealing with the issue. The problem seems to be triggered if your member name is in mixed case, or if it is in all caps. MobileMe requires the user name be in all lower case letters, although the same rule does not apply to passwords. Apple suggests you go to your iPhone settings, and under account info make sure your name is all lowercase. If not, a visit to the KB article would be advised. The fix is simple: just delete and re-enter your account details, getting your member name in a form Apple will like. When the bug is fixed, this workaround won't be needed.Apple needs to continue to pay close attention to MobileMe. My perception is it has become generally more reliable since the ugly launch in 2008, but the support page still reports a few new glitches per week. Lately I've noticed a few mail outages/slowness and difficulty getting to my iDisk.
Streaming video from your iPhone? They crippled the app for that.
Qik [iTunes link] is an eagerly awaited free app for the iPhone. Most other video capable phones have a version of it. Qik allows, among other things, live streaming from your phone to the web. How could someone not want that capability? Early on, Qik offered a version for jailbroken phones that worked quite well. digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/Streaming_video_from_iPhone_They_crippled_the_app_for_that'; Well of course, we've learned that what can run on other smartphones may not necessarily make it to the iPhone, and predictably the App Store version has been crippled. You can record video, upload video (Wi-Fi only) but no streaming or uploading over the 3G network. In fact, you can't even live stream over WiFi. I'm sure doing all this this violates the hastily revised terms of service from AT&T. It still grates that the phone that is helping to save AT&T financially has its users abused by having lesser services than other phones that are allowed on the same network. Of course, if video streaming is forbidden, what about YouTube and MLB At Bat [iTunes link], that streams two live games a day? And what about the SlingPlayer app, that is allowed to stream across the cellular data network on other AT&T phones but only over Wi-Fi on the iPhone? I know, there are so many iPhones that it would swamp the inadequate AT&T network, but what did AT&T expect when they fought so hard to get the iPhone? Do they really think streaming by a few Slingbox users or Qik addicts will ever top the bandwidth stats of the baseball app? Today Qik added this to its website: "We've submitted an update to the App Store which will have it working over 3G networks, too. We'll let you know as soon as that upgrade has been cleared. " I wouldn't hold my breath on that one, and it isn't clear if it's just for uploading or live streaming. The Qik app works fine as far as it goes. I shot some video, and uploaded it to the Qik site after creating an account. The video was pretty compressed, but that's to be expected. It's a nice app, but without the main feature of live streaming it doesn't add much to what the iPhone 3GS can already do. The iPhone as-is allows you to send short videos via email, YouTube and MobileMe using the 3G network. Go figure. The FCC is looking into all this, and the AT&T and Apple answers will be interesting. iPhone owners don't want to be treated like second class citizens, and as this farce continues that's what it is beginning to look like. If I could, I would require Apple and AT&T execs to take a look at the famous Apple 1984 commercial and decide if they are the one throwing the hammer, or if they are on the screen.
Ask TUAW: Migration, syncing, backing up, and more
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column! This time we've got questions on migrating to a new Mac, using a Time Capsule for wireless backup, speeding up podcasts, syncing two Macs, and more. As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.
Apple kicks out MobileMe iDisk app for iPhone
It still can't multitask, but as of today, it's finally capable of accessing and sharing iDisk files. Apple has at long last let loose a long-awaited application for iPhone OS 3.0 that enables iPhone and iPod touch users with MobileMe accounts to access the inner sanctums of their own iDisk. The app lets you login, view files (up to 20MB or so, sayeth Apple) and share files by sending others a link via email to whatever you deem appropriate. There's also an option to password protect those files and limit the amount of days the download is active, though viewing files is limited to iPhone-supported file types such as iWork, Office, QuickTime, PDF, etc. If you're a paying MobileMe user, go on and give this one a download -- it's free, you know?Read - iDisk [opens in iTunes]Read - TUAW's First Look: iDisk app
First Look: iDisk app
Apple's long-awaited free iDisk (iTunes link) program brings some great new features that makes MobileMe more appealing. But, there are a few holes and the program certainly doesn't do everything. Basic layout When you launch the iDisk app, you'll see most of folders that you normally have access to in your iDisk, plus any other folders that you might have created. What you won't see are the Backup, Sites, Software and Web folders that are normally in your iDisk. You can access these folders by enabling them through the software settings. Pressing the edit button will allow you to delete any user-made folders you've added to iDisk, but you can't create new folders. Along the bottom are buttons for the iDisk itself, recent files viewed, files that you've chosen to share and public folders you've subscribed to. The settings screen is pretty basic, but leads to one of the gems of this piece of software -- an extremely documented help section that goes over every aspect of the app. %Gallery-69001%
iDisk iPhone app arrives, there is much rejoicing
You have waited with varying degrees of patience, but your wait is over: the MobileMe iDisk app, in all its officialness, is now available on the App Store.The iDisk app allows you to view the contents of your MobileMe iDisk straight from your iPhone, and offers some nice options, such as adjusting the amount of local storage used on the phone for recently viewed files.Does it live up to your expectations? Check it out, and be sure to tell us in the comments what you think about it![H/T AppAdvice.com]
iBank provides yet another reason to dump Quicken for Mac
If there's one software company and product line that can raise the ire of even the most mellow Mac user, it's Intuit and the Quicken line of accounting software. While the company rightfully owns the market for home and business accounting software in the Windows world, their Mac products are beset with bugs, delays, and incompatibility issues.IGG Software has announced a "Why wait another day?" rebate program to persuade frustrated Quicken Mac 2007 owners to switch to iBank 3.5 (US$59.99). If you're a Canadian or U.S. owner who purchased iBank after July 10th, 2009, and have proof of ownership (installation disc or receipt) for either the Mac or Windows versions of Quicken or Microsoft Money, sending in a mail-in rebate form will get you a $20 incentive to switch to iBank.iBank 3.5 requires Leopard, and has a number of features that take advantage of Apple technologies. For example, you can take a picture of a receipt using your iSight camera and include that with a transaction record. MobileMe users get the advantage of automatic backups of their financial data, as well as a way to enter transactions "on the road" with the companion iBank Mobile iPhone app (US$4.99, purchased separately).All in all, the rebate is a great way to start saving money and begin working with an accounting application that was designed from the ground up to work on Macs.
iDisk for iPhone release hinted at via phantom tech note
We've been waiting and waiting for the official iDisk app for iPhone 3.0 devices -- since WWDC, in fact, when the capability for the Apple-branded file sharing solution was first announced. Now there are hints that the app may actually be on the way. Yesterday, the tech note above briefly appeared on Apple's technical support site before disappearing again into 404-land (full-size screenshot here).Sure, the note doesn't say much about the functionality or options for the iDisk app... actually, it doesn't say anything at all besides the fact that deleting the as-yet-unreleased app would also delete the data associated with the app (and the note manages to use the wrong "its" in the process). Even so, the appearance of support content for the iDisk app does suggest that the app itself cannot be too far behind.In the meantime, if you're looking for a handy way to access iDisk and other remote files from your phone, the $4.99 Readdle Docs app was recently enhanced to allow email forwarding of attachments directly to the company's storage solution. Check it out.Thanks to Kevin for sending in the tip.
Ask TUAW: Case-sensitive file system, writing apps, universal remotes, and more
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column! This time we've got questions on using a case sensitive file system in OS X, applications focused on writing, controlling a Mac with a universal remote control, push email, using a MacBook with an external display, and more. As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.
iPhones pass the fireworks test: best of the reader-submitted 4th photos
Shooting photographs of fireworks can be a real challenge. The good shots happen quickly, cameras don't always get the focus right, and there is a lot of movement that can make for blurry pictures. The iPhone is not the best camera in the world for demanding photo jobs -- that's true for all cell phone cams, with the possible exception of digital cameras that happen to include phones as a bonus feature.Nevertheless, we asked our readers around the U.S. to send us their fireworks images, and that they did. Actually, the iPhone acquitted itself pretty well, both with still images and in movies done with the new 3G (plus one movie done with a jailbroken 2G and Cycorder).Look below for a gallery of some of my favorite stills. Many were sent anonymously, so we can't always credit the photographer. Some were uploaded directly from their phones to MobileMe and YouTube. Thanks to all who participated and made our 4th of July sparking and colorful. Visit this link to see the full collection of entries, check out comments in our request for pictures article yesterday for more YouTube links, and view the gallery below for our selection of some great images from around the country.%Gallery-67412%
A (slightly) new look for MobileMe
When I logged into MobileMe this morning, I noticed that my iDisk icon looked a bit different ... it now resembles the one representing the forthcoming iDisk app for the iPhone. It's not the only visual tweak to MobileMe. The Settings icon has received a refresh, and Mail has been changed to look more like its desktop counterpart, showing the count of unread items next to their respective folders. A look at the status history for MobileMe shows that maintenance was performed late last night on the web apps, resulting in the new look throughout the site. Other changes to MobileMe include: The Help menu is now accessible from the toolbar. Mail forwarding and replies now retain original formatting. All messages on MobileMe can now be searched from the iPhone or iPod Touch. Automatic album creation from the iPhone or iPod Touch with version 3.0 software. iPhone 3GS users can publish video to MobileMe. iPhone contacts maintain ringtone associations after syncing with MobileMe. Option to merge contacts and calendars on first sync. Turning off sync will enable users to still keep a copy of their data on their device rather than wiping it.
Find My iPhone reunites true nerd with lost iPhone
You know, we might be inclined to disbelieve this exciting tale of derring-do if it weren't for the highly improbably heroics and ingenuity displayed by its three protagonists -- you just can't make this stuff up. Probably. Kevin, Ryan and Mark were in Chicago minding their own nerdness out at Brickworld when Kevin left his iPhone behind at a dive bar. When they went back for it just minutes later the phone was gone, and instead of calling the cops like a bunch of suckers, Kevin and co. did the right thing and pulled out a Sprint 3G dongle and a MacBook Pro. Unfortunately, Find My iPhone couldn't get a lock on his phone at all -- it was either off or out of data range. The next day at lunch he finally got a delivery confirmation message from me.com, which kicked off a wild, dangerous chase into the wilds of Chicago. We won't spoil the ending for you (he finds the iPhone), but Kevin does raise a couple good points about the service functionality: you need to pull up MobileMe on laptop to use the service (instead of perhaps another iPhone), movement updates aren't pushed, ringer volume impacts alert volume whether the phone is on vibrate or not, and there should be an option for controlling the phone in more nefarious ways like taking pictures. We're glad it all ended up well, but those moments of Lego bliss that Kevin and his friends missed out on are gone forever.[Thanks, Tristan W.]
Find My iPhone location tracking enables all-city chase
We're not 100% convinced of the safety of his approach, but Kevin Miller's determination to recover his lost iPhone -- combined with the power of MobileMe's new Find My iPhone feature -- led him on a wild chase across Chicago, which he visited while he was attending a LEGO convention in nearby Wheeling, IL. After leaving his phone in a bar, Kevin tried to get FMI working (via a friend's laptop & broadband adapter, ironically from Sprint; as Megan & Michael pointed out, you can't access the MobileMe page from the iPhone browser anyway) with no luck. The next morning, however, the phone began responding and Kevin's three-man team began the hunt. With laptop in hand and a succession of more and more specific location details, the guys began tracking down the errant phone. We won't spoil the end of the story for you; Kevin's post is quite entertaining and worth a read. Still, once you do know how the plot turns out you may want to consider enlisting the police for a missing phone, rather than choosing to use their methods.
Find My iPhone: If only I could find myself so easily ...
Mel gave you the instructions for how to set it up... but dear reader, we're going to go in-depth into the features of using MobileMe's Find My iPhone to see how well it works in locating and securing your phone from a remote location -- including performing a voluntary wipe. Locating where your phone is via map When you bring up the Find My iPhone page in MobileMe, the first thing you will see is a map giving the approximate location of your phone. As indicated above, my phone is somewhere inside of my apartment. Because the map is powered by Google, you can toggle it among plain map, satellite, and hybrid views of the location. However, the feature won't give off an exact address. So, if you happened to leave your phone inside of a shopping center complex, you'll still have to visit each store to track down the phone. Read on for more into Find My iPhone's features ...
Find my iPhone: How to set it up
With all the excitement about iPhone version 3.0, there isn't a lot of help on how to set up one of the most unique features of the upgrade, Find my iPhone.If you're having trouble, here are the steps. First, the service has to be turned on. You do that in your iPhone settings. Under email accounts, select your MobileMe info. You'll get to a page that has an on/off switch for Find my iPhone. Turn it on. After that, you must be in your MobileMe web page. Sign in. At first glance, you won't see anything. You have to click on the accounts icon, and you should see a Find my iPhone icon at the bottom of the account settings. You can then decide to find your iPhone on a map, send it a message, or remote wipe it. I found the map pretty accurate, as I have a metal roof on the house that plays hell with GPS and cell signals. I sent a test message. That worked fine, and I received an email confirmation that the message was sent to the phone. I didn't try the remote wipe. I've spent enough time today downloading and uploading iPhone software and data.Note: Apple MobileMe servers are a bit spotty today. It took me a couple of tries to get into my account options.Find my iPhone is a powerful new feature. I hope I never need to use it.Here's what the icon looks like on the MobileMe page:%Gallery-66217%
