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America's 'panic button' to wipe phones of democracy activists, perturb repressive governments
So, here's the scene. You're out at [insert city center here], completely neglecting any and all work duties, throwing Molotov cocktails at the building of the State you've grown to hate. It's a protest in every sense of the word, and you're rallying the troops via Twitter and Facebook. It's actually not an uncommon painting these days, and while America's not into promoting violence, it is into keeping the personal information of democracy activists secure. According to a fresh Reuters report, the US State Department is currently developing a software-based "panic button" that would wipe a phone's address book and beam out emergency alerts to fellow protesters if they were apprehended. The goal here is to protect the privacy of those captured while promoting their best interests, and to let others know that trouble is brewing. There's no clear indication of the status here, but something tells us that it'd be useful yesterday for a certain region of the globe.
Hacker nets two years in jail after pilfering £7 million in virtual poker chips
Crime, it just doesn't pay. Well, actually it does, to the tune of £53,612, but then you get caught and you have to work off that salary with two years at Her Majesty's pleasure. One Ashley Mitchell, an enterprising 29-year old from Devon, England, managed to break into Farmville maker Zynga's mainframe, hijack the identities of two of its staffers, and procure for himself a cool £7 million ($11.4m) in virtual poker chips. He then proceeded to sell about a third of them for the above sum, while consuming a big chunk of the rest in satisfying his own gambling habit. Ashley already had a history of digital malfeasance, having previously hacked into the systems of Torbay Council, his former employer, and is now on the receiving end of a two-year prison term for his current crime plus the activation of a 30-week suspended sentence. There's a warning in this tale of woe for us all, however -- Monsieur Mitchell piggybacked on his neighbors' unsecured WiFi networks in order to do his dastardly deeds. Slap a password on that router, won't you?
Ohio man jailed for selling copied games
If you bought a bootleg copy of a PC game for the low, low price of $9.95 and you live in the Powell, Ohio area, it's possible you bought it from Qiang "Michael" Bi. First and foremost, please don't buy pirated games. Second of all, you won't have any more opportunities to purchase his illegal wares (or warez), as Bi was sentenced to 30 months in prison "for selling illegally copied computer games between 2005 and 2009" this week. According to federal agents (via 10tv), Bi purchased legit retail copies of various "computer games," duplicated said games illegally, and then sold copies for $9.95 each through eBay and Amazon. Bi admitted guilt to three separate counts -- mail fraud, copyright infringement, and aggravated identity theft -- and will pay $367,000 to the court, in addition to forfeiting his home, vehicle, and "electronic equipment." Though no specific publishers are identified, Bi will also have to repay game publishers who lost money due to his actions.
'Managed access' trial screens prison phone calls without jamming the airwaves
Yeah, we've been to this rodeo before... kind of. If you'll recall, prisons have had one heck of a time getting the Feds to sign off on a new law that would allow cellphone jamming equipment to be installed on their premises, and due to a 1934 law that allows only federal agencies to jam public airways, they've had little choice but to sit and wait. A bill is resting in the House right now that would allow pilot jamming programs to commence, but given that it's unlikely to go anywhere anytime soon, South Carolina's prison director (Jon Ozmint) is eying something else. In fact, he's already trying something else. A "managed access" trial has begun in the Palmetto State (as well as Mississippi), which routes mobile calls originating in the prison to a third-party provider that check's each number to see if it's on a whitelist; if it doesn't make the cut, the call is blocked. Jon's still pushing for jamming, but it looks as if this second-rate system may just be good enough to convince most criminals to stop trying to reach the outside world. Or at least add yet another level of frustration to their lives. [Image courtesy of Wired]
Teen archer launches cellphone-laced arrows into Brazilian jail
Sometimes we sit around at Engadget HQ and do informal, anonymous surveys of our favorite gadgets of all time. Cell phones are unsurprisingly always at the top of the list. But the bow and arrow always comes in a close second -- call us closet traditionalists. Anyway, seems like a gang in Sao Paulo trained a 17-year-old to shoot arrows with cell phones strapped to the tips over a prison wall to communications-starved inmates. Apparently the misguided teen got at least four phones in before he fired one at a cop's back. Whoops! Still, dang. We much prefer this practicality of this old-new mashup to, say, steampunk flash drives. [Image credit: Robert van der Steeg's flickr]
Wolfhound sniffs out inmates' cellphones much better than an actual wolfhound would (video)
Are you the warden of a small-town prison, or perhaps an irate movie theater usher who's sick of ungrateful patrons interrupting Step Up 3D because they can't be bothered to turn of their handsets? Cellphone jamming is, for the most part, still out of the question, so Berkeley Varitronics has introduced a little something called the Wolfhound. Previously known as the Bloodhound, the device lets you hone in on RF signals, which means it won't help you if phones are powered down, but if your perp has one on standby, or if they're talking, texting, or surfing the web, you're golden. Interested? Of course you are! Hit the company up for a price quote -- but not before checking the video after the break.
Raytheon's 'pain ray' to be installed in LA County jail, Charlie Sheen contemplating move to Portland
Raytheon's been cranking on its 10,000 pound Silent Guardian for years now, and we always try to keep abreast of its... progress. The device, popularly known as a 'pain gun,' is a non-lethal weapon designed to deliver an overwhelming heat to say, members of a mob scene or rioters at a prison, causing an immediate flight response. The Air Force, which helped test the device, has assured the world of its safety, and recently the devices went on sale. So what's next for the Silent Guardian? Installation at the LA County jail in Castaic, where a large scale riot recently broke out, injuring more than 20 people and lasting well over an hour. Now, we're in no position to form an opinion about whether the pain ray is going to help situations like these or not, but we're pretty sure of one thing: it'll likely have little to no effect the next time Britney Spears is brought in.
House passes Cellphone Contraband Act of 2010, prisoners go back to writing letters
Oh, we know all about doin' time. We watched both Oz and The Wire in their entirety, and have seen Let's Go To Prison, like, eight times. For instance, we know that you only do two days in the joint: the day you go in, and the day you go out. And we know that tattoo guns are readily available (if you have access to an old walkman or Playstation).We also know that cellphones are contraband, and rightfully so: you wouldn't want an inmate ordering a hit on someone, or running their record label from in "the stir." That's why we stand with the CTIA in support of S.1749, or The Cell Phone Contraband Act of 2010. Approved in April by the Senate, and passed by the house yesterday, this amendment to title 18 of the United States Code prohibits "possession or use of cellphones and similar wireless devices by Federal prisoners." And once it's signed into law by the President, we're sure that the no-goodniks will stop sneaking handsets in and we can forget all that silly talk of prison cellphone jamming once and for all.
PlayStation tattoo gun mod gets inmate a stern rebuke, admiration from his cell block
When an inmate at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre near Gatwick, West Sussex, England, needed access to a tattoo gun (presumably banned in UK lockups, just as they are in the US) inspiration struck. According to The Sun, the inmate used the motor of a PlayStation's optical drive to move a sharpened ball-point pen. Sure, there are better ways to get ink -- such as waiting to be released -- but it ain't exactly a prison tattoo if you don't get it in prison. The paper goes on to say that from time to time a similar contraption made from "Nintendo consoles" turns up stateside, although the only such device we've ever seen was in an episode of The Wire, and it was made from an old cassette player. Either way, this is one mod we surely won't see from Ben Heck any time soon.
Prison Break trailer reveals innovative 'constant hanging' gameplay
We knew a few details about the plot of Deep Silver's video game adaptation of Prison Break, but we weren't aware that the game's protagonist, Company agent Tom Paxton, was actually a chimpanzee in people-clothes. At least, that's what we're assuming from the title's first gameplay trailer, posted above, in which it's revealed Paxton spends a remarkable portion of his day hanging from pipes, ledges and elevator maintenance ladders. Check out the trailer above to see the hanging (and other stuff, we guess) in action. By the way, if any major television producers happen to be reading this post, a show called Monkey Prison would be the greatest thing ever. Feel free to use that -- just send us an email so we can work out a royalty agreement.
Prison cellphone jamming gets its first test in Maryland
As we wait for the Safe Prisons Communication Act to pass the House, word comes out of Maryland that FCI Cumberland will begin testing cellphone jamming technology this week. As you well know, critics of the plan have voiced concerns that the technology could interfere with emergency response and legitimate cell phone use near prisons, but the state is determined to put those criticisms to rest -- and to keep inmates from using contraband cellphones for prank calling the warden's wife, sexting folks on the outside, ordering brutal execution-style "hits" on people, and quite frankly bedeviling the law-abiding citizens that prisons are meant to protect. We can't help but wonder how HBO's Oz would have turned out differently if this had happened ten years ago.
Drama Mamas: Of crime and crossdressing
Dodge the drama and become that player everyone wants in their group with the Drama Mamas. Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are real-life mamas and experienced WoW players -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your server. We're taking your questions at DramaMamas (at) WoW (dot) com. Pictured above is just some of the torture devices on the prison ship Success. The writer of our first letter is not looking to send a guild "criminal" on a tortuous journey across the globe to a penal colony, but he is looking to exact a harsher punishment than the one already meted out. Our second petitioner is tortured about being considered weird for playing the opposite gender. We won't torture you with any further delays before letting you at the drama.
'Safe Prisons Communication Act' passes Senate, inmates won't be able to hear you soon
Inmates certainly are industrious folk, relying on pigeons and helicopters and surely the odd baked good or body cavity to smuggle cell phones into prisons. Soon it'll be all for naught, with the Senate unanimously passing the Safe Prisons Communications Act of 2009, allowing prisons to use cellphone jammers. Now the Act will be run over to the House, where we presume it'll flow through with equal expediency. Mind you, cellphone jammer usage outside of jails will continue to be decidedly illegal, meaning activating one could result in your going to jail. Now that would be tragic. [Via textually.org]
French prisoner snakes past guards in cardboard box
The first time someone snuck out of a real-life prison by stuffing themselves inside a cardboard box, we found it amusing. The second time, though, we have to wonder how this keeps happening. According to the Telegraph, French inmate Jean-Pierre Treiber constructed a cardboard box in the prisoner's workshop at the Auxerre, Burgundy "high-security" prison at which he was awaiting trial. When no one was around last Tuesday morning, Treiber himself hopped in the box and awaited loading with "dozens" of other boxes, only hopping out of his concealment well after the truck had left the prison. In 2004, Treiber was accused of murdering French actor Roland Giraud's daughter, Geraldine, as well as her friend Katia Lherbier. Giraud calls the escape an "avowal" of Treiber's guilt, while Treiber's lawyer says it may be an indication of his client's absence of faith in the justice system. Either way, one thing's for sure: We either need fewer cardboard boxes in European prisons or more prison guards with suspiciously narrow vision cones. [Via Kotaku]
Deep Silver planning a Prison Break
Don't let that headline confuse you -- though some of UK-based developer Deep Silver's earlier work is truly criminal (namely, Singles: Flirt Up Your Life), it isn't thinking of clever ways to terminate its incarceration. Rather, it's publishing a ZootFly-developed video game adaptation of the television show Prison Break, which -- well, which sounds pretty familiar. Perhaps it's because Brash Entertainment optioned the rights to make such a game shortly before its untimely extremely timely demise.According to a recent press release, the game's story will run parallel to the first season of the show. Players will be placed in the shoes of Tom Paxton, member of the shadowy "Company," who is sent to investigate the events leading to the arrest of the TV series' protagonist, Michael Scofield. Sounds a bit complicated to us. We'll hold out for the video game adaptation of the much more straightforward Prison Prison Break.
Oh, by the way: August 7, 2009
Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of mobile for Friday, August 7th, 2009: In addition to the BL40 and BL42, it looks like LG's upcoming Chocolate series is also going to include a lower-end BL20 according to a newly-uncovered user agent profile. Whatever it is, it's got a QVGA display -- a far cry from the epic 21:9 unit on the BL40. [Via PhoneArena] Motorola's W562 candybar for China has broken cover, and needless to say, you won't find any Android here. CDMA and a 2 megapixel camera, yes, but no Android. More baby steps are being taken in states' fights to jam phone signals in and around prisons. This time around, a Senate subcommittee has sent a bill to the full Senate that would allow individual states to plead their jamming case to the FCC, which -- as of right now, anyway -- seems pretty lukewarm to the idea in general. [Via Phone Scoop] Acer -- like Apple, Microsoft, Nokia, RIM, Palm, Google, LG, Samsung, and your cousin Ralph -- is opening an app store. It expects the store to be ready in the next few months as it ramps up the barrage of new WinMo devices it's been pimping over the course of the year. [Via PHONE Magazine] South Korea's KT has confirmed that it'll carry the iPhone at some point, though it's refusing to spill details on exactly when or how that'll go down. SKT's apparently still in the mix, too, so we could end up without carrier exclusivity here. [Via Unwired View]
Oh, by the way: July 14, 2009
Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of mobile for Tuesday, July 14th, 2009: Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard -- yes, Standard, not Professional -- has been spied on video running on an HTC S710. What does it look like? Pretty much the same as 6.1 with a few tweaks. A security dude has discovered a Bluetooth "vulnerability" of sorts in HTC devices running Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 that allows unfettered access to the phone's file system when file sharing is enabled, but here's the catch: you've got to pair with an untrusted phone for it to really be an issue, which might explain why HTC doesn't seem to concerned about it. Prison directors from 26 states have come together to sign a petition asking for FCC petition to jam cellphone signals on their premises. Something tells us the CTIA isn't really cool with that. [Via Phone Scoop] Remember that rebranded Mobinnova Ice hacked to run Android in Russia? Yeah, well, it's totally real, and mail.ru has a unit to prove it. Canada's Koodo Mobile is now offering the LG 5500 flip for CAD $175 (about $154). The VGA camera isn't going to inspire any deep romantic love, but the lack of a contract just might. [Via MobileSyrup]
Gizmondo man goes back to jail, does not pass go (again), does not collect $200 (again)
After serving three years in the US prison system for, among a litany of other things, totally disrespecting a $1 million Ferrari Enzo, Gizmondo's ex-CEO Stefan Eriksson is heading right back to jail. Last Friday, the District Court of Uppsala, Sweden sentenced Eriksson to one and a half years in prison for allegedly "making illegal threats, attempted blackmail, and robbery," though given his past offenses (being a head of the Swedish mafia, for instance), we're surprised the rap sheet is so light.After being released from American prisons in early 2008, Eriksson ran into legal trouble again upon re-entering Sweden. Talking to The Local, his lawyer's initial response to the verdict was, "This is unacceptable, but we must sit down and discuss how we should proceed." We're tentatively suggesting, "Get Eriksson away from cars, money, and other people," but that's just us.[Via Eurogamer]
Wi-Fi consoles banned from UK prisons
There's been a story floating around lately about the PS3 being banned from UK prisons. Well, that story is actually this one from 2007. But, all of this talk of consoles behind bars pushed INCGamers to action, and the site recently spoke with someone in the know and confirmed that UK convicts have not been able to use gaming systems with Wi-Fi capabilities for some time now."Prisoners in England and Wales have never been allowed access to wireless enabled technology such as that used in some games consoles," a spokesperson said. "A decision was taken some years ago that the then current generation of games consoles should be barred because the capability to send or receive radio signals is an integral part of the equipment. Future games consoles with this ability will be banned. This ban applies to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo DS." In fact, the only consoles prisoners have been able to use are the PS1 and PS2, which isn't too bad if the inmates have some copies of Oddworld: Abe's Odyssee and God Hand to go with them. Actually, nix that first game. It could cause a riot.[Via Videogamer]
Brazilian RC helicopter cellphone delivery service busted
What do you do when your cellphone-smuggling carrier pigeons get caught on their way to the big house? Why, you go higher tech, of course. Those texting-crazed Brazlian ultra-max prisoners hatched a new plot to fly a radio controlled helicopter up over the wall of a prison, dropping diaper-swaddled handsets into the awaiting hands of criminal non-masterminds on the inside. Unfortunately for them, police foiled the plan when they pulled over the accomplices on the outside, confiscating the chopper, a suite of phones, and arresting the four who were paid just $5,000 to get the plan airborne. Our suggestion for their next attempt? Jetpacks.[Photo courtesy of AP]
