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Apple patent hopes to make your devices theft-proof
While we knew the Brits were looking Apple's way to help curb the nagging gadget theft problems still going on across the pond, it looks like Cupertino may have the ability to offer up a few solutions after a 2004 patent filing was reportedly awarded. According to AppleInsider, a US patent around "acceleration-based theft detection system" for movable devices was granted to Jobs & Co., and while we're still taking this with a grain of salt, it's not too surprising to hear of Apple coming out with a more secure method to stop theft than that cutesy combination lock built into new iPods. The filing insinuates that an accelerometer could be paired up with recognition software that could theoretically differentiate between normal bumps and ill intentions, and while specific hardware wasn't exactly covered, we can certainly assume that the more portable devices would get the anti-theft treatment first. All in all, the concept here seems fairly novel, but considering that using your Nike + iPod kit would probably cause all sorts of false alarms to go off using such a deterrent, we'll probably stick with the "toss gadget at larcenists' forehead" approach to keep our handhelds secure for now.
Hot new anti-cheating tool: RFID tagging exams
Given the vast amount of digital goodies that can be utilized as tools to gain an unfair advantage in certain testing situations, it's about time we see the officials fight fire with fire. With some schools banning iPods while others tie them into the learning process, Edexcel is looking to nip any potential theft problems in the bud by tagging packs of GCSE and A-level papers with RFID. Reportedly, the level of security surrounding these papers is already quite strict, and while actual cases of theft have remained relatively small so far, the exam board's not willing to risk it. The papers are apparently quite tempting targets for larceny, as past episodes have landed the confidential information on underground markets and even the internet, and the new tagging system will keep track of "how many papers are in the bundle, where they came from, and where they are going." Interestingly, it was noted that the packs wouldn't actually be tracked remotely, but instead would "speed up checks carried out by compliance officers." Currently, a "major trial" is already underway to presumably judge the effectiveness of the new anti-cheating system, so we'd think twice before snagging that pack of papers laying on the teacher's deserted desk.[Via The Register]
RFID / RFA anti-theft technology could hit optical media
Utilizing RFID technology to defuse the threat of theft isn't a fresh idea, but NXP Semiconductors and Kestrel Wireless are looking to make good on the premise by cranking out an anti-theft solution that just might appear on the next DVD you buy. By combining NXP's RFID technology with Kestral's RFA (radio frequency activation), manufacturers could install a minuscule chip on the optical media at the beginning of the supply chain which would render it unplayable, but having it scanned at a checkout counter would enable a series of authentication checks to occur and eventually unlock the media for playback. While the scenario may sound convoluted, it could allow manufacturers to skimp on bulky, restrictive packaging, and moreover, it could be applied to other items in the consumer electronics universe in order to deter thieves from trying to swipe expensive handheld gizmos. Of course, we can already envision the complaints that are sure to arise from legitimate buyers bringing home a coaster if the activation process happens to fail, but apparently, both companies are already hard at work persuading studios to write 'em a check and get these things into stores.[Via Physorg]
RFID / RFA anti-piracy technology could hit optical media
Utilizing RFID technology to defuse the threat of theft isn't a fresh idea, but NXP Semiconductors and Kestrel Wireless are looking to make good on the premise by cranking out an anti-theft solution that just might appear on the next DVD you buy. By combining NXP's RFID technology with Kestral's RFA (radio frequency activation), manufacturers could install a minuscule chip on the optical media at the beginning of the supply chain which would render it unplayable, but having it scanned at a checkout counter would enable a series of authentication checks to occur and eventually unlock the media for playback. While the scenario may sound convoluted, it could allow manufacturers to skimp on bulky, restrictive packaging, and moreover, it could be applied to other items in the consumer electronics universe in order to deter thieves from trying to swipe expensive handheld gizmos. Of course, we can already envision the complaints that are sure to arise from legitimate buyers bringing home a coaster if the activation process happens to fail, but apparently, both companies are already hard at work persuading studios to write 'em a check and get these things into stores.[Via Physorg]
Aussie uses pants to hide stolen projector
It's one thing to have the cops roll up to the wrong retail location while you scurry away in the opposite direction, but to get away unscathed after cramming a mammoth projector down your pants is rather incredible. In yet another case of heists gone awry, a presumably desperate and unprepared Australian duo set out to snag what was likely the largest projector in the store, but rather than using a backpack (or eying one of those miniature models), the crooks decided that shorts were best. After wrestling with the device and even getting on both knees in an attempt to stuff it all in there, the primary suspect finally covered the excess up with his oversized tee and managed to waltz out with his accomplice as store employees probably dolled out sympathy thinking that that the poor lad had kyphosis. Regardless, we certainly hope the boys in blue manage to nab these fellas and throw in a count of abusing their rights to be idiotic while they're at it. Hit the read link for the comical video.[Via Wired]
PS3 crime spree, the missing episodes: heist goes awry, witness murdered
'Tis a sad day in society when nearly two months after London showed us all how a crime-free launch is supposed to go that two separate incidents involving a PlayStation 3 left one witness dead and another dazed. In a case of local bartering gone terribly wrong, a crook posing as an interested buyer reportedly snatched a PS3 without paying, and rather than listening to a witness who tried to inject reason, the culprit resorted to stabbing the man to death and darting off with the blood-stained machine. On the other side of the pond, the UK finally did fall victim to console crime, as a crazed robber entered a Blockbuster and demanded a PS3, only to find that the object of his desire was in fact "sold out." Being the bright lad that he obviously was, he hastily decided that settling for an Xbox 360, a handful of games, and a fistful of pounds would have to do. Best of all, the robber was probably able to get in a few rounds of Gears of War before needing to go underground, as the boys in blue were initially dispatched to the wrong store location while the bandit built a solid lead. C'mon folks, if you're going to steal, at least snag the one console that still isn't a common sight in retail locations -- or don't criminals understand the concepts of supply and demand?Read - Fatal stabbing over PlayStation 3, via PS3FanboyRead - Crook settles for Xbox 360 over PS3, via Joystiq
PS3 thief settles for Xbox 360
What is it with people demanding new gen consoles at gunpoint? A Blockbuster video in the UK was recently robbed. A young man held up the two female store clerks at gunpoint, demanding that they give him a Playstation 3. Upon informing him that they didn't stock the console, he settled for an Xbox 360 instead. He also swiped several Xbox 360 games on the way out as well as money from the register. No one was injured, though it took the police 20 minutes to arrive because they were directed to the wrong Blockbuster.Frankly, we probably would have asked for a Wii. Seriously, those things are hard to find.[Thanks, slimbloke]
London hit by malware-infected USB ruse
Joining the infamous Chip & PIN terminal hacks as yet another way to siphon banking details from unlucky Londoners, a group of "malware purveyors" reportedly dropped off tempting Trojan-infused USB drives in a UK parking lot in hopes that unsuspecting individuals would take the bait and subsequently hand over their banking credentials. Supposedly, Check Point regional director Nick Lowe mentioned the wile at the Infosec trade show, but couldn't elaborate due to the ongoing investigation. Another insight suggested that such chicanery was becoming "the new phishing email," but hey, where's the love for those oh-so-vulnerable ATMs? Take note, dear Brits, that the free storage you're eying on the park bench could end up costing you quite a bit in the long run.
FogSHIELD blasts burglars, amps up nightclubs
Alright, so ShatterGARD Inc. definitely doesn't intend for its FogSHIELD PB 240 (pictured after the break) to actually be used in nightclubs, but ejecting "enough fog to cover 2,000 square feet in less than 15 seconds" could definitely get the mood set real quick like. Marketed at homes and businesses who feel that they should add yet another layer of security to their pre-existing systems, the device is wired up to trip sensors that are already installed, and when triggered, can emit a non-toxic fog that purportedly "gives the intruder no option but to scurry for the door." Humorously, the company even points out that the smoke carries a "pleasant mint smell and dissipates completely within 45 minutes," which should ensure that any future crooks not only get a breath of fresh air when invading your premises, but that they return in just under an hour to give it another go. No details on pricing were readily available, but it was noted that the initial installation comes with enough fog to erupt on 15 occasions, but if you seriously end up needing to stop over a dozen invaders from breaching your property, we'd suggest a change in scenery.
Thieves swiping HOV exemption stickers from hybrids
For those of you enjoying the free-flowing high-occupancy vehicle lane on the Capitol Expressway (in your HOV-exempt hybrid, no less), stay sharp, as it looks like those oh-so-valuable stickers that reside on your ride appear as gold to thieves. Apparently, "two to three dozen" victims per month are surfacing in California, where the now-extinct stickers are presumably fetching a pretty penny on the underground markets. The labels -- which were handed out to some 85,000 hybrid owners in years past to give them the same speedy privileges are carpoolers -- are no longer being administered by the DMV, which means that those that were able to take advantage are now targets. Interestingly, hybrid vehicles that are up for sale in the area are fetching "nearly $4,000 more" than comparative models so long as they come with the coveted sticker pre-installed. Notably, the DMV claims that the "carpool stickers are treated chemically so they crumble apart if tampered with," but that wee tidbit isn't likely to slow down a desperate bandit.[Via Fark]
Inebriated crooks leave behind digital snapshots of themselves
It's one thing to lose track of all the peripherals you need to gank whilst stealing a gaming console, but to leave behind digital snapshots of yourself at a crime scene is on an entirely different level of dumb. In a case filled with Darwin award nominees, a team of self-incriminating thieves managed to break into private property and jack about "$5,000 worth of expensive alcohol, including $800 bottles of wine and high-dollar scotch," only to forget a digital camera filled with photos of the party in progress. Interestingly, game designer Richard Garriott (Ultima Online, anyone?) actually owns the property, and has stated that he'll probably install a swank video surveillance / security system to prevent such an annoyance from happening again. But if you've been wondering how to make a quick buck in order to snag a few new pieces of kit flowing out of CeBIT, Texas police are offering "up to $1,000 in reward money" for leading investigators to the less-than-intelligent criminals.[Via Fark]
Warren Spector collaborating with Hollywood on new title
Coupling the refined sensibilities of Deus Ex designer, Warren Spector, with the more commercial tendencies of Hollywood seems like a dangerous situation, especially in how it allows for ill-advised Perfect Strangers references. During last week's Game Developer's Conference, Mr. Spector vaguely described two of his upcoming projects to Eurogamer. One is based on an original gameworld he created with his fantasy writer wife, Caroline Spector, while the other is a "collaboration with a fellow you would have heard of out of Hollywood." The latter title seems particularly interesting, if only because of the unusual cooperation between an entity that traditionally encourages compartmentalized safe bets and another that takes pleasure in smashing genre conventions with a mallet. Since it's unlikely to be a licensed title, it leaves us speculating about how exactly the Hollywood touch will play into Spector's plans. Could a first-person Night at the Museum RPG be in the works? Of course not, don't be reedigulas!
Metareview: Wario: Master of Disguise
The reviews are coming in and they're all over the place for Wario: Master of Disguise. We've grown to expect innovation and even brilliance from Mario's unruly counterpart, but the thing about innovation is that it's a risk ... and often, opinions can vary, as we see below.GameSpot: 61% - "...the game's real problem is that it stops being interesting after about an hour. Cutting down a chandelier with a laser is cool the first couple of times you do it but not the 100th time. By the third or fourth episode, you've interacted with the same objects and experienced the same set of eight minigames so frequently that the process of switching costumes and using the stylus becomes rote."
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]
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]
Incessant texting gets thief to return purse
In this day and age, having someone steal your purse or wallet is a common occurrence especially in larger cities. It's not that common, though, to have someone steal your bag filled with credit cards, lots of cash, and your cellphone, only to have all of it returned it to you. That's what happened to Pan Aiying, a school teacher from the province of Shandong in China. Her bag was stolen from her while she was riding a bicycle home from work. She borrowed a friends phone to call her own only to have the call unanswered. In a desperate situation, she decided to text the thief thinking she might appeal to his morals. The text read, "Keep the 4,900 yuan ($630) if you really need it, but please return the other things to me." 21 text messages later and still no response from him until the next day when the bag appeared in her courtyard. Everything was still in the bag when she opened it. OK everyone, all at the same time now: "Awwwww!"[Via Fark]
PayPal to offer security key fobs for additional account protection
For every stupendous scam that crafty / immoral individuals pull off on eBay, there's at least a couple phishing scams out there trying to jack your precious eBay or PayPal password and access your hard-earned dollars. PayPal is readying a VeriSign security key that will resemble the RSA SecureID we corporate workers are all too familiar with with, and will sport a monochrome LCD screen that rotates a six-digit password every 30 seconds. Clients who opt to use this device will be able to enter it along with their usual username / password credentials when logging in, which would prevent scammers from accessing their account without the key fob in hand. The firm has been testing the device with employees for "several months," and plans to start trialing it with customers "within a month or so." Personal account owners in America, Germany, and Australia will eventually have the option of picking one up for a one-time fee of $5, while business accounts will receive the unit gratis, but if you're not savvy enough to pass on by those tempting scams, five bucks could be a small price to pay to keep your cash out of strangers' hands.[Via jkOnTheRun]
Wario The Thief magazine scan
A scan for Wario The Thief has shown up over at French gaming site Jeux-France. The scan, which originates from Famitsu, popular Japanese gaming mag, and shows some of Wario's new costumes for the game. Featuring what is being called as Space Wario, Graffitti Wario and Doctor Wario, each costume gives Wario special abilities.Obviously, each of these special abilities will be necessary to pass the game's many obstacles. Currently set for release in January of the next year in Japan, nothing has been said in regards to a release in other territories.See also: Wario gets his theft on Wario The Thief Wi-Fi compatible?
