A Blackberry Pickpocket Notification System 83
Crackberry Guy writes "Research In Motion, the maker of the Blackberry, is looking into offering a wireless device that aims to thwart thieves and ease the minds of those who are prone to misplacing their handheld units. According to the recent patent application, the new device would be carried in a holster armed with a wireless transceiver. The handheld unit could be switched to a pickpocket mode so that once it's removed from the holster, a wireless alert message would be sent to the user. Unless a user authentication code is input in a predetermined length of time, the device's data would be rendered unusable."
I Don't Get It (Score:5, Insightful)
Is this supposed to work in real time? I mean, setup the scenario in which this thing will prevent theft. Ok, a thief steals a BlackBerry and the victim receives a wireless message on their
What it does do is "render your data unusable" if you don't enter your code fast enough. Now, unless it also disables the device, I don't see that deterring pickpockets much at all. Since their primary take is probably the device itself for resale on the streets of your nearest metropolis. The data onboard is just a bonus if you were stupid enough to store financial information on a mobile device.
But let's assume this "wireless alert message" would be in the form of sound waves (hey, sound waves are wireless) and were just a bunch of sirens and a guy shouting "I'm being stolen!" Well, I could imagine this to be either A) more trouble than it's worth, B) ineffective because a minute after it's removed from the holster it's probably already half way across town or C) a reason for a smack addict to shoot you when he holds you at gun point and demands everything in your pockets.
I don't know about Faucette but where I work, BlackBerrys aren't allowed -- and your an idiot if you put any important data on a mobile device!
So really, the only news here is that you can now be notified via e-mail or text message that your BlackBerry has officially been found to be not in its holster. I guess the people who get on the bus with their BlackBerry in their bag and then get off the bus without the BlackBerry in their bag will no longer have to put two and two together to discover that they've been robbed. They will be notified by e-mail which they can read at their leisure -- with things as stream lined as that, it must be THE FUTURE!
Re:I Don't Get It (Score:5, Interesting)
It sounds like the Blackberry's holster, which is typically worn on a belt and would be very difficult to remove (especially with the paunch present on so many of the executives that carry them), would be equipped with a proximity sensor, or at least would receive a message from the Blackberry, which is measuring its own proximity to the holster. The holster could then vibrate / play a sound / flash to indicate that the Blackberry is missing and, if the user doesn't find the device within a few minutes and type in a cancellation code, poof!!
This is quite a good idea. An "Active Case" for your cellphone. Especially for Blackberries, which can be totally DESTROYED remotely. Not only can you wipe out all your sensitive data, but you can corrupt the firmware so there's a good chance the device becomes a brick. I wouldn't be surprised if, given gov't and corporate culture these days, a Blackberry appeared that could be remotely "detonated" to release an etching compound and eat through some of the circuit boards.
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More over though I wonder why this is needed because mobile phones can be deactivated permanently by the
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I don't get it either. This might have been useful for absent minded people who misplace their stuff, but now they're expected to trigger the device before misplacing it?
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I don't get it either. This might have been useful for absent minded people who misplace their stuff, but now they're expected to trigger the device before misplacing it?
Didn't you know? Blackberry owners are psychic which is why they are able to walk down the sidewalk while mindlessly looking at the tiny little screens without bumping into people. Oh wait...
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The details might be a little fuzzy, but I specifically remember cowo
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People who haven't been mugged tend to have distorted ideas of the process.
The "pickpocket" isn't necessarily going to use stealth. It's much more common for them to just walk up and forceably take stuff out of your hands or whatever. Happened to me once like this: Somebody comes up from behind, grabs my raincoat hood, pulls it over my head, grabs the stuff out of my hand, and forcefully rips a chain I was wea
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It is kind of pointless and taking things to far. The idea of a smart holster (for this purpose) is completely unnecessary.
Many of the online data services for the various smartphones already implement lock-down systems. For example, Windows Mobile 5 will allow you to completely reset the device when you mark it as stolen. Provided you password-protect the device, your data is safe.
Given that services to remote-erase the device already exist, all this gizmo does is gives you an alert when it happens. Yo
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It is kind of pointless and taking things to far. The idea of a smart holster (for this purpose) is completely unnecessary.
Agreed. The technology already exists to secure a Blackberry that's carried in its holster; it was developed for parents years ago. Put an alarm on the Blackberry that when it gets a certain distance from the holster, the alarm goes off. Simple and no "smart" tech required. Mind you, now you'll be wedded to your Blackberry unless you remove the holster, but then most Blackberry user
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The blackberry enterprise server (BES) already has this functionality, if a corporate blackberry is lost or stolen, a signal can be sent to the device that wipes it of all info. Sounds like this is just a user based idea of the same functionality.
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If the data wasn't important, why are you carrying the BlackBerry around anyway? BlackBerry isn't very unqiue in what a typical mobile phone can carry today (data). Address book information and email are delivered to both BB's and mobile phones. I know a lot of people who use BB with out a 'blackberry enterprise server' -- a 'BES' server. BB's do not have a lot of functionality when you don't have a BES server.
If you have a BB and
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Yes, the number of attempts is configurable by the system admin if you have your Blackberry hooked up to a corporate network. We have ours set to ten, for example.
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The anti-theft solution on the radio in my car is simple. I expoxied razor blades to the back and sides.
Anyone who takes the brute force approach will be in for a surprise. I will take it out for the next owner, don't worry.
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Lose the device? (Score:4, Insightful)
Hopefully they've thought of this, but the article seems to be lacking details on this new device.
ebob9
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As other posters have noted, sending wireless notification to the (ex-)owner of the blackberry is pretty useless (since they no longer have it), but notification could be sent to a system administrator (for enterprise use; not sure if this would be useful for personal use), who could send a "kill pill" to remotely wipe out the device.
The "kill pill" isn't new, only the ability to proactively notify so
Ok, I give up (Score:2, Insightful)
This one has me completely stumped, however.
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Bluetooth a better solution (Score:4, Interesting)
Actually, it'd sort of be like Rogue Tropper [wikipedia.org]'s helmet, gun and back-pack.
Xix.
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In all seriousness, there should just be an option to have it charge a capacitor, which would then deliver enough of a jolt to fuse some critical components, rendering the device useless and the data safe.
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Interesting idea... (Score:2, Insightful)
Yes, there will be the occasional accident where your data is wiped because you made a mistake and then couldn't find the damn thing, but one sync later and it's all better
this is stupid (Score:4, Funny)
You got to patent this idea... (Score:1)
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Vital Specifications Missing: How long is a piece of string?
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"Authentication Code" (Score:3, Funny)
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useless (Score:1)
Why not just have an alarm go off? (Score:1)
bad idea (Score:1)
ant
One minor flaw (Score:1)
better would be if it sent the GPS co-ordinate to your home pc so if it's lost or stollen you know where it is?
I lost my Blackberry.. AND data (Score:1)
Meh... (Score:3, Funny)
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My BB 7130e with the hefty extended life battery has even more theft deterrent than those wimpy Sprint phones.
JoAnn
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It already exists and comes standard. (Score:4, Insightful)
And, like someone else mentioned, you CAN disable them remotely. Found _that_ out the hard way.
Anyhow, a total non-starter. All they need is some sort of setting (maybe it already exists) that if you drop your blackberry in the holster, it auto-locks.
Besides - they don't care about the data, 99% of the time. They just want to pawn the device.
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JoAnn
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Never stop thefts... (Score:2, Insightful)
1) I have a gun. I'm going to point it at this dude and take his shit.
2) Good he's not looking. [swipe]
3) This guy looks like he's got money. [bumps into rich guy] Oh, I'm sorry. [Minutes later...] Sweet, I got a black box thingy that looks technologicy. I'm going to sell it for $10 and buy a rock.
I bet its pretty e
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Now where did I put that... (Score:1)
"Switched to pickpocket mode" (Score:1)
better (Score:1)
Better idea.... (Score:2)
Only, it might be a good idea to remember to turn it off...
Seems like a redundant feature set (Score:2)
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You can wipe anyone's Blackberry? Please tell me this "feature" can be turned off!
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That works for *me*, not that I'd own such a device. But I don't see how your advice protects the *other* guy from *my* mayhem.
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Possibility for DOS attack (Score:2)
Beside which, if you are prepared to destroy your own property rather than let it fall into the hands of a thief, you don't deserve to have it in the first place.
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How so?
Scenario one, you let the thief steal it. Result: you don't have it any more. Thief does, he's happy and will likely do it again.
Scenario two, you destroy it. Result: you don't have it any more. But neither does the thief, so he hasn't had his aberrant behaviour rewarded. Happens often enough and the thief gives up or starves.
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No, that's not what I'm saying at all. It's not whether other people have one - if they've bought it with their own money it's their decision. If some asshole's wanting to take mine, that I've worked for, that's an entirely different thing. It's mine to start with, and if I'd rather it was destroyed than some undeserving shitbag got it
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Beside which, you may think you have worked hard to earn the money to buy your possessions; but given the way the economy works today, it's almost certain that
Having private data on the blackberry (Score:3, Insightful)
I believe that for some situations, it is required to have private data on the blackberry. For instance, if my job is to go around fixing deployed hardware/software to different job sites (often without the internet or cell connectivity), I need to use the RIM as a data/password repository for applications/devices.
I do not see any other device being as handy and secure as the blackberry for this job:
Paper: Can easily be stolen, does not automatically update
Remote login via other people's machines (e.g. ssh): Not always possible, and other people might have keyboard loggers.
Laptop: Too bulky. Also easy to steal. Cannot update as easily as the RIM can.
So if RIM comes out with a way to notify someoe that they no longer have the RIM on them, and also someway to remotely destroy data, I would be happy.
Yes, I realize someone is probably going to reply with: How come you cannot just put a password on it?
Well, I cannot trust my data with a single password, especially when someone has physical access to the device that has the data on it.
-Really Paranoid guy.
(Really, check my history)
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Similar system for Credit Cards? (Score:1)
This has two security advantages:
(1) it tells you that the company who just swiped (er...read) your card is actually connected to the network, and it isn't only a dummy m
String? (Score:1)