Wi-Fi Enabled Camera Helps Nab Crooks: Start of a Trend
Investigative police may soon be obsolete when it comes to tracking down stolen high-tech consumer gear. That's because more gadgets from laptops, phones, and cameras are themselves helping to nab thieves - sans the police. Take the latest case of Alison DeLauzon whose camera "phoned home" and helped identify who had her lost Canon camera.
DeLauzon was hopeless after losing her camera on vacation in Florida, until she got home and found her holiday photos, as well as photos of complete strangers uploaded to her computer. The information was used to get her goods back. It also got two restaurant employees that made off with her camera fired.
Here What Happened
DeLauzon was able to retrieve the photos thanks to the Eye-Fi, a wireless-enabled SD memory card that can automatically upload photos to a home computer or photo-sharing service when within a wireless network.
Normally, the Eye-Fi is programmed to a specific wireless network, but in this case the thieves likely passed by an open wireless network with the same name as DeLauzon's home network. This duped the Eye-Fi into thinking it was home and uploaded the photos, including pictures of the thieves. That was just enough information to track down the two.
This instance is far from the first time high-tech consumer electronics has nabbed thieves. Most recently a girl had her MacBook stolen and recovered it by remotely accessing the laptop and snapping a picture of the thief using the built-in webcam.
Aiding in the return of lost or stolen gear are innovative companies such as GadgetTrak sells software that can be loaded iPhones, Blackberry and Windows Mobile phones. If lost GadgeTrak software identify data on the new user's SIM card and e-mail the owner.
Thieves beware, the cops may not be the only thing to worry about when making off with consumer electronics nowadays.
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Good story.
Cool, now if I can just get this on all the government laptops being stolen and/or lost. Then I can get a photo of the idiot who lost the laptop and the bum that lifted it.
Even better since I back up my data, maybe I can send a message to have the battery melt down and maybe the crook with it.
There are some mistakes in the english ''Here What Happened'' "such as GadgetTrak sells software that can be loaded iPhones, Blackberry and"
Please read the complete article and you will know what I mean, I presume it is a typo, I do not expect this from pc world cause you are the BEST.