Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/31/iphone_tracks_crooks/
iPhone thieves collared by Jobsian GPS
The telltale status symbol
Posted in Mobile, 31st August 2009 20:19 GMT
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A trio of blundering brigands have been busted after an iPhone they had stolen betrayed their whereabouts.
This tale of technology overcoming uninformed criminality comes to us from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which reported [1] Monday that an unnamed victim was robbed of his iPhone and wallet early Sunday morning.
Apparently, the three thuggee wannabes were unaware of the Find My iPhone [2] feature of Apple's MobileMe [3] online service, which uses the iPhone's GPS to pinpoint a lost or stolen Jesus Phone.
According to the PPG, the iPhone's owner used MobileMe to track the highwaymen to a local Wal-Mart and then to an Eat'n Park [4] restaurant. The chronicle, however, is silent as to whether they were dining on an Original Breakfast Smile, Super Griddle Smile, or Eat'n Smart Smile.
Johnny Law finally collared the crooks at a gas station, and when searching their 2004 Dodge van found the victim's I.D., credit cards, and cash - and presumably also the tattletale iPhone.
Bryant Rather, Brent Ray Potter, and Myron Knox Jr. are now getting free lodging and three squares a day at the local hoosegow, undoubtedly berating themselves for not paying closer attention to the The Reg's coverage of the anti-theft prowess of iPhone Software 3.0 [5] and MobileMe. ®