The Guatemalan Parliament has passed a law that
punishes mobile phone theft with 6 up to 15 years in jail. Under the new
law, people who steal mobile phones and resell them can also receive
fines of up to USD 25,000, EFE reports. Customers found guilty
of acquiring stolen mobile phones can be sentenced to 5 up to 10 years
in prison. The Mobile Phone Law mainly aims to reduce the number of
violent phone thefts.
The new law also requires Guatemala operators to register all mobile
lines, data that will be used by the Superintendence of
Telecommunications to set up a mobile user database, as well as of
handset and accessories resellers. Operators have three months to
complete the required mobile phone registry.
According to a recent report from the Superintendence of
Telecommunications, a mobile phone theft is recorded every four minutes
in Guatemala, most often in violent assaults. Over 142,745 mobile phones
have been reported as stolen in Guatemala in 2012, which represents an
increases of nearly 40 percent from 101,664 handsets stolen in 2011.
A fake Apple advert claiming the new iOS 7 software
makes iPhones and iPads waterproof has apparently fooled some users into
destroying their devices.
The fake advert circulating on
social media sites claims that updating devices with the operating
system installs a "smart switch" that cuts off the phone's power supply
when water is detected, Sky News reported.
This, it claims, "prevents any damage to your iPhone's delicate circuitry".
The ad has the look and feel of an authentic Apple advertisement,
with the same minimalist font and style and plain white background.
It seems some users have been fooled into dunking their Apple
gadgets into water to test out the promised feature, only to render
their devices useless.
One user wrote on Twitter: "Whoever said iOS 7 was waterproof **** you."
Another wrote: "OK whoever said iOS 7 is waterproof GO **** YOURSELF."
The prank is believed to have originally started on the controversial forum 4Chan.
The iOS 7 software was released last week, and has come under fire
for slowing devices down and causing users to delete everything from
their iPads and iPhones.
Apple is yet to comment.
If you are in Australia we offer the most competitive mobile phone insurance at $89 for 12 months cover .
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Australian Owned and operated company with claims call center based entirely in Australia.
Insurance for all types of new Handsets and Tablets purchased post, pre or outright within Australia.
Google recently launched Android Device Manager
to help find a lost or stolen phone or tablet. What I love about it,
there’s zero setup. Just log into the service your with your same
Google/Gmail account as the device and voilà it should be able
to be located on Google Maps. Options are few, yet powerful, as
currently you can ‘Ring’ a device- it sounds off at max volume even if
the phone was set to silent. And you can enable ‘Remote Wipe’ should it
be unrecoverable (granted you enable Factory Reset option on the device
prior). I’ve already tested a few of my devices and it works pretty
well, however, one device could not be located initially but then some
ten minutes later it rang off. Give it a try!
If you are hoarding an old mobile phone in your drawer, you
are not alone. There are 23 million unused mobile phones in Australia
and environmental experts are warning the burgeoning number of obsolete
phones will get worse, as upgraded smartphones are released, including
Apple's new iPhone, expected to be launched on Wednesday.
''These devices are just accumulating right across the
country in Australian households,'' said Ruth Lane, senior lecturer in
environmental science at Monash University. ''Everyone has one in their
bottom drawer and they are a bit uncomfortable about what to do with
them.''
Ms Lane, who has a PhD in environmental science, said people
found it hard to throw out their phones if they had upgraded to a newer
model and the old device was still working.
There is a potential for the many components of mobiles to
be reused but many people are psychologically attached to their phone or
they worry about the security of data, Ms Lane said.
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A report by Mobile Muster, a not-for-profit mobile recycler,
found there was one unused mobile phone for every person in Australia
and the phones are usually more than four years old.
''People are hoarding and hanging on to [their] phone,''
Mobile Muster manager Rose Read said. ''It's more wasteful to leave your
phones in your cupboard than recycling them. People keep thinking that
maybe they will keep them for another day.''
Mobile phones contain more than five reusable materials
including plastic, gold, copper, lithium and cobalt that are recycled in
countries such as Singapore, North Korea and Australia.
The International Telecommunications Union estimates that by
next year the number of mobile phone plans will exceed the world's
population, which is 7.1 billion.
In Australia, there are 17.4 million mobile subscriptions
with internet connections, according to the Australian Bureau of
Statistics, while the total number of the phone services, including
dongles and data card services, is now 24.34 million, the Australian
Communications and Media Authority says.
A TOURIST who had her phone stolen
during a late-night drunken swim has had the last laugh, posting
pictures the thief took on her device to tumblr.
In the Life of a Stranger Who Stole My Phone,
the unnamed blogger reveals how she parted ways with her smartphone
after she and her friends went for a late-night swim after a night out
in Ibiza, Spain last month.
Unfortunately when the group came back all their stuff was gone with no sign of the thieves in sight.
But the thief failed to disable file-sharing app Dropbox and so she now receives a copy of every photograph taken on her iPhone.
Now, in the ultimate payback, she's chronicling the life of "Hafid" who
she has worked out lives in Dubai after pictures emerged of him in front
of the city's skyline.
In her blog she says: "This is the
inspiring story of Hafid from Dubai, the douchebag who stole my phone.
He forgot to switch off the camera upload function, that's why we will
enjoy a deep insight into his life."
The photographs show Hafid in a series of situations, from posing with a
fancy car and food, to hanging by the beach with his mates, with the
blogger adding hilarious captions.
The blog, which began last
month, has attracted thousands of followers and Hafid still appears to
have no idea of his new-found internet status.
Apple iPhone 5S
Standout features: Rumoured to include a larger screen, fingerprint scanner and fresh iOS 7 software.
Due: Possibly September 20. Apple iPhone 5C
Standout features: A coloured, plastic cover, fresh iOS 7 software and budget price.
Due: Possibly September 20. Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Standout
features: A bigger, full HD, 5.7-inch screen, lighter body, faux
leather back panel, faster chip, and software features including a web
scrapbook and magazine.
Due: September/October. Samsung Galaxy Mega
Standout features: A 6.3-inch screen, dual app multi-tasking and budget price.
Due: Out now, $599. Sony Xperia Z1
Standout
features: A waterproof body, 5-inch, full HD screen, 20-megapixel
camera, and ability to work with add-on camera lenses.
Due: September 9. Sony Xperia Z Ultra
Standout features: Sony's biggest phone, with a 6.4-inch screen, will be waterproof and offer an 8-megapixel camera.
Due: September 9. Nokia Lumia 1020
Standout features: A PureView 41-megapixel camera makes this Windows 8 phone unique.
Due: September 17 HTC One Max
Standout features: A full HD, 5.9-inch screen, front-facing speakers, and space for a memory card.
Due: Likely October/November. HTC One Mini
Standout features: A smaller, 122g body, 4.3-inch screen, UltraPixel camera and metal body.
Due: Mid-September. LG G2
Standout features: A 5.2-inch, full HD screen, 13-megapixel camera and controls on the back for easy access.
A 55-year-old Canberra man has been caught red-handed after his photo was taken by a mobile phone he had stolen.
The owner of the phone discovered it had been taken, among other items, from his parked car over the weekend.
The
mobile phone contains an application that discreetly takes a photograph
when a user puts in the wrong access password on the phone three times
in a row.
The photograph was automatically sent to the owner's email account who then reported the incident to police.
Investigations by police led them to the man in his Chifley home and he was charged with property damage and minor theft.
He was later bailed to appear in the ACT Magistrates Court in September.
Last
year a Canberra court ruled that it was perfectly legal to use similar
applications to track down stolen phones and computers.
Man Jailed 45 years For Stealing Nigerian Governor Aregbesola’s Phone
For stealing a N50,000 Sony Ericsson phone belonging to Governor Rauf
Aregbesola, a 31-year-old Kelvin Ighodalo has been sentenced to 45-year
imprisonment by an Osogbo High Court.
Ighodalo stole the phone from the pocket of Aregbesola on November
27, 2010, when the governor was being inaugurated at Government
Technical College, Osogbo.
Justice Oyejide Falola, who heard the case, found Ighodalo guilty on six counts, which included conspiracy, stealing and fraud.
He was sentenced to 10-year imprisonment for the first three counts
and five years for each of the last three which included impersonation,
obtaining property by falsehood and collusion.
Falola, who ruled that Ighodalo deserved the jail term, held that
the convict used the phone to obtain N500, 000 from the Owa of Ilesa,
Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, while he obtained N200, 000 from Mr Shengen
Rahman, an associate of the governor.
The jail term, which Falola pronounced will run concurrently, means that Ighodalo will spend the next 10 years behind bars.
Assistant principal state counsel, Mr Biodun Badiora, told the court
that the convict had served six-year imprisonment in Ikoyi prison
custody in connection with a murder case in 2005.
Counsel to Ighodalo, Mr. Ameachi Ngwu, prayed the court to commit
him to community service, stressing that the convict should not be
incarcerated but rather be placed where people could see him as a
convict.
Three-Quarters of Australians Currently Own a Smartphone; 93% by 2018
Published on:
Australia's smartphone penetration in 2013 has been estimated at nearly
three-quarters (73%) in the 15 to 65 age group and Frost & Sullivan predicts
this to reach 93% by 2018, when it is likely that virtually all mobile phones
will have built-in smartphone functionality.
Tablet penetration in Australian households is also forecast to increase
significantly from 49% in 2013 to 80% in 2018. Tablet growth will outpace that
of smartphones, which are a more mature device closer to maximum
penetration," says Phil Harpur, Senior Research Manager, Australia &
New Zealand, Frost & Sullivan.
Nearly half of all smartphone users say that regularly engaging with mobile
media is the main way they utilise their smartphone. Harpur explains, "As
smartphone functionality continues to improve with higher resolutions and larger
screens, faster internet access via 4G networks and higher data downloads, this
percentage will increase significantly over the next few years."
The voice function of smartphones will become less important to users as
other options for communication become more accessible. Instant chat apps such
as WhatsApp will be more popular than SMS. "Accessing social networking
along with searching for jobs, houses to rent and cars to buy will continue to
increase in popularity of the next few years. Booking travel and accommodation
through mobile devices, laptops and PC's is gaining popularity with nearly 60%
of consumers doing this at least once every six months," Harpur elaborates.
With faster wireless networks and improvements in screen size and resolution,
over 50% of smartphone users are watching user generated videos on sites like
Youtube. Video content viewing on mobile devices is expected to grow
significantly over the next few years as data caps increase and the range and
quality of content increases from a growing ecosystem of providers.
Downloading or streaming music on smartphones is another popular activity,
the latter of which will be a major disrupter to the business model of the
traditional music industry. Harpur states, "Fewer consumers will opt to pay
for individual albums, whether CDs or DVDs or music purchased online through
iTunes. Physical formats will gradually give way in favour of preference for
music downloads or cloud streaming. Eventually, cloud streaming formats will
dominate as a subscription model enabling access to a full library of
music."
The Android operating system / platform has overtaken the Apple iOS as the
most popular smartphone operating platform and is being used by an increasing
number of mobile phone vendors including Samsung, HTC, ARM and Motorola. Samsung
in particular, has grown its market share significantly over the past 12 months.
Apple's market share of smartphones in use is predicted to drop further over the
next few years and by 2017 Apple's market share is predicted to be less than
30%.
Apple's iPad dominates the tablet market, both locally and internationally,
but this dominance will weaken as other players in the market improve their
functionality and more vendors enter the market with cheaper price points. Just
in the last 12 months, Apple's market share in Australia of the tablet market
has dropped from 69% to 60%, and it is expected to fall significantly lower over
the next few years.
Viewing online video and user generated content on sites such as YouTube are
the most popular activities on tablets and this is expected to increase
considerably over the next five years. 39% of tablet owners watch this type of
content very frequently i.e. on most days. More consumers at home will watch
videos on tablets in preference to TV's and usage will also increase with higher
consumer mobility and faster wireless networks.
More than 50% of tablet users regularly view news articles on an internet
site or m-site or via an app. Whilst the frequency and level at which
Australians view news on smartphones and tablets still trails the traditional
channels of TV and print, usage is expected to increase extensively over the
next few years, challenging print as the most popular channel to access written
content. "Australian publishers could mitigate declining print revenues and
boost readership and revenues from digital channels by offering more content
optimised for the tablet," finished Harpur.
