It seems like the four major wireless providers are changing their plans daily to undercut each other and steal customers, but one prepaid wireless company is basically trying to out-promo everyone else by paring down to just one phone and offering a year of data for just(ish) $1. [More]
iphones
Apple Store Thieves Run Off With $24K In Useless Products
By 4.26.17
If you’ve browsed an Apple Store recently, you may notice that the display devices are no longer tethered to their docks or tables. That’s because new security measures mean that the devices don’t work outside of the store. Maybe no one told the five young men who ran off with with more than 20 devices that can only really be used as pretty paperweights. [More]
Apple Disables Tool That Identified If Phones Were Stolen
By 1.30.17
Several years ago, Apple introduced Activation Lock, a program that allows consumers to render their devices useless once stolen, along with Activation Lock status checker, which allowed customers to determine if their phone had been secured with another user, a sign it may have been stolen. Now, it appears the latter option is no more. [More]
Here Are Some Of The Rumors Going Around About The Next Apple Gadgets
By 8.8.16
It seems like immediately upon Apple releasing new products, the rumor mill gets to chugging along again, with folks trying to predict what the company will come out with next. It can be hard to stay on top of those rumors, so we thought we’d help. [More]
Police: Thief Dressed Like Apple Employee Walks Out Of NYC Store With 19 iPhones
By 6.10.16
In the movies, thieves are always donning clever, complicated disguises to skulk about and commit foul deeds. But it turns out, you don’t even need a fake mustache and a fedora to go undetected if you have the right shirt on. [More]
Stupid Scammers Sell Play-Doh “iPhones,” Get Caught When Victim Asks To Buy More
By 7.28.15
Dear dumb criminals: If you’re lucky enough to trick someone into buying an iPhone box full of Play-Doh, consider your crappy, evil job done and move on to the next victim. Because if that buyer calls you back asking to purchase more “iPhones,” they’re either less-intelligent than you, or you’re about to be arrested. [More]
Apple Now Accepting Android, BlackBerry & Windows Phone Trade-Ins For Credit Toward iPhones
By 3.30.15
As predicted a few weeks ago, a new report says Apple is now going to accept smartphones and PCs from other manufacturers and give owners a discount on new iPhones. [More]
iPhone Owner Watching Thief’s Selfies Post To Her Facebook Account
By 3.27.15
Vanity, thy name is smartphone thief: We’re no strangers to the tale of the narcissistic villain who’s ultimately caught after uploading photos taken on the pilfered phones somewhere the owner can see them. That’s the ending one iPhone owner is hoping for, as she’s been watching the person who stole her device unwittingly send them straight to the owner’s Facebook account. [More]
U2 Sorry For Foisting Its New Album On Millions Of iPhone Users Without Asking
By 10.15.14
Only a few weeks ago, a group of middle-aged Irish guys with a band decided it would be a good idea to force-place their new album onto millions of iPhones without asking if those people wanted it, and without initially giving those iPhone users a way to remove the songs. After a bit of reflection, the members of that musical group have decided that maybe this wasn’t the brightest publicity move. [More]
Apple CEO Promises To Improve Security Following Nude Photo Theft
By 9.5.14
While Apple maintains that the recent mass theft and publication of hundreds of revealing photos of female celebrities was a result of clever guessing and not an actual breach of the company’s iCloud service, CEO Tim Cook says Apple is adding safeguards to reduce the likelihood of another embarrassing incident. [More]
Apple: “Oleg Pliss” Ransom Demand Not Because We Were Breached
By 5.28.14
According to Apple, their iCloud suite of services has not been breached, and that the “Oleg Pliss” ransom demand that affected some iPhone and iPad owners did not happen because iCloud as a whole has been breached. Maybe, Apple suggested indirectly, this is all users’ fault for using the same darn passwords for everything. [More]
Nonexistent Guy Holds Australian iDevices For Virtual Ransom
By 5.27.14
In case you don’t already have a passcode set on your mobile phone and two-factor authentication activated on your most vital accounts, here’s a cautionary tale that shows why you might want to. iPhone and iPad users in Australia woke up early in the morning to a “Find My iPhone” alert that demanded $100 to regain access to their devices. [More]
Colorado Scamsters Borrowed Homeless Adults’ Identities To Buy iPhones
By 3.26.14
Hey, phone subsidies when you sign a new contract are great! If you don’t mind committing to a higher rate plan and don’t want to shell out for an unlocked phone, they’re a good way to get a nice handset. Do you know when they’re not so great, though? When scamsters convince unknowing people to sign contracts, then resell the phones, failing to cancel the contracts as they promised. [More]
FYI, A Phone Protector Made From Bulletproof Glass Doesn’t Make Your Phone Bulletproof
By 3.19.14
Much like stainless steel is really just rust-resistant steel that may indeed fall victim to oxidization, bulletproof glass isn’t some magic material that causes slugs to bounce off its surface. But if you have access to an iPhone screen protector made from bulletproof glass and access to firearms, it has to be tempting to see just how bulletproof the material is. [More]
Unlocked iPhones Now A Form Of International Currency
By 2.10.14
Want to make friends all over the world? Have an extra $650 and don’t really care about customs regulations? The next time you leave on an international trip, grab an extra unlocked iPhone and bring it along to sell or trade. You’ll gain friends everywhere, especially in Brazil, Jordan, or Turkey, which are apparently the most expensive places to buy an iPhone. [More]
If You’re Looking For An iPhone 5, Consider Going No-Contract
By 1.25.13
If you’re looking for an iPhone 5, do you want to pay an extra $450 now, or an extra $1000 over the next two years? Buying an unlocked phone and using a no-contract carrier can give you sticker shock initially, but you can save quite a bit of money in the long run. Our number-crunching colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports looked into it, and found that if you can pay for your new phone itself out of pocket, going unlocked and contract-free is a much better deal. [More]
Report: Virgin Mobile To Offer Prepaid iPhone Service
By 6.6.12
Days after Leap Wireless announced it would be the first prepaid carrier in the U.S. to offer the iPhone, Sprint’s Virgin Mobile division is set to throw its hat into the iPhone ring. [More]
Woman Returns Lost iPhone, Is Rewarded With Beating
By 5.21.12
The 53-year-old woman in Fredericksburg, Va. was trying to perform a good deed. She found an iPhone near a convenience store, and contacted the owner to give it back. They agreed to meet up outside of a restaurant, and the phone’s owner promised a reward. Then things went horribly wrong: according to police, the phone’s owner took the phone back, handed over the reward, then attacked her from behind while she was walking away. [More]
