Smart Phone 'kill' firmware.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Minnesota steps up to the plate.

 

The article mentions software for this.  In fact it should be firmware and built into the basic system.

 

There is some concern that such things can be hacked.  Well, surprise, surprise!  What one fool can do, another can undo.

[Indiana Joe 1,750]

When I got mine a few months ago I made sure this was a feature.  Lots of people with old phones make the argument, "it still works fine and I don't want to pay for a new one."  But you also have to consider the security risks of outdated technology.

 

Safest path is of course to not own one at all.  But they sure are handy.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I take the safest path.  I have mistrusted those things ever since they came out, but it was a great ploy for the makers and purveyors of electronic garbage and signals.

 

Anybody seen the Dick Tracy ... er ... Samsung wrist unit?  Predicted in the comics about 100 years ago, et voilà.  Better than the prediction, has voice response and video.  Even beats a Star Trek communicator, except it doesn't do hyperspacial radio.

[Easy Bakes 253]

to bad when they steal these devices they just  sell them to the phone recycle kiosks before they are reported lost

[Duke87 1,070]

Yeah, I don't think I want such a feature activated on my phone. The risk of it being wiped by a hacker outweighs the potential benefit of being able to remotely wipe it in the event it is stolen.

 

Consider that the vast majority of phone thieves don't care about content stored on the phone. Since it's tethered to a contract and highly trackable, it's very difficult to use a stolen phone as a phone and get away with it. So, all they do is sell it for cash, after which point it gets recycled and your data is wiped anyway.

 

So this feature won't stop any would-be thieves, nor will it do much to protect your data.

 

 

It is interesting, though, how nowadays pickpockets and muggers typically go after cellphones, not wallets. In a world where a lot of people carry little to no cash, stealing cellphones is actually more lucrative as they have more potential value.

[LexusInfernus 908]

Only interested if it activates a mini bomb inside it