wraggster
April 16th, 2014, 23:17
http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/midas/ce59d977016b80906183f8b6496022a/200035039/smartphone_killswitch.jpg (http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/15/smartphone-anti-theft-commitment/)
Apple and Samsung are duking it out in court yet again (http://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-expert-witness-sorry-apple-theres-no-infringement/), but there's at least one thing they (and a host of their smartphone making rivals) agree on: users shouldn't be helpless when their phones are stolen. That's why, starting in July 2015 (http://www.ctia.org/policy-initiatives/voluntary-guidelines/smartphone-anti-theft-voluntary-commitment), all of the smartphones those companies sell in the United States will come with an anti-theft tool meant to help keep your data out of the wrong hands. The full list of backers includes the usual heavyweights: besides Apple and Samsung, there's Google, HTC, Huawei, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, along with the country's biggest wireless carriers. Those parties in total represent a tremendous chunk of the American wireless industry, so your next (or next next) smartphone will almost certainly let you stick it to the sticky-fingered.
And what, pray tell, would such tools do? According to the CTIA, users will be able to remotely wipe and restore their devices (say, from a cloud backup), and prevent them from being reactivated or used by unsavory types. That seemingly simple move wouldn't just save us all anguish, it could save us a collective total of $2.5 billion a year (http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/31/phone-kill-switch-study/) in replacement costs and insurance fees. It sure sounds like a win for consumers, but some -- like Senator Mark Leno, who sponsored a bill to create akill-switch for connected gadgets in the Golden State (http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/07/california-kill-switch-law/) -- think such tools should be on by default rather than requiring users to opt-in. He's probably on to something, but at least all these companies have a few months to iron out the details.
http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/15/smartphone-anti-theft-commitment/
Apple and Samsung are duking it out in court yet again (http://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-expert-witness-sorry-apple-theres-no-infringement/), but there's at least one thing they (and a host of their smartphone making rivals) agree on: users shouldn't be helpless when their phones are stolen. That's why, starting in July 2015 (http://www.ctia.org/policy-initiatives/voluntary-guidelines/smartphone-anti-theft-voluntary-commitment), all of the smartphones those companies sell in the United States will come with an anti-theft tool meant to help keep your data out of the wrong hands. The full list of backers includes the usual heavyweights: besides Apple and Samsung, there's Google, HTC, Huawei, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, along with the country's biggest wireless carriers. Those parties in total represent a tremendous chunk of the American wireless industry, so your next (or next next) smartphone will almost certainly let you stick it to the sticky-fingered.
And what, pray tell, would such tools do? According to the CTIA, users will be able to remotely wipe and restore their devices (say, from a cloud backup), and prevent them from being reactivated or used by unsavory types. That seemingly simple move wouldn't just save us all anguish, it could save us a collective total of $2.5 billion a year (http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/31/phone-kill-switch-study/) in replacement costs and insurance fees. It sure sounds like a win for consumers, but some -- like Senator Mark Leno, who sponsored a bill to create akill-switch for connected gadgets in the Golden State (http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/07/california-kill-switch-law/) -- think such tools should be on by default rather than requiring users to opt-in. He's probably on to something, but at least all these companies have a few months to iron out the details.
http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/15/smartphone-anti-theft-commitment/