Smart Lock only works when you put the phone down though, when you go to use it you have to click on a screen that basically tells you not to leave it unsecured around jerks who can impersonate you by taking it from your hand.
So it’s basically never going to see this attack coming either and would be unable to help out.
I’m pretty sure “Never” is more than 5 minutes.
Pair it with a Bluetooth trusted device, and get it to lock automatically when the device goes out of range.
Lock when encountering sudden movements (this would also protect your data if you drop it and someone tries to scoop it up).
Lock when you yell, “Hey, stop!”
Lock when it detects strong police-band frequency transmissions.
Use a physical deadman cord (like on a boat or a treadmill) that will shut the phone all the way down if disconnected; loop around your body.
Use a Bluetooth headset and voice commands so that your phone never comes out of your pocket in the first place.
Given that this requires a fairly elaborate and very public operation (with a team biding its time for the perfect moment), and coincides with an arrest, I’d say it’d be difficult to do without a warrant.
They really ought to make one that isn’t dependent on buying their proprietary POS watch. A key-chain attachment would be infinitely better.
It’s any Bluetooth device, it was trying to turn it on for my car stereo the other day.
(Also, as there’s an actual spec for android wear stuff, doesn’t that make them the least proprietary smart watches?)
Well, less than Apple anyway. I just meant for those of us who wear real watches.
Evidence gathered during the commission of a crime, IE assaulting the suspect, is inadmissible in court. All evidence which can be reasonably shown to have been gathered by the original crime, thrown out also.
Assault the suspect, watch your case implode, go to jail for assault.
Might slow them down a bit, maybe.
They’re slowly making progress on hybrid smartwatches (watches with mechanical movement but that can pair with smartphones for additional functionality).
I’m not excited for any of the current line of smartwatches, but after raking a closer look at the current offerings, I am getting really hopeful that I’ll get my dream watch someday.
That would be a bit better. Though I’m guessing you mean quartz movement. A smart-watch with a precision automatic mechanical movement and a computer at least would be useful after the computer inevitably became obsolete. Bonus points if the automatic winding can charge the battery via a small generator, but my guess is that it wouldn’t generate nearly enough current for that.
But it’s still a no-go for someone like me, for whom a watch is a family heirloom (yes, yes, obligatory Pulp Fiction butt-smuggling scene is implied, no need to post it thanks 
). I’m not saying no one should wear a smartwatch, but it shouldn’t be the only way to have proximity unlock on one’s phone.
Yes, I meant quartz movement (for the moment, at least).
I had an awesome idea that they could make the links of a metal watchband contain extra modular functionality - extra battery cells, a pulse reader, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS… You could swap out different links depending on what you need.
But I’m going to wait to get the stuff I previously listed before I start wishing for really unlikely stuff.
That would be pretty cool. But at some point you’d still want to upgrade the watch-face/case for a newer screen. For me, that’s the crux of why they don’t appeal to me. A watch that becomes obsolete is too much like a wedding ring or a good-luck charm becoming obsolete. A watch is more than a tool for me and a lot of other people; it’s a cherished memento that shares your life. I engraved my Oris automatic watch with an inscription: Fons vitae caritas (Love is the fountain of life). It’s a pun since, being wound by my body movement, it’s literally powered by my heart 
My very nearly stock CAT S60 Android smartphone supports the phone being automatically unlocked if a Bluetooth device you’ve designated as “trusted” is connected, so no, I don’t think it is proprietary. However, it won’t work here. It unlocks, yeah, but doesn’t lock it back if the device goes out of range.
Besides, the cops can take away your trinket as well.
Presumably you could defeat this with a separate partition, as already suggested by many, and I suspect some additional security might help. Perhaps something as simple as triggering a lock if the accelerometer data gets a bit too frisky. After all, they can’t snatch the phone out of your hand gently, that would defeat the point.
Don’t use it in public.
Don’t use it with people around.
Don’t be a criminal (yeah yeah yeah, everyone breaks a dozen laws a day. But at least try not to be enough of one that cops are trying to grab your phone).
Instead of an iPhone use a flip-phone and an iPod touch?
Many of these seem like they are just encouraging the police to take you instead of just taking your phone. Maybe some would work in Scotland, but I wouldn’t try any of it in Chicago.
That’s the thing- fiddling over the details of how to attack or defend a phone is just rearranging the deck chairs while rome burns- the only real defense solution is a culture in which specific warrants are respected and required and over-stepping bounds on the part of the police and prosecutors is actually punished. Less than that means being caught in this arms race that we seem to be perpetually losing.
I guess I’m just feeling particularly jaded today, and I didn’t have much faith in law enforcement to start with.
Or maybe they’re pretending they’re on Lost, and have to enter 4 8 15 16 23 42 into the computer every 108 minutes.
This is quite tempting to try, but I have work in the morning…
