We imagine Steve Jobs knows about this: The NYPD is offering to etch an ID number on your iPod so it'll be easier for you to get it back if (God forbid!) it gets lost or stolen. The Daily New reports that NYPD has registered 2100 units so far, with NYPD Transit Bureau crime prevention commanding officer Sergeant William Buckley explaining:
Overall crime is down in the subways, but for iPods and cell phones, unfortunately it's up.
These are simple crimes of opportunity. You might be sitting by a door listening to your iPod, not looking around you, and a thief waits for the three seconds before the subway doors close to grab it.
Yeah - and it's so much harder to hold onto a laptop than an iPod! Apparently the "ghostly etching" (special ink that can be seen with infrared) can be removed, so police are also logging serial numbers. Which reminds us that we should be keeping track of serial numbers anyway.
We're working on a list of locations where you can get IDs for your electronic devices, but we think one location is Grand Central. And do you have any tips for keeping your gadget badge items?
More