When you think of gadget thefts, odds are that you picture muggings or smash-and-grabs at stores. Apparently, one group of thieves in Brazil had far more ambitious plans — it raided Samsung’s factory in Campinas (shown here) and stole more than 40, 000 laptops, phones and tablets that police estimate are worth $36 million. Reportedly, the heist played out much like a movie. The bandits both hijacked a company shuttle to get inside and took some of the workers hostage, going so far as to confiscate phone batteries so that no one could alert the police. None of the culprits have been identified, and Samsung contends that the actual value of the stolen goods is lower. However, authorities suspect that the crooks had inside help; they knew not just how to get in, but also where they would find certain valuables. Samsung will try to prevent a “repeat incident, ” but a lot of damage has already been done. Those devices likely aren’t coming back, and future production runs might not be safe if the robbers really did get assistance from corrupt workers. [Image credit: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images] Filed under: Cellphones , Laptops , Tablets , Mobile , Samsung Comments Via: Reuters , ZDNet Source: MSN (translated)

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Thieves nab 40,000 Samsung devices through a daring Brazilian heist

If you live in San Francisco or New York , you likely know you can connect to free WiFi in certain locations. Your cities’ governments partnered with Madrid-based provider Gowex to make that happen — the same company that has recently admitted to doctoring its accounts for the past four years. Gowex might be an unknown to most of us, but it was considered a success story in Spain and performed really well at Madrid’s Alternative Equity Market, a stock exchange for small companies. A few days ago, though, a short seller named Gotham City Research published a report that claims 90 percent of the company’s revenues are falsified and that it actually earns only 10 percent of what it says it does. While Gowex initially denied the accusation and even announced that it earned 182.6 million Euros ($248 million) in 2013, company president Jenaro Garcia ultimately admitted the allegations and resigned from his position. On his Twitter page, Garcia wrote: I made the deposition and confession. I want to collaborate with the justice. I face the consecuencies. – Jenaro Garcia (@jero_net) July 6, 2014 The company used to claim that it makes its money from partnerships with local governments that want to use its free WiFi services, carriers that use its hotpots to offload data and from premium fees, among other things. It’s unclear what will happen to its hotspots in NYC and San Francisco, but the cities will likely have to look for another provider now that Gowex has filed for bankruptcy. Filed under: Wireless Comments Via: Fierce Wireless , Bloomberg Source: AFP , Fierce Wireless , Bloomberg , Euronext

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Free WiFi provider admits to making up 90 percent of its revenues