More on the stolen Phones London Epidemic

The NY Times weighs in too, plus Rich's bag and Pizza

London phone thief, as imagined by Substack AI

Remember a few weeks ago when I told you that London had become the smartphone theft capital of the world?

Now the NYT has weighed in and reports about a several month investigation that attempts to find out what happens to all those phones.

Recap: Over 100,000 phones are stolen from tourists yearly in London, mostly unaware folks who walk down the street texting or following online maps, only to get their phones snatched out of their hands by thieves on fast moving e-bikes and scooters.

Gangs are running the theft rings, per the Times, and sending them to China and Algeria, where they can be resold for up to $5,000. The Times quotes a researcher who says British phones are easier to use in China due to local networks, which do not subscribe to the blacklist that makes it impossible to use reported stolen phones.

Readers take note: The Times, as we did in our recent piece, note that thieves look for the pedestrian that’s close to the curb, looking down at their phone.

The Times quoted a professor noting that smart people wouldn’t count their money on the street. “But when the phone is worth £1,000, it’s like pulling £1,000 out of your wallet and looking at it as you walk.”

Madrid and Paris clock in at no. 2 and 3. for phone thefts, per the London Times. So readers, if you’re planning a trip to Europe soon, be cautious please. For photographers, you might consider having the phone connected to you in a some way, like with the Crossbody straps that are popular, or attached to your wrist.

Leica or iPhone?

The folks at Petapixel linked to a fascinating survey by a photographer, the likes of which fill thousands of Internet pages, as to how the iPhone 17 Pro Max stacks up to a state of the art big camera, Leica’s M11. The results: the iPhone indeed holds up to the Leica, but if you ask me, David Imel’s survey is unfair.

Most of the shots are taken in great, bright, daylight, where the iPhone shines. Do a similar test in low light, most notably evening street photography and I think the results would be different. Not to take anything away from the iPhone 17 Pro, because it really is a marvel, and is a wunderkind for travel, landscape and portrait photography. But it still has a ways to go to catch up in low light.

Rich’s Cables

I thought I had a lot of cables in my travel bag. My pal Rich DeMuro just outlined his cords of choice in his latest newsletter. I thought it would be fun to compare notes:

I take: two fast 65W chargers that can charge up to five devices (with accompanying fast charging cables) at once. Period. They can power up my multiple iPhones, wireless microphones from Rode, Insta360, DJI Mini 4 Pro drone and/or MacBook Pro 16 inch laptop. Plus a teeny memory card reader, an analog Peak Design Travel Tripod that doesn’t need charging, and multiple selfie sticks.

Rich: he likes Apple’s dual USB-C fast charger, a Beats USB-C cable, and a Nomad Universal cable that converts between USB-A and Micro-USB. (I used to bring a multi purpose cable that could also connect to Lightning on older Apple devices, but since they’ve been retired, I no longer need it.)

He totes a USB-C Ethernet adapter and Ethernet cable, (important since he does TV work and might need a faster signal for his live hits) and a USB-C SD card reader.

And for safety he also drags along a USB-A to USB-C cable which is a smart thing to do. Virtually every device sold today charges via USB-C, while many hotel rooms and airports still have the old USB-A connection available for charging. This little cable can keep you charged up.

New Haven the Pizza Capital?

As you probably know, we’ve been on the road now for two weeks—we’ll be in Philadelphia today and Washington, DC Thursday on the Photowalks semiquincentennial tour. Earlier, we stopped into New Haven, CT, which has developed a real reputation for amazing pizza that attracts long lines of customers, any time, any day, any weather.

So naturally, we had to stop by Sally’s and Frank Pepe Napoletana to see what all the fuss was about coal fired pizza.

What do we think? Check out the video to find out!

What do you think readers—where can you find the best pizza in America? New Haven. New York, Chicago, Detroit? I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks as always for taking the time to read, watch and listen. If you enjoyed the newsletter, please pass it on to a friend.

Jeff