In the early days of computing, laptops were bulky and heavy devices Their lack of portability meant that security was not an issue. Nowadays laptops are a lot less bulky - security has become a big problem. Thousands off them get lost and stolen each year. Most are not recovered, partly because they can't be easily identified.
An early solution to the problem of security was a cable that you attached to the laptop and secured to a desk. Hardly elegant and totally ineffective against the well prepared thief.
More recently, software solutions have come onto the market. The latest program is 
called Retriever, produced by Front Door Software Corporation, a small company based in Evergreen, Colorado.
Tracking software for stolen laptops has been on the market for some time, but this is thought to be the first that allows owners to give the thief a piece of their mind. This program allows users to display alerts on the missing computer's screen and even to set a spoken message
Once you have reported the laptop missing, the company website sends a message to it and a banner pops up on the screen. It can also play a recorded message to the thief, "get your 
hands off me you dirty scumbag" or whatever else you choose to record.
If a thief accesses the internet with the stolen laptop, Retriever will collect information on the internet service provider in use and nearby wi-fi access points, so that the police can be alerted to its location.
The Retriever software package costs $29.95 (15.65€) for a three year licence. A small price ot pay for peace of mind. You can even download a free trial from the company's website.
1 comment:
Conceptually I like it, but it does seem a bit flawed.
"One you have reported the laptop missing, the company website sends a message to it" - presumably this implies internet connectivity.
I would have thought that a reformat of the machine is going to remove all traces of the software, and I truly don't believe that any thief will nick a random laptop just on the off chance that there's juicy data on it.
What the software will do, if it remains on the machine, is make clear to the user that the laptop is a stolen one. The thing is that from my experience, certainly in Liverpool, most people who buy stolen goods tend to already know that they're stolen and so it's not going to bother them too much.
I guess it's something, but in real terms I'm not sure how much use it would be.
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