iphone has find my iphone and mobile me, but what about macbooks? are there any similar anti-theft apps(preferably free) that tracks macbook's wifi location and help track down the laptop? thanks
iphone has find my iphone and mobile me, but what about macbooks? are there any similar anti-theft apps(preferably free) that tracks macbook's wifi location and help track down the laptop? thanks
I would rather have my MBP not stolen in the first place than having to go on a wild goose chase to track it down when it has been!
I use iAlertU. It's FREE, and it works like a charm.
When I go to a new office environment to work with my MBP – for some project or other – I usually demonstrate iAlertU's siren. So that everybody gets the message loud & clear, literally, that, should anyone nick my laptop, it won't go unnoticed! In fact quite the contrary: everybody will know about it!
That word gets around.
For the past 2 years that's proven to be an adequate deterrent. While twice a nearby laptop of someone else 'disappeared'! They're picky, these laptop thieves. And they know what they like, and scout the terrain. And not getting caught is number 1 on that wish list! Not surprising because, really, can you imagine anyone casually walking offstage with a screaming laptop under their arm...?
LOL! I've even had a co-worker refuse to sit next to me because she feared she might set off the siren! LOL!
Of course the iAlertU system is only intended for short periods of time. Less than 15 minutes, I would say. So when you for instance have to step out of the office to get a fresh cup of coffee, or have a sanitary break, or a smoke break.
iAlertU can also take a picture of the perpetrator with a date/time stamp, and send it to an email address you specified in advance. Proof of the crime 'in flagrante delicto' if you need it!
For longer periods of time away from your laptop you should close and pack it away, out of direct sight. Adequate access protection with a password goes without saying.
Best is to never get it stolen. I use the Kensington security lock for this in "trusted" environments, and never leave my notebook alone in unknown environments.
of course it's best not to get stolen, but those who got their laptops stolen never had a say in the matter... no matter how hard you lock it down, some ppl are just that determined.
iphone has find my iphone and mobile me, but what about macbooks? are there any similar anti-theft apps(preferably free) that tracks macbook's wifi location and help track down the laptop? thanks
Quote:
Originally Posted by lemonaded
of course it's best not to get stolen, but those who got their laptops stolen never had a say in the matter... no matter how hard you lock it down, some ppl are just that determined.
With FREEiAlertU they haven't got a snowballs chance to get away with it.
iAlertU seems to be a solution when leaving the laptop in public for a short period of time. what if my flat gets a break-in and i never had a chance to lock it down? or what if my bag was stolen? iAlertU seems to be a deterrence factor, don't get me wrong, i already downloaded it and am using it, it's really great!
what if my flat gets a break-in and i never had a chance to lock it down?
If you left it open in a properly lit room you will have a nice picture of the thief in your email account. So you just hand that over to the flatfeet and ask them to get your MacBook back for you. That's what!
But if you left it open, with iAlertU armed, chances are your HDTV is stolen, but your screaming MacBook is still sitting where it sat before... LOL!
Quote:
or what if my bag was stolen?
Then the odds are you left it in plain sight. Instead of out of sight and locked away, as you should have. Asking for it, really.
Quote:
iAlertU seems to be a deterrence factor, don't get me wrong, i already downloaded it and am using it, it's really great!
That's what I said: a deterrent that is (very) effective for short periods of time.
For longer periods laptops are the same as any other valuables: don't leave them lying around in full view: lock 'm away good!
cron a script that does a traceroute to apple.com once a day and mails it to your email account. That'll send the IP address which you can reverse lookup and find out where it's coming from.
iphone has find my iphone and mobile me, but what about macbooks? are there any similar anti-theft apps(preferably free) that tracks macbook's wifi location and help track down the laptop? thanks
Quote:
Tracking Stolen Gadgets — The New Dilemma
September 11, 2009
NY Times has a story about a growing problem for the makers of high-tech gadgets: deciding when and how it's appropriate to track a stolen device. With the advent of ubiquitous GPS and connections to services like the Kindle book store, the companies frequently have a way to either narrow down a user's location or impede use of the device. But some, like Amazon, are drawing a hard line when it comes to establishing that the device was actually stolen.
"Samuel Borgese, for instance, is still irate about the response from Amazon when he recently lost his Kindle. After leaving it on a plane, he canceled his account so that nobody could charge books to his credit card. Then he asked Amazon to put the serial number of his wayward device on a kind of do-not-register list that would render it inoperable — to 'brick it' in tech speak. Amazon's policy is that it will help locate a missing Kindle only if the company is contacted by a police officer bearing a subpoena. Mr. Borgese, who lives in Manhattan, questions whether hunting down a $300 e-book reader would rank as a priority for the New York Police Department."
Comments
iphone has find my iphone and mobile me, but what about macbooks? are there any similar anti-theft apps(preferably free) that tracks macbook's wifi location and help track down the laptop? thanks
I would rather have my MBP not stolen in the first place than having to go on a wild goose chase to track it down when it has been!
I use iAlertU. It's FREE, and it works like a charm.
]Click here to see what it does and how it works[/B].
When I go to a new office environment to work with my MBP – for some project or other – I usually demonstrate iAlertU's siren. So that everybody gets the message loud & clear, literally, that, should anyone nick my laptop, it won't go unnoticed! In fact quite the contrary: everybody will know about it!
That word gets around.
For the past 2 years that's proven to be an adequate deterrent. While twice a nearby laptop of someone else 'disappeared'! They're picky, these laptop thieves. And they know what they like, and scout the terrain. And not getting caught is number 1 on that wish list! Not surprising because, really, can you imagine anyone casually walking offstage with a screaming laptop under their arm...?
LOL! I've even had a co-worker refuse to sit next to me because she feared she might set off the siren! LOL!
Of course the iAlertU system is only intended for short periods of time. Less than 15 minutes, I would say. So when you for instance have to step out of the office to get a fresh cup of coffee, or have a sanitary break, or a smoke break.
iAlertU can also take a picture of the perpetrator with a date/time stamp, and send it to an email address you specified in advance. Proof of the crime 'in flagrante delicto' if you need it!
For longer periods of time away from your laptop you should close and pack it away, out of direct sight. Adequate access protection with a password goes without saying.
iphone has find my iphone and mobile me, but what about macbooks? are there any similar anti-theft apps(preferably free) that tracks macbook's wifi location and help track down the laptop? thanks
of course it's best not to get stolen, but those who got their laptops stolen never had a say in the matter... no matter how hard you lock it down, some ppl are just that determined.
With FREE iAlertU they haven't got a snowballs chance to get away with it.
what if my flat gets a break-in and i never had a chance to lock it down?
If you left it open in a properly lit room you will have a nice picture of the thief in your email account. So you just hand that over to the flatfeet and ask them to get your MacBook back for you. That's what!
But if you left it open, with iAlertU armed, chances are your HDTV is stolen, but your screaming MacBook is still sitting where it sat before... LOL!
or what if my bag was stolen?
Then the odds are you left it in plain sight. Instead of out of sight and locked away, as you should have. Asking for it, really.
iAlertU seems to be a deterrence factor, don't get me wrong, i already downloaded it and am using it, it's really great!
That's what I said: a deterrent that is (very) effective for short periods of time.
For longer periods laptops are the same as any other valuables: don't leave them lying around in full view: lock 'm away good!
iphone has find my iphone and mobile me, but what about macbooks? are there any similar anti-theft apps(preferably free) that tracks macbook's wifi location and help track down the laptop? thanks
Tracking Stolen Gadgets — The New Dilemma
September 11, 2009
NY Times has a story about a growing problem for the makers of high-tech gadgets: deciding when and how it's appropriate to track a stolen device. With the advent of ubiquitous GPS and connections to services like the Kindle book store, the companies frequently have a way to either narrow down a user's location or impede use of the device. But some, like Amazon, are drawing a hard line when it comes to establishing that the device was actually stolen.
"Samuel Borgese, for instance, is still irate about the response from Amazon when he recently lost his Kindle. After leaving it on a plane, he canceled his account so that nobody could charge books to his credit card. Then he asked Amazon to put the serial number of his wayward device on a kind of do-not-register list that would render it inoperable — to 'brick it' in tech speak. Amazon's policy is that it will help locate a missing Kindle only if the company is contacted by a police officer bearing a subpoena. Mr. Borgese, who lives in Manhattan, questions whether hunting down a $300 e-book reader would rank as a priority for the New York Police Department."
NYT: Gadget Makers Can Find Thief, but Don’t Ask[/B]