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Laptop Anti-Theft Devices

Posted by michael on from the cheaper-than-hiring-guido-and-sal dept.

mathin writes: "The NYTimes has an interesting article about laptop theft 'alarms' and services to help track down your laptop if it's swiped." Laptops are a lot like bicycles: if you have a 50-pound laptop, it doesn't need a lock.

3 of 237 comments (clear)

  1. IBM by Detritus · · Score: 4, Informative

    IBM has the right idea. In some (all?) of their laptops, the main board and hard drive have passwords that can't be disabled or bypassed without major surgery. If you forget the password, tough, the subassembly must be replaced. If this was more common, laptops would be less attractive to thieves.

    --
    Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
  2. Missing the point by mikosullivan · · Score: 3, Informative
    A lot of people commenting on how various anti-theft devices won't help because they can be worked around are missing the point. Security is done in layers. You implement a variety of security measures to improve the odds catching different situations. So, the car-alarm style card in the laptop won't stop the person who sat and watched you tilt in your "passtilt", but it will inhibit the many, many potential thieves who simply walk by and see an unattended laptop.

    The best laptop-theft-prevention is staying with the computer. That may be where wearable computers have their best value. A computer around your belt with a glasses-style display won't be easily forgotten.

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    Miko O'Sullivan
  3. Re:Motion unlock code? by geders · · Score: 2, Informative

    Actually it was up up down down left right left right a b a b start, and it gave 30 lives in Contra, but who's really counting?