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Mac Security Alarm System

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the get-kicked-out-of-the-office dept.

RogueAce writes "A program named iAlertU sounds a screeching siren when someone attempts to steal your Macbook. Thanks to the sudden motion drop sensors that Macs use to park the hard drive, iAlertU can detect when your Macbook is being picked up, moved or closed. Also, by using the handy remote that comes with the Macbook, you can turn the alarm on and off like you would a car, which the Macbook responds to by making the all too familiar chirping sound and a flash and flicker of the screen. The code behind it is from a guy named Christian Kleins."

5 of 243 comments (clear)

  1. But... by Crasoum · · Score: 5, Funny

    Will people ignore it just like a car alarm?

    1. Re:But... by fastgood · · Score: 5, Insightful
      the one guy in your office who keeps coming back from lunch and forgetting to turn it off

      Make an audible alarm that only goes off when the patented magnetic power cord is detached (accidental or otherwise).

      * or remotely trigger a second magnet -- hidden in a backpack -- to pull your new $25/ounce toy out of the wrong hands.

  2. One Tiny Loophole: by dteichman2 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What happens if say.... the computer isn't turned on? It's a neat idea, but it has a severe shortcoming. People don't steal computers (usually) while they're still on. They make off with them when you leave the bag unattended.

    --


    Silence is golden... and duct tape is silver.
    1. Re:One Tiny Loophole: by tonydiesel · · Score: 5, Informative

      Aah, but see here's a difference for Mac users. Most of us never turn our computers off, we just put them to sleep...

      So, the real question is... what happens when the computer is asleep?? Does it still work?

  3. Good idea, but you CAN wreck a computer... by Parallax+Blue · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...unlike a car. When someone tries to steal a car and a car alarm goes off, the car itself isn't going anywhere (although you may have a broken window or two.) Unfortunately, when someone tries to steal a Macbook and the iAlertU alarm goes off, I don't think the Macbook will fare too well as a result. Most likely it would be dropped out of sheer surprise, or dropped/thrown in the process of trying to escape the irate Mac owner and the local security guards.

    Still, I suppose even an inoperable Macbook with the hard drive intact is better than having all your corporate and personal data stolen.