Dyaaaaam... my Powerbook is STAYING HOME.
I guess i won't be needing to buy that laptop sleeve and backpack. This is crazy!

From the article:
Just one week after the Bay Area municipality announced that it had chosen Google to provide free wireless broadband for city residents, police reports indicate that laptop thefts at wireless cafes are on the rise.

"I looked up, and I saw this guy leaning into me as if he was asking a question," the man said in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle. "I leaned forward and out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone fiddling with the computer cord. I tried to stand up, and as I stepped back, he stabbed me in the chest."

The 40-year-old victim suffered a partially collapsed lung for which he was hospitalized. Adding insult to injury, the two criminals made off with his $2,500 Apple PowerBook. From beginning to end, according to Inspector Robert Lynch of the San Francisco Police Department robbery unit, "the whole thing was over in 15 seconds."


[news.yahoo.com]

That's it. I'm covering my glowing apple with a Dell sticker.

gives a whole new slant to "they'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands...)

I posted about this yesterday -- people might consider getting Undercover (no affiliation; I haven't myself bought it yet, but the reviews look good): [www.macupdate.com]

... don't fight the guy when he steals it-- let him steal it-- but then nab him the next day.

---

Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

Although it's not a good idea to EVER be more than 5 feet away from your laptop outside.... Place this on the keyboard if you plan on standing up even for a second.

I installed Undercover this morning. Now if someone appears to be stealing my powerbook I'll just dive under the table.

PeterB, your "I haven't bought it yet" comment seems to be tempting fate. Is your laptop still there?

---

"Man is a little germ that lives on an unimportant rock ball that revolves about a small star at the outskirts of an ordinary galaxy. ... I am absolutely amazed to discover myself on this rock ball rotating around a spherical fire. It's a very odd situation. And the more I look at things I cannot get rid of the feeling that existence is quite weird. -- Alan Watts



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2006 03:31PM by davester.

I agree with the review comment: It's just software that the thief would probably just erase with the OS anyway.

I'll take my 520 powerbook to the cafes from now!

Kap

---

SoCal for now.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2006 04:11PM by kap.

This item won't help you as you lay on the ground choking on your own blood gushing into your lungs from the stab to the chest... but at least you'll hear the 95db motion alarm go off as the perp runs off down the street with your Powerbook. As darkness slowly surrounds you, and the gurgling coming from your chest slows with each painful breath,,, a tiny smirk appears in the corner of your mouth. $49.99 well spent.

TARGUS DEFCON 1 ULTRA NOTEBOOK COMPUTER SECURITY SYSTEM
[www.clubmac.com]





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2006 04:22PM by 3d.

davester, the reason I haven't bought Undercover yet is that I haven't yet taken any of my portables on the road someplace where they might get stolen. As soon as I start making any serious travel plans, I'll probably do it.

R2V2, if the open firmware password is set, they CANNOT erase the hard drive (at least, not without bypassing the OF password-- which in some cases is easy, but in other cases is a bit in the arse)-- and even if they manage to bypass the OF password, they have to do that before you report the machine as stolen and it phones home. Good luck with that.

---

Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

Make sure you try out any such "phone home" software. A buddy of mine bought some a few years ago and found out it didn't work. Apparently his model of iBook would not work with it, even though some before and after did.

---

Help MacInTouch: Buy from Amazon? use this link [amazon.com]
Mac News & Info: [macintouch.com] [macnn.com] [tuaw.com]
Mac Benchmarks: [barefeats.com]
Used Mac Stuff [FS/T]: LowEndMac Swap List
Mac Software Updates: [macupdate.com]
Fonts: [dafont.com] [fontspace.com]
Online Computer Store With Mac Support: [macsales.com]

M A V I C, yes, I would certainly test it out first... but that's what Bambi and Tera at Mac360 did, and it apparently worked pretty well...

[www.mac360.com]

... certainly, it's not necessarily hard to get around the OF password, but... as I said, the thief has to do this BEFORE the machine phones home. And the thief doesn't necessarily know whether any given machine has Undercover installed on it or not. Is it foolproof? No. But nothing in life is...

---

Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2006 05:41PM by PeterB.

Make a ballistic vest out of your old powerbook.

---

I'm not a bad guy! I work hard, and I love my kids. So why should I spend half my Sunday hearing about how I'm going to Hell? -Homer.

The comments about not using Undercover because it MIGHT be circumvented are pretty silly. It's like somebody leaving the cars in the ignition because they think a thief MIGHT be able to pick the lock. Based on how it works, I think you'd have to be a highly skilled ubergeek to 1) figure out that it is present on the machine, and/or 2) figure out how to get past the open firmware password without ripping out and discarding the hard drive.

I'd say that Undercover, for the low price of $25 is a bargain in theft insurance, and it would be excruciatingly satisfying to have a thief arrested through its use.

---

"Man is a little germ that lives on an unimportant rock ball that revolves about a small star at the outskirts of an ordinary galaxy. ... I am absolutely amazed to discover myself on this rock ball rotating around a spherical fire. It's a very odd situation. And the more I look at things I cannot get rid of the feeling that existence is quite weird. -- Alan Watts

PeterB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> M A V I C, yes, I would certainly test it out
> first... but that's what Bambi and Tera at Mac360
> did, and it apparently worked pretty well...
>

I just read the whole article you posted. I see no mention they tested it out on every *book revision. If you can cite that, then I will retract my first statement.

In the case I originally cited, the mfg (wrongly) assumed that if it worked on the *books they tested it on, it would work on all the Apple *Books. That was not the case. The best they could determine was that the logic board somehow prevented their software from running. It could have been the fact that it was a European model, they weren't sure.

Thus, it is important to test out any such software on your system to make sure it works. It doesn't matter if Bambi and Thumper at Mac360 wrote something on the intarweb or not, that doesn't make it a smart move to get such software and assume it will work with your system.

---

Help MacInTouch: Buy from Amazon? use this link [amazon.com]
Mac News & Info: [macintouch.com] [macnn.com] [tuaw.com]
Mac Benchmarks: [barefeats.com]
Used Mac Stuff [FS/T]: LowEndMac Swap List
Mac Software Updates: [macupdate.com]
Fonts: [dafont.com] [fontspace.com]
Online Computer Store With Mac Support: [macsales.com]

M A V I C, true, Bambi and Tera (NOT Thumper!) didn't test it on every *Book made, but that's not their job; it's the developer's. If you find a *Book it doesn't work on, I'd guess Peter Schols (the developer in this case) would LOVE to know about it, and of course refund your $$$.

That said, it should work on any machine that can run Tiger. From the review I posted: "iBook, PowerBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, PowerMac; Undercover doesn’t care. It waits until something bad happens and then quietly takes steps to get your Mac back."

More info here:

[www.orbicule.com]
[www.orbicule.com] (scroll to the bottom)

Oh, and since he's already bought it, maybe davester would do us the favor of posting a Macresource original review...?

---

Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2006 08:08PM by PeterB.

PeterB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> M A V I C, true, Bambi and Tera (NOT Thumper!)
> didn't test it on every *Book made, but that's not
> their job; it's the developer's.

You cited Bambi & Tera's review as a reason not to test it to see if it works.

> If you find a
> *Book it doesn't work on, I'd guess Peter Schols
> (the developer in this case) would LOVE to know
> about it, and of course refund your $$$.

Great, but people should still test it to make sure it works.

> That said, it should work on any machine that can
> run Tiger. From the review I posted: "iBook,
> PowerBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, PowerMac; Undercover
> doesn’t care. It waits until something bad happens
> and then quietly takes steps to get your Mac
> back."

"should" being the key word. I agree, I'm just saying that anyone who gets this software should test it because similar software has been shown to not work with all Macs that it should work with.

---

Help MacInTouch: Buy from Amazon? use this link [amazon.com]
Mac News & Info: [macintouch.com] [macnn.com] [tuaw.com]
Mac Benchmarks: [barefeats.com]
Used Mac Stuff [FS/T]: LowEndMac Swap List
Mac Software Updates: [macupdate.com]
Fonts: [dafont.com] [fontspace.com]
Online Computer Store With Mac Support: [macsales.com]

M A V I C Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You cited Bambi & Tera's review as a reason
> not to test it to see if it works.

Uhhhh, no, I didn't. Read my message again. I said to test it, but also said that that's what Bambi and Tera had done too.

> Great, but people should still test it to make
> sure it works.

Agreed, see above.

> "should" being the key word. I agree, I'm just
> saying that anyone who gets this software should
> test it because similar software has been shown to
> not work with all Macs that it should work with.

Right, but what machine(s) are you thinking it won't work on...?

Peter S. (the developer) has apparently tested it on both PPC and Intel Macs...

You'd have to have a Mac which is neither PPC nor Intel, and not running Tiger... or some machine-specific behavior, which is obviously something weird that causes it not to work. Offhand, the only things I can think of are pre-PPC Macs, and if you've got one of those, I'd say, let the thief have it.

Oh, and here's some more reading, for those who might be interested:

[www.orbicule.com]

... again, no affiliation other than that I've email corresponded back and forth with the developer, who seems an absolutely nice guy.

---

Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2006 08:48PM by PeterB.

PeterB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> M A V I C Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > You cited Bambi & Tera's review as a
> reason
> > not to test it to see if it works.
>
> Uhhhh, no, I didn't. Read my message again. I
> said to test it, but also said that that's what
> Bambi and Tera had done too.

Right, you said "but"
> I would certainly test it out
> first... but that's what Bambi and Tera at Mac360 did

I took that as saying "I would test it out first, but..."
Perhaps you meant it some other way than you wrote it.

> > Great, but people should still test it to
> make
> > sure it works.
>
> Agreed, see above.

Then why did you say that you would test it out first "but"?

> Right, but what machine(s) are you thinking it
> won't work on...?

Read my first post, I mention it there.

> Peter S. (the developer) has apparently tested it
> on both PPC and Intel Macs...

Read my first & second posts. Hopefully you'll see why I keep saying that each customer needs to test the software to make sure it works.

> You'd have to have a Mac which is neither PPC nor
> Intel, and not running Tiger... or some
> machine-specific behavior, which is obviously
> something weird that causes it not to work.

Right, as I mentioned previously the developer thinks it was something to do with the logic board in that revision of the iBook. So yes, something weird that caused it not to work. Which is why people should test it to see if it works for them.

All I have been saying is that if someone gets this software, they should verify it works before the have to actually use it. I don't see why you have such a problem with that or contend that the completely non-thorough Mac360 review is worth enough for a user not to test it themselves.

---

Help MacInTouch: Buy from Amazon? use this link [amazon.com]
Mac News & Info: [macintouch.com] [macnn.com] [tuaw.com]
Mac Benchmarks: [barefeats.com]
Used Mac Stuff [FS/T]: LowEndMac Swap List
Mac Software Updates: [macupdate.com]
Fonts: [dafont.com] [fontspace.com]
Online Computer Store With Mac Support: [macsales.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2006 09:48PM by M A V I C.

M A V I C Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Right, you said "but"
> > I would certainly test it out
> > first... but that's what Bambi and Tera at
> Mac360 did
>
> I took that as saying "I would test it out first,
> but..."
> Perhaps you meant it some other way than you wrote
> it.

I did say: "I would certainly test it out first" -- which is about as definitive as I can be. My "but" was meant to point out that someone else had done exactly what you were proposing to do, on their own system... and it had worked, which is supportive (but admittedly not conclusive) evidence.

> Then why did you say that you would test it out
> first "but"?

See above. I think you are reading too much into one word.

> Read my first post, I mention it there.

No, you didn't. You didn't specify which exact model it was, which would seem to be crucial information... one wonders if it was a European model, whether they are using different parts for manufacture...?

> Read my first & second posts. Hopefully you'll
> see why I keep saying that each customer needs to
> test the software to make sure it works.

All I saw was something about a possible motherboard difference. That's hardly definitive. The question would be, was there anything else not working properly on that machine?

> Right, as I mentioned previously the developer
> thinks it was something to do with the logic board
> in that revision of the iBook. So yes, something
> weird that caused it not to work. Which is why
> people should test it to see if it works for
> them.

Agreed.

> All I have been saying is that if someone gets
> this software, they should verify it works before
> the have to actually use it. I don't see why you
> have such a problem with that or contend that the
> completely non-thorough Mac360 review is worth
> enough for a user not to test it themselves.

I don't have such a problem with that, do not make one where there isn't!

I wouldn't say that the Mac360 review was "non-thorough". It depends on what your definition of "thorough" is. In a case such as this, I would hardly expect a reviewer to test on fifteen different machines. Sure, maybe two or three... but Mac360 did one machine, and I've read at least two reports from other sources which are consistent, and one would assume that all three reports are not using the exact same model of machine. So there's three model machines right there. Is it possible that there will be one or two models it doesn't work on? Sure... but those would likely be the exception, not the rule.

Given all of this though, I think we're really in agreement-- it makes perfect sense that the end-user should test it on their own machine(s), to make sure it works. I myself, when I buy it, plan to test it on ALL of my machines (with the five machine license)... this includes: Pismo, Clamshell iBooks, Quicksilver G4, Digital Audio G4, Blue and White G3. No G5's or Intel's yet, though.

---

Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

PeterB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My
> "but" was meant to point out that someone else had
> done exactly what you were proposing to do, on
> their own system... and it had worked, which is
> supportive (but admittedly not conclusive)
> evidence.

I was proposing that people test it out to make sure it works for them since such software has been shown not to work on Macs that are supposedly supported by it. No, I wasn't proposing that someone try it out on one Mac and say it works for all of them :\

> See above. I think you are reading too much into
> one word.

Perhaps I am. I read it as "however"... what do you know, the thesaurus shows the same ;)

> > Read my first post, I mention it there.
>
> No, you didn't. You didn't specify which exact
> model it was, which would seem to be crucial
> information... one wonders if it was a European
> model, whether they are using different parts for
> manufacture...?

When you asked the question, you went on to ask if it was "PPC or Intel." The iBook has only ever been PPC. Also, another of my posts, before you proposed the question, mentioned it was an European model - so there's no reason to wonder there. That's an example of you not completely reading my posts.

> All I saw was something about a possible
> motherboard difference. That's hardly definitive.
> The question would be, was there anything else
> not working properly on that machine?

I'm not going to go through the week or more of communication with the developer that caused them to land on "it might be a logic board issue" but that's where it ended (well, it ended with a refund but anyway...) Nothing else was wrong with the machine.


> I don't have such a problem with that, do not make
> one where there isn't!

Ok, I guess I took your rebuke of my statement as meaning you has a problem with it.

>
> I wouldn't say that the Mac360 review was
> "non-thorough". It depends on what your
> definition of "thorough" is.

"Thorough" is what OWC does when they test hardware ;)

> Is it possible that there will be one or
> two models it doesn't work on? Sure... but those
> would likely be the exception, not the rule.

I totally agree. The fact that there is a decent chance that there are exceptions to the rule, especially with the trust someone might put in this software, it's good if a user verifies they're not an exception.

> Given all of this though, I think we're really in
> agreement-- it makes perfect sense that the
> end-user should test it on their own machine(s),
> to make sure it works. I myself, when I buy it,
> plan to test it on ALL of my machines (with the
> five machine license)... this includes: Pismo,
> Clamshell iBooks, Quicksilver G4, Digital Audio
> G4, Blue and White G3. No G5's or Intel's yet,
> though.

Yes, it does. To me it seemed like you were saying you would test it on a machine, however a page on the intarweb says it works. Perhaps I would have worded it as "I am going to test it on my machines. This review shows it worked on at least one."

I guess I look at this thread like, I posted a reminder for people to be cautious based on previous experience, and someone jumped on me for suggesting that.

PS. I had someone do something that was their fault then try to blame it on me. Got on my nerves so I'm somewhat in a defensive mood.

---

Help MacInTouch: Buy from Amazon? use this link [amazon.com]
Mac News & Info: [macintouch.com] [macnn.com] [tuaw.com]
Mac Benchmarks: [barefeats.com]
Used Mac Stuff [FS/T]: LowEndMac Swap List
Mac Software Updates: [macupdate.com]
Fonts: [dafont.com] [fontspace.com]
Online Computer Store With Mac Support: [macsales.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2006 11:34PM by M A V I C.

M A V I C, I am not going to respond to your posts any longer -- it's not worth it -- apologies if you took it that I was jumping on you for your suggestion -- BUT... if you look at my comments carefully, I think you will see that truly that wasn't the intent...

---

Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2006 11:41PM by PeterB.

If Apple were to incorporate stun-gun circuitry into the MacBookPro chassis that would be activated whenever the owner's coded transmitter were more than ten feet away from it they could probably use this thread's story as a marketing tool. Imaging the shock a battery the size of a laptop's could deliver if a simple handheld stun-gun can drop a person.

Then again, pity the poor waitress who goes to clear your table when you've gone to the restroom.

---

PeterB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Oh, and since he's already bought it, maybe
> davester would do us the favor of posting a
> Macresource original review...?

The installation and firmware password setting went easy as pie. I won't be testing this thing since I've got better things to do with my time, especially seeing as the software only cost $30 and is fully refundable if they can't recover my laptop if stolen. I'm sure there'll be feedback on this software in the future, or upgrades if it has problems with some machine. My powerbook is probably the same model that Bambi and Tera tested, so it almost certainly works fine.

Most computer thieves just resell the stolen property and probably don't even know how to turn a computer on, let alone search for obscure files deep on is harddrive. The 30 clams is very cheap protection, considerably upping the chances of recovery...which is near zero without it.

---

"Man is a little germ that lives on an unimportant rock ball that revolves about a small star at the outskirts of an ordinary galaxy. ... I am absolutely amazed to discover myself on this rock ball rotating around a spherical fire. It's a very odd situation. And the more I look at things I cannot get rid of the feeling that existence is quite weird. -- Alan Watts

davester Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Most computer thieves just resell the stolen
> property and probably don't even know how to turn
> a computer on, let alone search for obscure files
> deep on is harddrive. The 30 clams is very cheap
> protection, considerably upping the chances of
> recovery...which is near zero without it.

I was somewhat wondering about that actually. Of the people who steal Powerbooks because they're high ticket items, I wonder how many actually know how to use a Mac besides turn it on? Not a lot of PC laypeople know how to use Macs very well, if at all. Just from what I've observed anyway...

Although it's not a good idea to EVER be more than 5 feet away from your laptop outside....

Actually, that probably would have saved the guy in your first post a trip to the ER.


"Adding insult to injury, the two criminals made off with his $2,500 Apple PowerBook."

Stupid, insensitive reporting, all for the sake of seeming clever. The point was to steal the 'Book. The stabbing was a result of perceived resistance, occurring after the robbery started.

San Francisco has had several strong arm robberies of computers occur in the last few months.

Not enough bad guys die.

---

I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.