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iAlertU, alarm for laptops

cyberddot

cyberddot

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 4, 2003
411
13
in a high desert

iAlertU leads to a YouTube demo movie of an alarm system that takes advantage of the motion sensing ability of the newer Apple laptops.
I saw a snippet on /. I think I'll try this out when I make the leap to a MacBook Pro!:cool:



​
 
If Apple did something like this so it became more widely known that that was the sound of a computer being stolen.. that would be incredible.
 
Yeah i first read it from one of my news sites on my google homepage. Definatley up for that :).
 
Clever idea, but it does not really make that much sense.
How many thieves run away with the laptop open? Most thieve will close the notebook, thus making the MBP go to sleep disabling the software.
Second of all, its going through laptop speakers which are inherently not that loud. Personally I have not herd the MBP at max volume but how loud can it be? And even if it was loud enough, would anyone really care?
Yes, some people will look and the thief will be alarmed, but I highly doubt anyone would care. Last week I remember my news station did an undercover story where they staged a child abduction in front of a group of people. Out of all the times they did it only once did anyone give it a second look or try to help the child screaming "Help, your not my daddy!".

This is an interesting idea, but honestly if you leave your notebook in public you deserve to have it stolen.
 
Arm your MacBook

I just read this on http://www.resexcellence.com its pretty awesome, apparently you can use the motion sensors on your macbook or powerbook to set an alarm on your laptop, so if you leave it in public and someone messes with it, the alarm goes off. And then it takes a pic with the built in camera, to help identify the thief.

The story is here
http://www.resexcellence.com/news/?p=20

and the video is here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkAtRfA1UXc

[Moderator note: thread merged]
 
That's pretty awesome. I like this idea since I don't like people messing with my computer when I'm at school.... I wonder if this will work when you switch to the login in screen, since this is what I do when I don't want people meddling in my files.

Nuc
 
yeah... this really is the coolest thing ever.
what would make it better... is if the camera would keep taking pictures and then post them on a website for as long as it had internet access..... that way you could see who it was, and maybe even see where they are going.
 
The coolest thing ever would have been what I was hoping to read about when I clicked on the thread title...adding a rocket launcher to my PowerBook. ;)
 
Here's what I'd use :D

http://www.fakecrap.com/products/exploding_toilet_seat.html

my little brother has one of these, you place it under and object, and whenever someone picks up that object, it bangs, really loud, makes your ears ring, now imagine a thief, with all that adrenalin rushing through his veins, he's about to make a steal worth $2,500. BANG! he either faints, freezes, and you know it'll get everyone's attention :D
 
I also noticed this on YouTube. Definitely one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

On a side note, c'mon people. This is clearly aimed at college students who want to prevent against casual theft. You could get a kensington cable instead, but of course you could cut that pretty easily. It's also just plain awesome.

EDIT: Would be cool if the iSight could snap a pic, too. Hmmm....Patent pending.
 
I like :)

With some applescript to upload that image to your iDisk, it'd be more useful. It'd prevent the image being used by the thief as a "this is how I did it" pic :rolleyes:
 
calebjohnston said:
If Apple did something like this so it became more widely known that that was the sound of a computer being stolen.. that would be incredible.
Click to expand...

We'd probably get quite used to hearing it. Thieves like Macs almost as much as we do.
 
I hope it is soon compatible with iBooks and PowerBooks (G4 laptops). I know you would need an external iSight for it to take pictures, but I am planning on getting a webcam, so that'd be pretty cool. :)
 
Jericho2550 said:
Here's what I'd use :D

http://www.fakecrap.com/products/exploding_toilet_seat.html

my little brother has one of these, you place it under and object, and whenever someone picks up that object, it bangs, really loud, makes your ears ring, now imagine a thief, with all that adrenalin rushing through his veins, he's about to make a steal worth $2,500. BANG! he either faints, freezes, and you know it'll get everyone's attention :D
Click to expand...

. . . or jumps like crazy and your laptop goes crashing to the floor!

Read somewhere recently about an app that could be installed that would take pictures after the laptop was stolen and send them off to a prearranged address when connected to the internet. Or something like that anyway. Can anyone remember what that was? Meant to keep a note of it and didn't and now I can't find it.
 
Caitlyn said:
I hope it is soon compatible with iBooks and PowerBooks (G4 laptops). I know you would need an external iSight for it to take pictures, but I am planning on getting a webcam, so that'd be pretty cool. :)
Click to expand...
It'd be pretty useless with an external camera, since the thief would naturally disconnect all the plugs before moving the machine ;).
 
Well, that's true, unless the guy was going for a full-fledged theft and wanted the iSight as well.
 
Current features:

* Mute button override
* Volume max when alarm is active
* Flashing screen when alarm has triggered
* Idle sleep disabled when alarm is active

Features under development:

* Camera integration
* Email snapshot on network availability
* Forced sleep disable for duration of alarm
* Audio output jack disable for duration of alarm
* User selectable sensitivity
* Visual deterrent that alarm is set
 
Did you arm your PowerBook/MacBookPro?

I saw this piece of software and thought it was the best thing I have seen in a long time:

If you are like me and you leave your Powerbook alone in public all the time, then you’re always worried about it getting lifted. But good news, you no longer have to chain that Powerbook to the desk. Yes my friends you can now arm your Powerbook’s alarm.

Thanks to the motion sensor in the Powerbook, the thief grabs it, moves it, and the MacBook/Powerbook goes crazy!

The best part? You can arm and disarm it with your Apple Remote if you have the new MacBook Pro. Or maybe the best part is it makes that typical car chirp when you arm or disarm it. LOVE THAT.

Here is a video of it in action.

Check out their site, and you just might crack a smile like me at some of the really neat independent software that’s out there for the Mac.

[Moderator note: thread merged]
 
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