Protect your MacBook from theft

Now that you’ve gotten your new 17 inch MacBook Pro, OK you don’t actually have it yet but maybe in a few weeks, you will want it protected from theft from day one.  Enter Undercover from Orbicule.  If your PowerPC or Intel Mac is stolen Undercover will transmit network information of the stolen laptop.  It also sends screenshots to Orbicule at regular intervals, eventually revealing the thief’s identity.  The unique program will also transmit pictures of the user every six minutes, using the iSight camera.  If all of that fails, Undercover gets really insidious.  It simulates a hardware failure and once the thief brings the “broken” Mac to an authorized reseller or tries to sell it on eBay then they catch him red-handed.  The Undercover protected Mac shows a full-screen message to the reseller stating the Mac has been stolen and is unusable until returned to Orbicule.  The company is so sure of its ability to protect your Mac the company will refund the purchase price of Undercover.  $30.

If you are in San Francisco (or other large cities) and want to keep your MacBook Pro safe in cafes or other public settings, the Orbicule has another solution for you.  TheftSensor is a program that turns your Mac into an intrusion detector.  Need to get another latte or head for the restroom to get rid of the one you just drank?  No worries, hit the Play button on the Apple Remote and if anyone moves your Mac a loud alert will be triggered using the internal motion detector.  Closing the lid triggers the alarm too.  While you are making your way back from the can, legions of overly caffienated patrons tackle the would-be perpetrator and hold him for the authorities.  Finally you can work in peace and protect your huge investment properly.  TheftSensor is in beta so it’s free for now.

(Thanks to jkOnTheRun reader Neil Ingram)