Locate my Laptop (Windows 2000 and newer only) requires you
to download and install a small software which installs in stealth mode -
you'll never see it. To manage your registered laptop, you need to go to website
www.locatemylaptop.com from any computer and sign in to your account. Locate my
laptop is free for the most part - a free account lets you locate a single
laptop on Google Maps. The only time you're really charged (3 U S dollar per
month) is when you need to use the service to remotely shred/wipe your data or
get assistance from them to recover your Laptop - but the paid plan can also be
activated in the event that your laptop gets stolen - the small price you pay
is well worth the added benefit. The paid (platinum) plan also lets you connect
and track multiple computers from a single account.
Similar Application Find my Mac is an OS X Lion-specific
service from Apple company that uses iCloud. When you setup iCloud on your Mac
device, it automatically gives you the option to enable the Find my Mac
service. Location services have to be enabled so that the location of the
computer can be tracked accurately. In case of loss or theft, head to website www.icloud.com,
login with your Apple ID and password it will display your device location on a
map (it needs an internet connection). Select it, and you get the option to
play a sound, send a notification message or remotely lock or wipe data from the
drive. Keep in mind that once remote wipe is performed, your data is not
recoverable and the computer cannot be located using iCloud again. You can also
use the Find my apple iPhone application on iOS devices to locate, remotely
lock or wipe your Mac.
Find My Apple iPhone not only works with the Apple iPhone,
but also with the Apple iPod Touch and the Apple iPad. The free app requires
you to have iCloud setup on your device with location services switched on.
Head to website www.icloud.com and sign-in with your Apple ID. The page will
show you the list of devices associated with your Apple ID and their location
on a map. You can remotely lock them, wipe data, play a sound on the device and
display notifications on it (the devices should be connected to the internet).
If you cannot access a browser, you can perform the same actions through the
same application on any other Apple iOS device.
Avast Company offers possibly the most complete all-in-one
security solution for google based Android devices and that too for free! It
includes an antivirus scanner that scans local files and warns of malicious
URLs, a built in app advisory (scans for apps with malicious intent), SMS &
call filtering on your mobile, SIM change notifications and a complete
anti-theft and mobile tracking service. A handy feature of the applicationis
remote SMS commands - in case you can't find your device, you can trigger a
siren, remotely lock or wipe your data, display a notification or locate your
device on a map - just by sendind an SMS to it with the correct keyword. The application
hides so that it cannot be easily uninstalled.
On your smart Windows mobile Phone, go to Settings, tap on
Find my Phone and check the options that say 'Connect to these features faster'
and 'Save my location every few hours'. Although this mobile consume a bit more
battery. it allows for more precise tracking of your phone's map location. When
lost, head over to website www.windowsphone. com and sign-in using your Windows
Live ID. Go to My Phone > Find My Phone and from here you can map your
phone's location, make it ring, lock it with a password, display a notification
on it or erase the content remotely.
Avaialble as a free download from BlackBerry mobile App
World, BlackBerry mobile Protect not only keeps track of your mobile phone's location,
it also backs up settings and all your mobile data to the cloud. If you lose or
misplace your mobile phone, go to website http://in.blackberry.com/protect and
log-in with your Black-Berry mobile ID. Now from the browser, you can make the mobile
phone ring at full volume or see its location on a map. You can also lock the mobile
phone with a password or delete all the mobile data. As an added bonus,
BlackBerry mobile Protect makes it easy to switch from one BlackBerry mobile phone
to another. Download and sign in to BlackBerry mobile Protect on your new mobile
phone and it will automatically sync mobile data associated with your ID to the
new mobile phone.
What started off as a Windows-only open source technology
experiment has now grown to support computers running Apple Mac OS X and Linux
plus mobile phone devices running google Android or Apple iOS. Depending on
whether you want to use it on a laptop or smart mobile phone/tablet, you can
trigger specific actions either by sending an SMS or by sending a online command
over the internet. On a computer, you can remotely grab a screenshot, use the
webcam to take a photo of the thief or hide your valuable data. On a smart mobile
phone, you activate Prey by sending an SMS. Then you can remotely track, lock,
sound an alarm or display notification messages on device.
Source: The Economic Times