Laptop Cop Geo-Locates Stolen Laptops With Wi-Fi [Skyhook]

Previous version of Laptop Cop let you remotely delete (or retrieve) files from a stolen laptop, but the newest feature makes it genuinely worth paying for: Real-time geo-location using just Wi-Fi.

It uses Skyhook, the same Wi-Fi location tech used by the iPhone to triangulate your position against Wi-Fi access points. Convenient, since we’re not quite at the stage where laptops have built-in GPS for lojacking (though it’s probably not too far off).

Unfortunately, for now it only works on Windows computers (booo), but if you have a habit of losing your laptop, $50 is pretty cheap for a chance to find out where it lands.

wareness Technologies Upgrades Laptop Cop with Skyhook Wireless Real-time Geo-Location

Wi-Fi Positioning Enhances Security of Laptop Theft Recovery Software

LOS ANGELES, CA and BOSTON, MA – December 3, 2008 - Awareness Technologies and Skyhook Wireless announced today the release of Laptop Cop with real-time geo-location. The Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS) from Skyhook Wireless adds a powerful new set of features to Laptop Cop, making it the most comprehensive and effective laptop protection software in the industry.

“We deliver real laptop protection, not just ping for an IP address like our competitor,” emphasized Peter Fuhrman, a founder of Awareness Technologies. “We give laptop owners the valuable features they’ve long wanted, of being able to remotely retrieve or delete files, monitor and control what a thief does with the stolen laptop, and now, thanks to our partnership with Skyhook Wireless, find out in real-time where the laptop is located, with a higher degree of accuracy than GPS. This is a game-changer in the software market.”

“Adding WPS to Laptop Cop will provide owners with fast, accurate information on the location of the stolen device, even when it’s inside or in an urban area. It works like a true homing beacon that helps locate stolen laptops and get them back to their rightful owners,” said Michael Shean, vice president of business development at Skyhook Wireless.

Laptop Cop works on any Windows laptop, whether newly-bought, or already in use. It is available now through Dell Computer’s main website, or direct from Awareness Technologies, at www.laptopcopsoftware.com. The software operates in an undetectable stealth mode, activating only when a laptop is lost or stolen. Its multi-layered functions, including geo-location and remote file-retrieval, go beyond encryption and IP-pinging so owners can truly protect their laptops, and all the contents.

Skyhook Wireless has pioneered the development of WPS, the Wi-Fi positioning system. WPS uses Wi-Fi to determine precise location of laptops and mobile devices, regardless of environment, in order to support always-available and always-accurate positioning. Skyhook’s technology is deployed on tens of millions of devices and applications.

“More and more people are switching to laptops, both for business and home use,” explained Awareness Technologies’ Fuhrman. “Increased mobility and convenience, however, brings with it increased risk of laptop theft or loss. Laptop Cop is a must-have for anyone with a laptop or contents worth protecting.”

[Laptop Cop, Skyhook]

Share This

Optibike OB1 is a Hybrid Electric Mountain Bike You Might Actually Want to Ride [Bikes]

Far from the geriatric, overdesigned and unwieldy electric bikes available to date, the Optibike OB1 is built for proper biking enthusiasts. That is, proper biking enthusiasts with 13,000 spare American dollars.

The OB1’s allure is twofold; the novel, compact electric drivetrain doesn’t necessarily steal the show from the rest of the finely equipped bike. The motor, which drives the rear wheel from the bottom bracket (the pedal axis) is crammed into the compact, fully-suspended frame with the batteries, leaving the rest of the bike to be outfitted with high-end carbon fiber mountain bike components.

Optibike has also strapped a GPS unit and performance monitor to the bike, which has a purported pedal-free run time of two hours. The $13,000 price may make the OB1 unsuitable for anyone who isn’t some kind of independently wealthy recession-dodging eco-playboy, but Optibike is banking on about 24 of those people existing—that’s exactly how many they’re planning to make this year. [Stylecrave via Engadget]

Share This

Filed under: Portable Audio, Robots

Oh Rolly… we know you’re an overpriced, 2GB dancing robot with convoluted controls and questionable sound quality. But dammit, your impractical, big-corporate ways have gnawed a soft-spot deep into the noxious cesspool we call a heart. Now this: Rolly model SEP-50BT with Bluetooth control from your cellphone or laptop. Shipping in Japan on November 21st for an expected ¥40,000 or about $427. Sold. Watch it all unfold in the video after the break.

[Via Impress]

Continue reading Sony’s Rolly learns the Bluetooth trick

Sony’s Rolly learns the Bluetooth trick originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Via [Engadget]

Share This

Filed under: Portable Audio, Robots

Oh Rolly… we know you’re an overpriced, 2GB dancing robot with convoluted controls and questionable sound quality. But dammit, your impractical, big-corporate ways have gnawed a soft-spot deep into the noxious cesspool we call a heart. Now this: Rolly model SEP-50BT with Bluetooth control from your cellphone or laptop. Shipping in Japan on November 21st for an expected ¥40,000 or about $427. Sold. Watch it all unfold in the video after the break.

[Via Impress]

Continue reading Sony’s Rolly learns the Bluetooth trick

Sony’s Rolly learns the Bluetooth trick originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Via [Engadget]

Share This

Pixel Qi conjuring up black magic technology for 40-hour laptops
Sure, you can go out and get yourself a laptop right now that’ll go 12.5-hours strong, but what if your portable computer could nearly outlast your Aigo A215? While L’s mythical quad core lappie came close in theory, Mary Lou Jepsen’s (the former CTO at OLPC) startup is hoping to eventually create a machine that can last between 20 and 40-hours between charges. Pixel Qi is being pretty closelipped right now (and understandably so) about what exactly it has going on, but we get the idea the secret sauce is in a highly efficient display that will require far less power than traditional LCDs. The best part? We could see one of these longevous notebooks in the pipeline as early as 2H 2009, so we’d probably start stocking up on Red Bull right about now.

Filed under: Displays, Laptops

Pixel Qi conjuring up black magic technology for 40-hour laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Share This

Toys ‘R’ Us makes room for iPods, Eee PCs and cash money

Filed under: Laptops, Portable Audio

Toys ‘R’ Us, the primary provisioner of joy and happiness to children in the world, is branching out into iPods and Eee PCs. Though never a stranger to consumer electronics, Toys ‘R’ Us has traditionally shied away from strict gadgetry — with a notable exception being Zune sales starting last year. Now the retailer will be offering iPods in a little “iPod boutique,” with various shuffles, nanos, touches and related accessories to help you fill those stockings and bolster Geoffrey’s bottom line. The Eee PC will be offered in black and white, with low-end 7-inch Linux and XP versions available for $269 and $299, respectively.

Toys ‘R’ Us makes room for iPods, Eee PCs and cash money originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Share This

More Windows 7 details emerge ahead of PDC

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

We should be getting a much bigger dose of Windows 7 details on Tuesday when Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference gets underway, but it seems that some tidbits just can’t be kept under wraps, and ZDNet’s Mary-Jo Foley now has word of a few more features that are apparently in the forthcoming Windows 7 pre-beta. Chief among those is a so-called Device Stage, which promises to let users more easily interact with a whole range of different devices — assuming those devices are “Device Stage-enabled’ devices, that is (yes, really). Other features supposedly in store include an Action Center that promises to help you troubleshoot problems, a new animation framework to allow for custom animations (which should tie in nicely with the rumored GPU acceleration), tighter integration of the Windows taskbar, an expanded use of Microsoft’s so-called “ribbon” interface and, of course, plenty of multi-touch and gesture support.

[Via Electronista]

More Windows 7 details emerge ahead of PDC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Share This

It’s hardly a new concept, but we’re not about to bemoan the appearance of another sight-controlled robot, especially one that seems to be as simple and effective as this one created by a team of researchers from the Technical University of Denmark and the IT University of Copenhagen. That simplicity begins with the LEGO NXT-G kit that the bot is based around, which gets paired with a webcam and a laptop that’s connected to the bot via Bluetooth, and to a desktop PC via WiFi. The PC comes into the picture with an eye-tracking system that lets folks control the robot as they watch the live feed from its webcam which, as you can see in the video after the break, appears to work remarkably well. The researchers apparently aren’t content with things just yet, however, and they’re already looking to use the system to control a wheelchair, and add some head-tracking to the mix for good mesure.

Continue reading Gaze-controlled robot gets demoed on video

Filed under: Robots

Gaze-controlled robot gets demoed on video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 06:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Via [Engadget]

Share This

How To Calibrate Your New HDTV (and Not Lose Your Mind) [How To]

Confession: Until a few days ago, I’d never calibrated my TV. There are a couple reasons for this. First, and most simply, I’m not down with buying a calibration disc that I will likely use once then never touch again. And second, to me, HDTV calibration is the gadget geek’s equivalent to chasing the dragon. I’ve seen endless A/V forum posts of new TV owners begging and pleading for that one true setting for their new high-definition slab—it’s not pretty. There is an easy way, though, tucked inside hundreds of THX-certified DVDs already out there, and it’s quite possibly already in your movie collection.

The THX Optimizer is a quick and simple calibration tool that I have found gets the job done well enough for most of us non-fanatics. And it comes with a free movie! (OK, it comes free with a movie.) What is it? It’s a set of six test patterns that help you choose the key settings for any HDTV calibration: contrast, brightness, tint and sharpness.

Where to get it: THX has been quietly embedding the Optimizer in just about every THX-certified DVD for years—so that’s hundreds. There’s a complete list here, but it hasn’t been updated in a while, because THX is currently refreshing the Optimizer for high-def discs. The only Blu-ray disc currently carrying it is Terminator 2, but when the new version is done, THX will include it on all THX-ceritified BDs, too. Point is, in all, there’s probably at least one movie you’d like to own that happens to come with the Optimizer.

One other thing you’ll need: To take full advantage of the Optimizer for the tint settings, you’ll need some funky blue-filter glasses. THX will send you a pair for a couple of bucks on their website, though there is an additional color pattern in the Optimizer that you can use to eyeball your settings without the glasses—basically, you just make sure that cyan and magenta look as much like the cyan and magenta of your dreams. If you don’t feel like you can be trusted with that judgment, it’s probably worth it to spend the $4 or so.

Settings you’ll want to start with: The good news is, the Optimizer works with pretty much every TV in the world, from your grandma’s 19-inch Sony Trinitron to your brand-new 60-inch Kuro. (Yeah, you wish.) I would reset your TV’s settings to the factory default before running the Optimizer, and I would also choose to calibrate your set’s movie/film/cinema pre-set (if possible), as it should be closer to the ballpark range than the “standard” mode. But if you prefer the usually cooler color temperatures of the standard mode, running it through the Optimizer will at least ensure that its ferocious showroom-floor contrast and brightness will be tamed.

Be sure that any auto-contrast or auto-backlight settings—including any settings with the words “dynamic” or “ambient”—are turned off. In one test scenario, every adjustment we tried to make was immediately be countered by “smart” settings—it was nearly impossible to calibrate the TV correctly. If your set comes with those options, shut ‘em down. And leave ‘em down.

It also helps to try and run the Optimizer in lighting conditions that best match your usual TV-watching state. Everyone watches TV both during the day and at night, so this won’t be perfect. But a happy medium of the shades drawn on a partly cloudy day seemed to work nicely for me.

After you’ve got everything set up, it’s a pretty simple run-through—turn up contrast until just the point where can still see six white-shaded blocks without them merging together, turn down brightness until the last black block out of a different row of six disappears, etc. All of the tests are easy enough to understand for the layman.

But does it work? My Samsung Series 4 LCD now looks a lot better in movie mode, without a doubt. Where it used to look flat and the colors muddy, now blacks look blacker and colors more contrasty, but in a far more natural way than the “dynamic” preset.

Note that this before and after of a still from T2 is not a scientific comparison by any means: the camera’s exposure settings are the same in each unprocessed photograph, so the screen image should be fairly accurate, but the room’s lighting had changed a bit by the time I was done calibrating as you can see. But on the screen you can still see the darker blacks and better color saturation and contrast that I noticed in person.

So even if the difference is subtle, it’s worth doing. Especially since you didn’t drop money on a calibration disc, you either bought a THX-certified movie, or dug one out of your existing pile o’ DVDs. (Netflixing a known Optimizer-laden title is a cheap third option, of course.) And those demons screaming at you about the huge potential you’re missing by not calibrating your set? You can put those to rest. [THX]

More Advice for the Black Friday Fray:
• The aforementioned Ultimate Survival Guide.
• 5 Gadgets You Can’t Skimp On (And How to Save Money Buying Them)
• Best of Black Friday Deals Complete Roundup“>All the best deals in one place
• Plus these late breaking ones from Cupertino: Apple Black Friday Deals Include Some Decent Third-Party Discounts
• Warnings: 7 Crappy Black Friday “Deals” That Aren’t Really
• How To Choose an HDTV on Black Friday (or Any Day)
• How to set up that new HDTV you just got.

Photochop Contest:
• Brutally Honest Black Friday Ads Showcase Retailers on the Brink

Why You Might Want to Avoid Shopping on Black Friday, altogether:
• 10 Reasons We’re Doomed: Black Friday Edition
• WalMart Worker Trampled to Death by Deal-Crazed Black Friday Shoppers

[Complete Black Friday Gadget Coverage at Giz]

Share This

Filed under: Portable Audio, Robots

Oh Rolly… we know you’re an overpriced, 2GB dancing robot with convoluted controls and questionable sound quality. But dammit, your impractical, big-corporate ways have gnawed a soft-spot deep into the noxious cesspool we call a heart. Now this: Rolly model SEP-50BT with Bluetooth control from your cellphone or laptop. Shipping in Japan on November 21st for an expected ¥40,000 or about $427. Sold. Watch it all unfold in the video after the break.

[Via Impress]

Continue reading Sony’s Rolly learns the Bluetooth trick

Sony’s Rolly learns the Bluetooth trick originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Via [Engadget]

Share This