Ericsson and Intel developing remote kill switch with GPS locator for stolen laptops

While a power-on password and encrypted drive in your laptop could protect your data in the event of theft, it doesn't come close to the satisfaction you'd feel at being able to locate and prosecute the bastage who stole it. While Lenovo has its Lockdown PC Now feature that allows you to remotely disable your lost or stolen laptop via SMS, it lacks GPS to pinpoint your gear's location. Enter Ericsson, who just announced its intent to make its HSPA-capable Mobile Broadband Modules compatible with Intel's Anti-Theft Technology. Ericsson's modules will support remote-SMS disable like Lenovo's slabs but adds GPS to transmit the laptop's location. At least they will once commercial products begin to ship sometime in the second half of 2009.

P.S. To all thieves and malcontents: just because we gave you a picture of the module above doesn't mean you're allowed to remove it and disable the service. Not cool.

[Zinger314 @ Dec 11th 2008 3:27AM]

I drunk-texted my laptop once. It didn't turn out well.

[Flashpoint @ Dec 11th 2008 8:41AM]

I'll only buy it if texting the laptop causes it to burst into flames.

[Dan @ Dec 11th 2008 3:27AM]

I think it'd be pretty rare for a thief to actually know a laptop well enough to actually figure out how to get it out. I just have never heard of any geek-thieves...

[sloan2s @ Dec 11th 2008 4:20AM]

Mark Zuckerberg?

[jay.viz @ Dec 11th 2008 5:01AM]

Bill Gates?

[Empress Penguin @ Dec 11th 2008 7:53AM]

Black-hat hackers?

[1WayJonny @ Dec 11th 2008 9:23AM]

Whaaa?
Any common thief would know about this in 2 second if these ever became popular. If they wipe out peoples houses they sure can handle this.

P.S. Not every thief will know this but most will, and those who don't or cant get the computer to work knows a guy who does...

[ran @ Dec 11th 2008 10:56AM]

@jay.viz: At worse Bill Gates would be Robin Hood.

[Mathurin @ Dec 11th 2008 2:24PM]

They dont have to get it out fast, they just need a cell phone jammer and then they have all the time in the world

[thedesolate1 @ Dec 11th 2008 3:27AM]

Now your boss can tell if you were spending your time on that "business trip" conducting actual business and not at a strip club.

Not that I would condone such behavior. >.>

[John @ Dec 11th 2008 3:46AM]

You know you're a nerd when you bring your laptop to the strip club.

[thedesolate1 @ Dec 11th 2008 12:23PM]

Those reports aren't gonna type themselves you know.

[Bhavin @ Dec 11th 2008 3:29AM]

Tat Seems interesting, but if it is easy to simply remove the module & thus disable the entire lock down system, then its simply useless. But i guess they would have made some configuration such that the never wouldnt work at all if the module is removed!! anybody know bout it?

[linuxamp @ Dec 11th 2008 3:31AM]

Problem: Removable tracking module.
Solution: Remote self-destruct chip fused to the motherboard.

[r3loaded @ Dec 11th 2008 4:03AM]

Problem: Remote self-destruct chip fused to the motherboard.
Solution: Soldering iron/hot-air pencil

[Cainethanatos @ Dec 11th 2008 4:25AM]

Problem: Removable tracking module.
Solution: Remote tracking module, with small controller chip inside with serial key or something similar. once removed . bios won't boot

[linuxamp @ Dec 11th 2008 4:41AM]

Your solutions are all valid but, like the Mythbusters, I think blowing it up would be so much cooler.
Might have to worry about legal repercussions though. Vigilante justice is probably frowned upon.

[Link2877 @ Dec 11th 2008 3:34AM]

Yea I doubt 80% of the thieves really give a crap about whats on the laptop their just looking to sell it for a quick buck. So you might get your laptop back just most likely not from the person that actually stole it. But I can see where this would be a nice feature for anybody, especially businesses.

[Russ @ Dec 11th 2008 4:15AM]

totally agree. are the police likely to do anything even if you give them the coordinates? i've heard of people giving the police photos & video from a home alarm system and nothing happens. the best you can hope for: the person who 'unsuspectingly' bought a laptop from a drug addict for $20 behind a dumpster will drop it off somewhere and it'll get back to you.

[allislost @ Dec 11th 2008 3:35AM]

Will I be able to install one in my ex, cuz she likes to visit me with her remote-kill-switch/gun.

[Samboini @ Dec 11th 2008 5:00AM]

She probably wants to kill you for being responsible for terrible jokes, in which case I wholeheartedly support her cause.

[allislost @ Dec 11th 2008 7:11PM]

Yeah it really sucks...

I promise to not try harder next time.

[rishi @ Dec 11th 2008 3:42AM]

yeah. as if I needed another way for hackers to to hold my data ransom.

[jeesusfreek @ Dec 11th 2008 3:56AM]

i really like the idea of having an always-connected module that has GPS and internet connectivity hardwired to my laptops motherboard.

/sarcasm

[James @ Dec 11th 2008 5:22AM]

Because most cellphones now dont?

[giz @ Apr 19th 2009 3:13PM]

just use sony batteries with your notebook and add a little sms pwr on command and you have your self destructing/melting robbed laptop.

[Evil_Banana @ Dec 11th 2008 6:18AM]

Pretty useless I think. Put the thing into a cage of Farraday... bye bye radiation and also communication. If you can't reach it, you can't control the "kill switch" either which gives the douchebag of a thief enough time to damage the GPS-antenna chip permanently so it won't receive your "kil"-signal... ever.

[Bucky @ Dec 11th 2008 8:32AM]

OR, sell it really fast, and take your money and run. But, great tip for the anal-retentive thief.

[kal326 @ Dec 11th 2008 9:10AM]

Heres an even better idea, take out the damn laptop battery. No power, no tracking.

[plushog @ Dec 11th 2008 11:37AM]

If you have the technical knowledge, financial means and the wharehouse space to create a faraday cage, you are at a criminal level beyond stealing low profit laptops.

[harry4657 @ Dec 11th 2008 5:31AM]

i rather place a small amount of C-4 in the laptop, explode when a person is touching track pad after receive transmission.

[viewer @ Dec 11th 2008 6:52AM]

I doubt thieves will even attempt to open and remove the tracker..not unless they want to destroy the system itself.

[Major4Play @ Dec 11th 2008 7:43AM]

Why don't you just say bastard ? Is this the bible belt are what ?

[Mile @ Dec 11th 2008 9:16AM]

Let's criticize writers for trying to be polite now! Ra!

Motherfu

I'm just talking about Shaft.

[sndmn23 @ Dec 12th 2008 9:47AM]

"Bastage" is a reference to the somewhat obscure comedy "Johnny Dangerously", starring Michael Keaton. It's pretty frickin' hilarious!

[electron @ Dec 11th 2008 7:52AM]

soooo, that way whey the government doesn't like you anymore, they can just "steal" you computer.. great. -.-

[nanto @ Dec 16th 2008 11:48AM]

Oh great is this really to retrieve your laptop from thieves or JUST ANOTHER way to control us.

Personally I prefer to take my chances with it being stolen than risking having it being shut down by someone.

[Richard Ahlquist @ Dec 11th 2008 9:09AM]

Grand! Remotely disable laptop. Thief decides he doesn't need expensive stolen paperweight and throws in trash.

Good solution.

[simon @ Dec 11th 2008 9:18AM]

This is pointless. No company will willingly ship this - theft though incredibly annoying is a stable revenue stream for the laptop manufactuing companies and microsoft etc. who all get the commission from the insurance money you use to buy a new laptop. Microsoft could have been doing this for years with stolen laptops registering for software updates but has activly choosen not to...

[m-p{3} @ Dec 11th 2008 9:37AM]

I see this in breaking news

Spammers broadcast remote kill commands through SMS on random numbers, cause havoc in Help Desks.

[Joe Rogan @ Dec 11th 2008 11:13AM]

Breaking news:
Sony and Intel reading engaget comments, scraping kill switch with GPS locator.

[THJ @ Dec 11th 2008 10:42AM]

I think the GPS is more compelling than the kill switch. If the kill switch is flipped, it will tip off the thief (or more likely the pawn shop owner/fence), and they will promptly remove the battery and locate the device.

If the kill switch is not flipped, then it'll be business as usual, hopefully with the laptop on long enough (and outside, unless they are using aGPS) to get a location alert out.

Instead of a kill switch, maybe something that'll make the laptop extremely sluggish (ie, 5 min boot up time) so that it'll be on longer and transmitting more GPS coordinates.

[ran @ Dec 11th 2008 10:57AM]

Already on the Nokia E71.

Encryption and remote erase/disable.

[Jarek @ Dec 11th 2008 2:28PM]

Already on every Blackberry made in the last three years...

[noseedznostickz @ Dec 11th 2008 11:51AM]

in addition, why not enable the built in webcams in most notebooks (worth stealing) to MMS a snapshot on the first boot after the system is reported stolen (as a service in boot before windows login). you know the first person to turn it on is the dude that stole it, possibly with a pile of the rest of your stolen stuff in frame behind him (wishfull thinking)

[zedster @ Dec 11th 2008 2:07PM]

http://www.kcra.com/news/18237769/detail.html?rss=sac&psp=news

like this?
endgadet this might deserve its own thread

[Ariel @ Dec 11th 2008 2:51PM]

I heard about someone who set up his MacBook to automatically start snapping photos once stolen. Caught the crook on photo id.

[Ironcorona @ Dec 11th 2008 4:27PM]

This is stupid. It's like having a self destruct sequence on the Enterprise. Instead of someone quantum torpedoing the ship why didn't they just hack into the computer and turn on the self destruct?

[kej @ Dec 15th 2008 10:47AM]

thats photon torpedo, noob