Using a Security Application

The unthinkable happens: Your MacBook is stolen while you’re on vacation or on a business trip, and you know that the chances that it will be returned are net to nil. You’ve resigned yourself to replacing it ( and all your data ). But wait! What if I told you taht you might just receive an e-mail message on your desktop computer that tells you Internet ( IP ) address of the thief or perhaps even the address where he or she is staying?

If this scenario sounds a little like a James Bond movie, you’ll be surprised to learn that several tracker applications are available for Mac OS X that will run invisibly on your laptop. A track application can turn your MacBook into a transmitting beacon, broadcasting its current location and all the Internet information it can get to you - allowing you to alert police and apprehend the crook ( who might be in the middle of creating an iPhoto library).

For example, MacTrak from GadgetTrak ( www.gadgettrak.com ) invisibly sends an email to you each time your laptop is connect to the Internet. The e-mail outlines the network environment and physical location of your MacBook, using WiFi positioning. ( Heck your MacBook even takes survveilance photos using its iSight camera and uploads those images to your Flickr account!)

MacTrak costs about $30 per year, which is pocket change for a corporate Road Warrior or design professional who depends on both the laptop and irreplaceable data it contains.

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