Ericsson and Intel are partnering up to make the mobile broadband experience a safer one via a GPS-based solution. Ericsson’s HSPA-capable mobile broadband modules will work with Intel’s Anti-Theft PC Protection Technology so that sticky-fingered laptop and netbook thieves will find their jobs a little harder. Intel’s technology can detect potential theft situations a variety of ways, usually from repeated failed login attempts. But with GPS built into the broadband modules it’ll also be able to detect a theft if a laptop moves out of a defined geographic range. Once a situation is detected, it uses SMS to alert the Ericsson module to render the laptop inoperable until recovered, at which time the owner can enter a key to open it again.
As mobile broadband becomes more popular we’re beginning to see quite a few similar solutions pop out of the woodwork. Recently, both Awareness Technologies and MacTrak have implemented Wi-Fi positioning tech from Skyhook Wireless to track laptop thieves. And there looks to be quite a bit a profit potential in the laptop tracking industry judging by some numbers released by Hitwise today–in the UK at least. Netbooks apparently accounted for 1 out of every 7 UK internet searches in November.
