The program allows users to display alerts on the missing computer's screen and even to set a spoken message. Tracking software for stolen laptops has been on the market for some time, but this is thought to be the first that allows owners to give the thief a piece of their mind.
Owners must report their laptop missing by logging on to a website, which sends a message to the model: a red and yellow “lost or stolen” banner pops up on its screen when it is started. Under the latest version of the software, users can also send a spoken message.
The theft-busting program, Retriever, has been produced by Front Door Software Corporation, a small company based in Evergreen, Colorado. Carrie Hafeman, its chief executive, said that if owners tick a box indicating that their computer has gone, when it is started up, “a big red and yellow banner pops up, saying 'This laptop is lost or stolen'.”
The message can be set to reappear every 30 seconds, no matter how many times the thief closes it. “One customer sent a message saying, 'You are being tracked. I am right at your door',” Ms Hafeman said.
In the latest version, people can add a spoken message. The default through the computer's speakers is: “Help, this laptop is reported lost or stolen. If you are not my owner, please report me now.” Others have introduced more direct alerts. “You can record your own. You can say, ‘Get your hands off me, you S.O.B.',” Ms Hafeman said.
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