iAlertU Puts Alarm on MacBook Pro
iAlertU Puts Alarm on MacBook Pro
by , 4:20 PM EDT, April 7th, 2006
Randy Green is in development of iAlertU, a utility that takes advantage of the motion sensor built into the MacBook Pro to sound an alarm when someone picks up the computer. A demo video linked to from his blog shows the software being activated with the Apple Remote, making a sound similar to a car alarm being turned on, and then sounding a warning when someone tries to grab it.
The utility is currently in the alpha stage of development, and Mr. Green is taking suggestions through his blog. He's expressed an interest in supporting iBooks and PowerBooks with built-in motion sensors, and he responded positively to a suggestion that the software use the MacBook Pro's built-in iSight camera to snap a photo of the person trying to nab the computer and then email it to the owner.
No word yet on pricing or a release date.
Observer Comments
To those who asked - These motion sensors are (as far as I'm aware) originally used only to protect the computer's hard drive in case of sudden motion. Basically, a hard drive has a moveable head that (we won't go into unnecessary depth) works like a needle on a record, only it uses magnetism to read and write, avoiding actual physical contact. This is the reason that hard drive platters don't become physically scarred and scraped like records - can you imagine, considering the fact that the avg. hd reads 100X faster than a record and runs fairly continuously, the amount of damage that would be done to the physical surface in even a SHORT time?
The Powerbook and MacBook sensors are used to detect sudden motions like falling or wild vibration, which would cause the free-floating head of the hard disk to strike the smooth surface, causing damage to particular sectors and making the disk (eventually, if not immediately) unreadable. This is the same reason that Laptops have a 'Sleep' function; the user's state is saved in RAM and the hard drive head is secured so that the motion of transferring the computer from one locale to another doesn't cause damage. In fact, moving your laptop (ya know, on a grand scale - once won't kill ya) while the computer is being used is asking for trouble. These motion sensors exist as an, to use common venacular, 'OMFG!' reaction which secures the head instantly to protect the disk's surface.
The fact that someone has devised this alarm is a great thing - I don't want to have to lock my laptop up every time I go to the restroom in the library, and alarms would deter most anyone from going through with the theft.
The Sudden Motion Sensor is designed to detect unusually strong vibrations, sudden changes in position or accelerated movement. If the computer is dropped, the Sudden Motion Sensor instantly parks the hard drive heads to help reduce the risk of damage to the hard drive on impact. When the Sudden Motion Sensor senses that the PowerBook position is once again stable, it unlocks the hard drive heads, and you are up and running within seconds.
In general, Sudden Motion Sensor protection does not change hard disk performance with regular PowerBook, MacBook or MacBook Pro operation. Occasionally, the Sudden Motion Sensor may be activated by unusually strong vibrations at a time when your PowerBook is writing data intensively, such as when recording video or audio. Should you experience dropped frames or sound elements in such a situation, make sure that your PowerBook is in a stable environment without vibration or abrupt movement.
Fri Jul 13, 2007 7:22 pm Subject: Re: Would be quite easy to break?
QuoteAnonymous wrote:
The program would not be able to run if you close the lid before you move the laptop as it would be sleeping... If I were to steal a laptop, I would probably close it before moving it
I tried this with my MacBook a while back. As I recall, if the program is armed the computer does not sleep when closing the lid and instead sounds the alarm.
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