With the cost of a new laptop and smartphones burning a hole in your pocket, recovering them seems like a better option and not to mention the data that you worked on, on it. So here is a software that can help you recover you prized item.
Prey lets you keep track of your laptop, phone and tablet whenever stolen or missing -- easily and all in one place. It's lightweight, open source software that gives you full and remote control, 24/7.
Prey supports Windows 32/64 bit, Mac OS, Ubuntu linux and Android handsets.
How it works:
You create an account with prey project. There is a 3 device limit with the free account though.
Basically you install a tiny agent in your PC or phone, which silently waits for a remote signal to wake up and work its magic.
This signal is sent either from the Internet or through an SMS message(SMS for android phones), and allows you to gather information regarding the device's location, hardware and network status, and optionally trigger specific actions on it.
If enabled, Prey will attempt to hook onto to the nearest open WiFi hotspot when no Internet connection is found. Prey uses either the device's GPS or the nearest WiFi hotspots to triangulate and grab a fix on its location. It's shockingly accurate.
Also, Grab a screenshot of the active session -- if you're lucky you may catch the guy logged into his email or Facebook account! Take a picture of the thief with your laptop's webcam so you know what he looks like and where he's hiding. Powerful evidence.
And Fully lock down your PC, making it unusable unless a specific password is entered. The guy won't be able to do a thing!
Go to http://preyproject.com/ to get started.
