Catch A Mac Thief With iAlertU

Earlier this week, I posted about Awaken, a neat little application I found a use for in the courtroom. Today, I’m talking about iAlertU. iAlertU is actually a pretty old app, having been out for about 2 years, and, as far as I can tell has never gotten out of beta. Nonetheless, the app is pretty simple and pretty solid.

This app will allow you to very simply alarm your MacBook Pro with your Apple remote. It actually chirps like a Viper car alarm. It utilizes your computer’s accelerometer, so the alarm will not only go off at the stroke of a key, but also if the computer itself is even moved. The computer then sounds an alarm (at full volume, if you choose), the screen flashes, and the iSight camera takes a picture of the culprit and emails it to the destination of your choosing.  Obviously, this last feature only works if your Mac is connected to the internet during the intrusion. This could be useful if you ever had to take your eye off your Mac for a minute. I know I’ve been in a few lengthy trials where I’ve left my Mac in the courtroom during the breaks (they do usually lock the courtrooms during lunch). Obviously, this is not a complete security solution, but it may help catch the thief who stole your Mac. Check out the demo below*.

*Note: I know the text quality sucks on the video. iBlame iMovie. I think I figured that problem out in the past, but I’m at a loss now. Also, just search for iAlertU on youtube and you’ll see I wasn’t the first guy to do a video like this – or even the hundredth.