GADGET GIZMO SPECIAL MAKE YOUR GADGETS THEFT-PROOF

GADGET GIZMO SPECIAL MAKE YOUR GADGETS THEFT-PROOF





It has happened to the best of us--a phone or laptop lost or stolen. While losing a gadget is bad enough, it comes with the added risk of personal data theft.
…. the handy tools which can help you prepare your device for recovery in the event of loss.

NOTEBOOKS

PREY

Prey is a free tracking solution that works across platforms and can be used anywhere in the world. You get features like location and webcam photo capture and it can be used with up to three devices in a free account.Once installed, there is no track of it and it only wakes up when you mark your device as missing. The good thing is that Prey allows you to upgrade to a pro account whenever you want to and you can even upgrade after your device is stolenlost. However, you need to have Prey installed and activate on your laptop before it is lost or stolen. It is also available for all major smartphone operating systems including iOS and Android.

THE BUILT-IN TRACKER

Windows 10 users now get a builtin setting called Find My Device.Click on Start > Update & Security and there you will see the option to activate this feature. You can go to http:account.microsoft.comdevices to track the location of your laptop on a map.For Apple Macbook users, there is a built-in anti-theft feature called Find My Mac. You just need to signin to your iCloud account on the laptop to enable the settings and then you can track your laptop by logging into your account on http:www.icloud.com from anywhere.

SMARTPHONES

ANDROID

Android has a built-in tracking feature using which you can locate your device by heading to http:google.com devicemanager and signing into your Google account. Any Android device associated with your Google ID can be viewed on a map and tracked.Moreover, you can even lock and erase data on the device or make it ring. If you don't want to use this feature, you can use Antivirus app from AVG, Avast, Kaspersky, or Lookout that offer remote tracking with options to lock the phone as well as remotely wipe all the data.

IOS

Apple has a built-in anti theft app for iOS devices called Find my iPhone that works with your iCloud account. If enabled, you can head to http:www.icloud.com to locate your device as well as send messages, lock it or erase all data remotely. You need to have location services enabled on your device for Find my iPhone to work. If you prefer third party app, we recommend Secureit or iLostfinder. You have to buy them for full functionality of the apps.

BLACKBERRY

Anti-theft solution BlackBerry Protect works with your BlackBerry account.Like others, you can track your phone, lock it and erase it remotely as well as mark it stolen to disable it. BlackBerry Protect automatically backs up contacts, bookmarks and other data on to the cloud so that you can recover it on a new device in case your phone gets lost or stolen. Using BlackBerry Protect, you can manage up to seven Blackberry devices.

WINDOWS PHONE

Windows phone users need to sign-in to their devices using a Window Live ID for Microsoft's phone tracking option to work. Head to http:account.microsoft.comdevices and sign-in using the same Windows Live ID that you use on the smartphone. You can then view your phone's location as well as make it ring loudly, lock it or just erase everything on the device. You can even have your phone save your device location details every few hours.

KARAN BAJAJ

ETW4JAN16