Dell bundles laptop theft-recovery service

Ping to beat pinchers

By Tony Smith • Get more from this author

6th February 2007 15:31 GMT

Dell is to bundle Absolute Software's burglar-beating Computrace LoJack for Laptops recovery service with "select" Inspiron notebooks, the PC giant said today.

Absolute's code listens out for signals sent by the company when it receives notification from the police that a laptop has been pinched. If it receives them - provided the thief or the user he's flogged the kit to turns the computer on and connects it to the internet - it signals back to allow Computrace and the cops to track it down.

Absolute sells its software and a year's coverage for $50. Dell said it will include the software and appropriate annual coverage on unnamed Inspirons whose buyers also opt for Dell's Accidental Damage cover for a period of 1-4 years. When we tried to add the package to an Inspiron 1501, adding two-, three- or four-year warranties upped the purchase price by $100, $180 and $250, respectively. Adding Accidental Damage, which now includes Computrace LoJack, ups the price by a further $99, irrespective of the duration.

The deal's only open to US consumers, and since the Accidental Damage cover isn't available to Florida residents, we presume the Computrace LoJack bundle isn't either.