|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PRODUCT REVIEW
Cradle Robber keeps thieves at bay
By Chris Phillips
As the use of Palm devices continues to increase, I suppose it's only natural that thieves will make their presence felt by attempting to steal them. Those of you who use Palm devices with sealed, rechargeable batteries are even more at risk of theft because you have to leave your Palm devices in their cradles for certain periods of time so the batteries can charge. If you're like me, you step away from your desk several times throughout the day, leaving your Palm device unattended in its cradle, occasionally for long periods of time. Obviously this presents a thief with the perfect opportunity to simply pick up your beloved Palm device and walk away.
Your first line of defense
It's for this very reason that Cradle Robber (at http://www.dentonsoftware.com) was developed. There are many applications available to keep the data on your Palm device safe, but Cradle Robber is the only application I know of designed to keep the physical device from getting stolen. At this time, Cradle Robber only works with the Palm V, Palm Vx, and Palm IIIc, the Palm products with sealed batteries. The manual is very clear that this product should not be used with a Palm unit with removable batteries. The product hasn't been tested on Sony or Handspring devices either, so use it with those products at your own risk. I've recently learned, however, that version 1.3 of Cradle Robber will support Handspring's Visor Prism as well.
How does it work?
Cradle Robber works by activating a process that runs in the background at all times. When you set your Palm device in its cradle to recharge, the alarm automatically activates. When the Palm unit is removed from the cradle, the program will wait four seconds and then sound an audible alarm and disable all the buttons. The alarm can only be turned off by entering an unlock code via a numeric keypad on the screen or by returning the Palm device to its cradle. If the Palm unit isn't returned to its cradle or deactivated by entering the unlock code, the alarm will continue to sound until the battery is so low that the Palm device automatically turns off. Also, you can't perform a hard or soft reset while the alarm is going off.
Installation and configuration
Installation of Cradle Robber is performed in the traditional manner by adding CradleRobber.prc to the Palm Install Tool and then performing a HotSync.
Once installed, tap on the cute Cradle Robber icon, pictured in Figure A.
FIGURE A
Tap on the Cradle Robber icon to begin.
You'll be presented with the 1st Time Setup screen, pictured in Figure B.
FIGURE B
Take note of this caution.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- Advertisement --
BLOGGING AND PODCASTING WITH ONE EASY-TO-USE TOOL
Now you can publish your thoughts, opinions, and comments in your own blog or podcast.<p />
- Supports multiple authors and multiple blogs or podcasts.
- Generate and publish RSS feeds for iTunes and other directories.
- Post photos, images or animations.
- Get feedback and have conversations with visitors to your site. <p />
Personalize your blog or podcast with your own unique domain name -- or integrate it with your existing site by setting it up as a subdomain.
Tap here and get blogging or podcasting within minutes. |
-- Advertisement --
How To Save Jobs
This book is about how to create and save jobs. Believe it or not, there's not a single book out there that specifically focuses on job creation and preservation -- until now.
This book, by ZATZ editor-in-chief David Gewirtz, is about helping your business work better. It's about helping you change the things you need to change so your company can perform more effectively.
Plus, through a grant from ZATZ, it's a free download.
Read it and reap. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
