GadgetTrak
Company Origins
GadgetTrak is a company based in Portland, Oregon that develops theft recovery and data protection software under the same name[1] [2] .The company was founded in February of 2007 by Ken Westin with the launch of the the first theft recovery product for USB mass storage devices, that tracked stolen devices including iPods, flash drives, digital cameras and other devices when connected to a computer. [3][4] . The company was issued a patent for the technology on February 24, 2009 (US patent 7496201, Ken Westin, "Portable host-pluggable appliance tracking system", published 2009-02-24, issued 2009-02-24, assigned to WestinTech DBA GadgetTrak). A customized version of the technology was embedded in FLIR thermal imaging cameras as part of an exclusive three year licensing deal under the name ThermaTrak[5] .
Laptop Software
The company launched it's first original laptop software solution for Macs that utilizes the web camera to capture a photo of a thief, as well as the utilization of Wi-Fi positioning to provide location within 10-20 meters[6]. Shortly after the product launch there were a number of stolen laptop recoveries using the software, the first being in Brooklyn, New York where a stolen iMac was tracked to a tattoo parlor where police recovered the stolen computer along with other stolen property[7] . In April 2009 the company launched a Windows version of their laptop software further expanding their product offering[8] .
Mobile Software
The company launched its first mobile security software in October of 2008[9] , targeted towards Blackberry and Windows mobile devices and later expanded to Apple's iPhone when the store opened later that year, a year and a half before Apple launched Find My iPhone[10]
References
- ^ "About Company". GadgetTrak. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ^ David, Becker. "Anti-Theft Widget for iPods". Wired. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ^ Adam, Pash (2/26/2007). "Recover stolen gadgets with GadgetTheft". Life Hacker. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Darren, Murph. "GadgetTrak hunts down stolen gadgetry for free". Engadget. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ^ "FLIR Systems Launches ThermaTrak(TM) 'Find' Service to Recover Lost, Stolen or Missing Infrared Cameras". Thomas Net. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ^ Steven, Sande. "TUAW Review: MacTrak Theft Recovery Software". TUAW. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ^ Charlie, Sorrel. "Tracking Software Rescues Stolen iMac after Two Weeks". Wired. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ^ Rick, Turoczy. "Windows laptop and netbook owners can rest easier: GadgetTrak launches PC-Trak". Silicon Florist. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ^ "GadgetTrak Inc. Launches GadgetTrak® Mobile Security - The Most Advanced Anti-Theft and Data Protection for Smart Phones". PR Web. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ^ Glenn, Fleishman. "Find Your Lost iPhone or iPod touch with iPhone OS 3.0". Tidbits. Retrieved 2 September 2013.