Perhaps the worst thing about portable devices is that they’re so easy to carry around, we can barely hang on to them. Asurion, a Kansas City company that insures portable devices, says Americans lose about 60 million cellphones every year. Our laptop computers don’t fare much better. A 2008 study by Ponemon Institute LLC, a research outfit in Traverse City, Mich., calculated that every week, 12,000 laptops are lost or stolen in the nation’s airports alone.

Luckily, some gadgets are smart enough to call for help. A Portland, Ore., company called GadgetTrak has created some smart software to help them do it.

I tested two of their products. One was PC-Trak, for hunting down lost or stolen Windows laptops, which costs $25 a year. There’s also a version for Apple Macintosh laptops, which I didn’t try. The other was GadgetTrak for BlackBerry smartphones, which sells for a one-time price of $25. It is also available for phones that use Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software, but it’s not yet offered for Google Android phones. There’s a free version for Apple’s iPhone, but it lacks some advanced features. Apple famously prevents iPhone applications from running constantly in the background, a limitation that cripples GadgetTrak on the iPhone.

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GadgetTrak retrieves 95 percent of stolen laptops, puts RoboCop to shame (video)

Want your stolen gear back? Don’t call some gung-ho superhero who’s as likely to blow up your small grocery store as he is to catch those perps, call GadgetTrak instead. The little startup company has grown since we last heard of it back in 2007, and is now operating a $25 per year tracking service that has delivered a statistically significant 95 percent success rate on reuniting gadgets with their owners. Available for Mac OS and Windows laptops, as well as mobile phones (BlackBerrys, WinMo, and iPhone) and even removable USB storage, the software’s intelligent enough to remotely activate your webcam and ping the incriminating info back directly to you — no data is sent to GadgetTrak. Check out some recent news coverage of the software and its implementation in local schools after the break.

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Another laptop has been recovered thanks to GadgetTrak. A Mac was stolen from our customer Kari Hardre during a home burglary along with jewelry, the GadgetTrak software activated and sent location, network data and images of the thief back.

“They kicked the front door in, so I would invest that $50. It’s an investment well worth it,” said Kari Hardre.

All online sales revenue today will go to Haiti relief. We have partnered with other software developers through Indie+Relief to donate all Jan. 20 sales to support the relief efforts in Haiti. We will be donating all of today’s sales directly to the Mangrove Fund.

The Mangrove Fund was established in 2007 in order to help existing organizations and people who provide sustainable assistance and support to impoverished Haitian communities. They look for proven track records of success which result from the local relationships and knowledge base necessary to create long-term positive economic benefits within Haitian communities.

The 7.0 earthquake is only the most recent of a string of calamities to strike Haiti. However, it is by far the most devastating. Mangrove will provide ull support to the rescue efforts currently being launched and will be funding several organizations who will be directly involved on the ground, including Vwa Ayiti and entities devoted directly to assisting children living in any one of Haiti’s hundreds of orphanages.

100% of the monies we receive during this campaign will be sent directly to organizations leading the relief and recovery efforts.

We were featured in a great piece by Good Morning America on Christmas Day regarding how to protect the gadgets your received on Christmas Day. GadgetTrak was featured as tip number two:

GadgetTrak uses GPS and WiFi signals to locate your lost electronic and lock it down remotely so a thief cannot use it and police can track it.

Read the full story on Good Morning America

This is actually the second time GadgetTrak has featured on Good Morning America, in a previous episode our technology was also described in more depth with technology corespondent Becky Worley:

GadgetTrak’s MacTrak was featured in its own section of the newly published “MacBook All-in-One For Dummies” by Mark L. Chambers.

Another great review for GadgetTrak’s PC-Trak anti-theft software for Windows. Peter Grad of The Record in New Jersey took PC-Trak for a test drive.

I tested the program by switching the activation on. When I turned on the “stolen” laptop, I immediately received e-mail notification that the laptop had been switched on. The notification provided me with a remarkably accurate location of the laptop – latitude and longitude numbers, an approximate street address and a link to a Google map pinpointing to within a few dozen yards the image of my street where the laptop’s Internet connection was detected.Were I using the laptop while moving, map images would be updated periodically.

In addition, Gadget Trak quietly instructed my laptop to snap photos every half hour, capturing the thief – in my test, me — in flagrante delicto, which in this case was basically me feasting on a pint of H*agen-Dazs.

The images were automatically uploaded to Flickr, a free photo-sharing Web site, which can be accessed from anywhere.

So Gadget Trak not only zooms in on your stolen equipment’s location, but it accumulates enough hard data and images to help prosecute a criminal case.

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Through the majority of our recoveries one thing I have noticed that has tied them together, they involved a methamphetamine addict. Doing some research it is shocking to learn that nationally police believe that 75-80% of all property crimes are committed by people addicted to methamphetamine, or who profit from addicts. It is not only the device being fenced for quick money or drugs, but also identity theft as the devices sold are full of valuable data.  We will be donating $100 to The Meth Project for every theft recovery we make that involves a methamphetamine addict.

A customer who installed GadgetTrak software on his MacBook had it returned to him yesterday. The MacBook went on long journey from Portland to Missouri after the customer’s laptop was stolen from his residence during a burglary.  After a few weeks the laptop connected to the Internet and sent its location and photos of the person using the system in Missouri. Over the course of a few days several photos and locations were captured, as well as the name of the person using the system and other data, all provided to law enforcement.

The laptop exchanged hands a few times with a full audit trail left thanks to  GadgetTrak’s software, which has had a number of successful recoveries over the past few months including one in Brooklyn, New York and another in Oakland, California all of which unveiled larger crimes and theft rings. If you are part of the press and would like more information regarding this recovery including the contact details of the police detectives who worked on the case feel free to contact us directly at 503-799-8610.

GadgetTrak Founder Ken Westin was interviewed by M2M radio regarding GadgetTrak’s product lineup and plans for the future.

M2M Magazine Radio: Laptop Security. Featuring Ken Westin, founder, GadgetTrak.

GadgetTrak adds experienced executives to its team, Mark Garrison as CFO and Scott Gustaff as VP of Sales

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct 13, 2009  - GadgetTrak Inc. the leading innovator of anti-theft and data protection solutions for mobile devices, today announced the expansion of its executive team.  The company has appointed Mark Garrison as CFO, and Scott Gustaff as VP of Sales. In addition the company has expanded its advisory board to include top executives and entrepreneurs in the security and enterprise software space.

Mark Garrison, has joined GadgetTrak as CFO bringing over 30 years experience in financial services and high technology as both CFO and COO. Mark managed the financial and HR functions for three previous start-ups creating over $300 million in shareholder wealth, including Rosetta Technologies and Extensis Corporation, both of which were acquired.  In addition to startup experience Mark has worked in the banking industry as VP at Pacific Continental Bank, Assistant VP at First Interstate Bank and as a Senior Accountant at Price Waterhouse Coopers.

Scott Gustaff has joined GadgetTrak as VP of Sales with over 20 years experience developing field, inside and VAR sales teams. Scott has developed award winning global sales teams for companies including Wacom as Director of Sales, and Axium as VP of Sales. Scott will be responsible for building the company’s sales channels as well as focusing on key OEM deals and relationships for GadgetTrak’s solutions.

GadgetTrak has also appointed a strong advisory board consisting of Portland based seasoned executives with strong backgrounds in security and enterprise software, including Bob McCarthy (CFO of Tripwire), Scott Campbell (former VP of Sales at Jive Software), Scott Olson (of Mind Link Marketing and former VP of Marketing at iovation), Greg Hughes ( former CSO for Corillian) and Josh Friedman (founder of Eleven Wireless and NedSpace).

GadgetTrak  Inc. founder Ken Westin stated “These additions to the team will drive our strategic vision to expand the technologies we have proven in the consumer market to better serve the needs of our business and government customers in the enterprise. We have an innovative technology roadmap, an experienced team and a solid group of advisors in place to execute our plan to capitalize on GadgetTrak’s successes over the past year into something much larger.”

About GadgetTrak Inc.
Based in Portland, Oregon GadgetTrak  Inc. is the leading innovator of theft recovery and data protection solutions for mobile devices.  GadgetTrak’s award winning, patented and proven technology allows device owners and IT administrators to track the location of their devices and protect data that resides on them, even the capability to identify unauthorized users by capturing images of them using integrated web cameras and other methods.

The headquarters of a prominent start-up in San Francisco was broken into, seven laptops were stolen from the premises. All of these laptops had security cables attached, however they were quickly and easily cut  and the laptops taken. On one of these laptops an employee had installed GadgetTrak’s laptop security software.  The device owner activated tracking for the device and contacted GadgetTrak. Within a few hours the device was connected to the Internet, the location of the thief as well as a photo of him was taken and emailed to the device owner as well as the Flickr account they had setup.

Using the data GadgetTrak ‘s software provided, the police arrived at the location in Oakland within a few hours and were able to identify who the perpetrator was as well as where he was staying.  Two of the laptops had been sold before the thief had arrived at the location the photo was captured. Using the photo the police were able to identify the person and get additional information regarding the burglary.

“The problem with traditional theft recovery applications has been that it relies only on the IP address, which requires the police to get a subpoena and it can be a long process taking days, weeks and even months. With GadgetTrak’s software we had the location and a photo of the thief immediately, this allowed us to move quickly and within a few hours we were at the location and had the indentity of the suspect” said Detective Marc Hinch of the Oakland Police Department “Having the ability to work directly with the device owner who had access to the data, as well as 24/7 access to GadgetTrak’s recovery team for technical assistance was also a huge help.”

iPhone theft is rampant. Here at GadgetTrak we have done our best to create an application to assist with theft recovery of the device, even providing our iPhone application for free, however due to limitations of the SDK we are restricted in what we can do right now on the device, without background processes or other hooks like those that the Blackberry and Windows Mobile provide we will not be able to offer the same level of protection as we offer for other platforms.

From our research we have found that although there are limits to what we as a third-party can do to help victims of iPhone theft, both AT&T and Apple could do a lot more themselves. We have also found that both AT&T and Apple actually benefit from the theft of an iPhone.

(Continued)

GadgetTrak has recovered a stolen iMac in New York that had GadgetTrak installed. The system was stolen two weeks ago and then connected to the Internet two days ago, the device was recovered this morning.  GadgetTrak’s MacTrak software captured a photo of who was using the system as well as pinpointed the location within a few meters, all of the data was uploaded automatically to the device owner’s Flickr account and email. The NYPD followed up and recovered the system, along with two other stolen laptops from different cases.

The device was tracked using GadgetTrak’s Wi-Fi positioning to a tattoo parlor in Brooklyn, where the iMac and the other laptops were found in a back office.

We received an email from our customer with a photo of him and his recovered iMac, as well as this great testimonial:

” After a previous burglary of my home, I installed GadgetTrak on my iMac desktop, a computer I cherished for its power and sleek appearance.  Sure enough, six months later, I was robbed again.  However, with the help of GadgetTrak and the NYPD, I got my computer back!  Like insurance, this software was something I debated on getting.  When I did, I hoped I would never have to use it and was only buying peace of mind, yet it has proven its value fifty times over.  The police were able to recover two other stolen computers as well.  Words cannot express my gratitude for this genius software. ” - A

From the Associated Press,  “A piece of anti-theft software built into many laptops at the factory opens a serious security hole, according to research presented Thursday.” Research by Alfredo Ortega and Anibal Sacco with Boston-based Core Security Technologies, and presented Thursday at the Black Hat security conference here, shows how BIOS based security software can allow a criminal to take control of a machine.

GadgetTrak’s Laptop Security software is not vulnerable to this security hole, as our software does not need to be embedded in the BIOS of the system, nor allow a backdoor into the system. Measures taken by GadgetTrak in the architecture of our solution to protect users privacy also mitigates the risk of such an attack. As GadgetTrak’s software does not provide a back door into the system that monitoring center staff can acccess and the tracking data is sent to the owner of the device, there is no back door into the system that would allow an attacker to take control of the system.

The company that makes the software in the study claims that the findings are not true, however has not provided proof to the contrary. It is interesting to watch the company on Twitter, having employees Tweet that it is not true repeatedly, maybe if you say something enough times it will be true. Instead evidence should be presented to consumers and manufacturers, as the agent is embedded in 60% of laptops on the market, just not activated on all of them. Consumers have the right to more information regarding this security hole and not just a company saying “it is not true,” this is both irresponsible and shows a lack of respect for their customers.

This Wednesday, July 29th GadgetTrak is sponsoring and presenting at the opening of the new NedSpace in Old Town.  Due to the success of NedSpace Downtown with all office space full, NedSpace is adding another location in Old Town in the old Vidoop space. To celebrate NedSpace is throwing a grand opening celebration “HELLZAPOPPIN’ Demo Night”.

- Watch Portland startups show their latest and greatest products and ideas

- Meet entrepreneurs, investors and the gainfully unemployed

- Live depression era Jazz from Portland’s own Boy & Bean!

- Celebrate the expansion of NedSpace into Old Town!

Social time and music start at 4pm, with 5 minute demos starting at 5pm. To RSVP contact Josh @technojosh or Mark @neddotcom via Twitter, or call 503.334.1860 - www.nedspace.com

Music is sponsored by GadgetTrak!

GadgetTrak was featured in Sunday’s Orlando Sentinel on a story regarding the rising theft rates of mobile devices in Florida’s schools.

A new industry has evolved from the trend. GadgetTrak Inc., an Oregon-based company that sells anti-theft software specifically for these high-tech devices, opened two years ago and already has thousands of customers in Florida.

The software, once installed, can help owners determine the location of their gadgets within as little as 10 meters and, in some cases, photograph the thief who’s using them.

“We have parents calling and saying, ‘I have this kid, and he’s had two devices stolen, and we need to do something,’” said GadgetTrak founder Ken Westin.

Exclusive New High-Tech Service Introduces More Value to End-Users, Addresses Untapped Customer Demand

Portland, OR, June 16, 2009--FLIR Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: FLIR), today announced the introduction of ThermaTrak™, an exclusive new high-tech service to locate missing or stolen infrared cameras and thermal imagers. ThermaTrak from FLIR, developed with GadgetTrak Inc., employs recovery software that pinpoints the geographic location of the lost, stolen or missing infrared camera. Additionally, the ThermaTrak software embedded in the camera tracks the IP address, hostname, and even the Internet service provider (ISP) being used after the IR camera has gone missing or been stolen and is connected to the Internet.

”This is the first-ever theft tracking system for IR cameras. We are very excited to announce our exclusive agreement with GadgetTrak to offer this new recovery technology customized to FLIR IR cameras,” said Tom Scanlon, vice president for FLIR. “The affordability and protection is exactly what our end-users want.”

ThermaTrak is also used for asset management when multiple cameras are deployed in the field. With tracking activated, each time a camera is connected to a computer with internet access, an email is sent with a link to an updated location report.

“ThermaTrak has several unique abilities that you will not find elsewhere”, said Ken Westin, Founder & CEO of GadgetTrak, commenting on the partnership with FLIR. “ThermaTrak software leverages our patented theft recovery system for use with IR cameras and discretely contacts the owner in the event it is lost or stolen. Data is delivered to ThermaTrak and a report is generated with the time, username, computer name, internal network address, location, and other data that relates to the device’s connection. All images, location and network data are sent to the device owner”

In the case of theft, law enforcement agencies are able to find out the suspect’s name, address and phone number through ISP information.
ThermaTrak requires an upgrade to the IR camera and is available with a standalone subscription or through FLIR’s extended warranty. FLIR IR cameras run from under $3,000 to $400,000 per unit, so the security and peace of mind now offered by ThermaTrak is a big plus.

FLIR Systems, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets thermal imagers and infrared camera systems worldwide for a variety of applications. FLIR’s thermal imagers are used in diverse applications such as public safety, defense, navigation, electronic news gathering and search, and rescue, as well as for electrical inspection, commercial and residential building inspection, indoor air quality and home energy monitoring applications, non-destructive testing, medical science, research and development, and manufacturing process control. For more information on thermal imagers for your needs, please call +1-800-464-6372 or visit www.goinfrared.com

GadgetTrak Inc. based in Portland, Oregon provides innovative and patented theft recovery and loss prevention solutions for mobile devices. GadgetTrak continually collaborates and partners with technology leaders and law enforcement to improve our methods of recovery, data protection and endpoint security. For more information visit www.gadgettrak.com

Forward-Looking Statements
The statements in this release, including the statements of Earl R. Lewis, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company’s business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including the following: the ability to manufacture and deliver the systems referenced in this release, changes in demand for the Company’s products, product mix, the timing of customer orders and deliveries under the order discussed above, the impact of competitive products and pricing, constraints on supplies of critical components, excess or shortage of production capacity, the ability of the Company to manufacture and ship products in the time period required, actual purchases under agreements, the continuing eligibility of the Company to act as a federal contractor, the amount and availability of appropriated government procurement funds and other risks discussed from time to time in the Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports. In addition, such statements could be affected by general industry and market conditions and growth rates, and general domestic and international economic conditions. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release, or for changes made to this document by wire services or Internet service providers.

GadgetTrak is proud to  sponsor this years Annual Technology for Government Reception in Washington D.C., being held on June 10th. The Annual Technology for Government Reception is the premier Washington DC networking event bringing hundreds of industry, congressional, and government leaders together at one venue.

This sold-out event last year hosted over 600 government and industry technology executives. Vint Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google, is this year’s keynote speaker. Widely known as a “Father of the Internet,” Vint is the co-designer with Robert Kahn of TCP/IP protocols and basic architecture of the Internet.

TechAmerica’s Public Sector (PS) Group is the leading proponent of technology solutions for government programs and serves as the primary interface and liaison between industry and federal, state, and local government markets.

GadgetTrak will not only be sponsoring the event, but will also have some of our latest technology on display, stop by our table at the event for more information.