.KEYWORD cradle
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Cradle Robber keeps thieves at bay
.OTHER
.SUMMARY Car alarms have long been in use to keep would-be thieves from breaking into your automobile. Now software exists that offers the same protection for your Palm device. Chris Phillips reviews a cool application that’s sure to scare off anyone dastardly enough to try pinching your Palm device.
.AUTHOR 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.
.H1 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.
.H1 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.
.H1 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.
.FIG A Tap on the Cradle Robber icon to begin.
You’ll be presented with the 1st Time Setup screen, pictured in Figure B.
.FIG B Take note of this caution.
Select "Start setup," and Cradle Robber will walk you through the steps to verify it can see your rechargeable cradle. Once Cradle Robber has verified it can identify when the Palm device is in its cradle, you’ll be presented with the main screen, as seen in Figure C.
.FIG C The alarm is off when you begin.
By default, the alarm is off and no lock code has been set. The first thing you should do is enter your registration number by tapping on the Register icon. You won’t be able to set a lock code until you enter your registration number.
Next, set your lock code. This is a series of digits, like a PIN (Personal Identification Number), that you’ll use to unlock your Palm device when you remove it from its HotSync cradle.
I probably don’t need to remind you that it’s incredibly important that you don’t forget this PIN! You won’t be able to unlock your Palm device without it. The author says there’s no back door recovery method, either. The only way I can think of for recovering a Palm device if you forget the PIN is to allow it to sit for 30 days or more until the battery is completely depleted and it loses all its settings. For obvious reasons, I haven’t tested this.
Next, tap on the Options icon to bring up the Options screen pictured in Figure D.
.FIG D It’s time to configure your options.
Here you can set the daily security start and stop times. These are the times when the Palm device will automatically arm itself if it’s placed in the cradle. For instance, if you normally work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (yeah, right!), you could have your start time as 8 a.m. and your stop time at 5 p.m. This is the period of time your Palm device is at the greatest risk of being stolen. If you put your Palm device in a cradle at home at 6 p.m., the alarm won’t arm itself, and you won’t have to mess with disarming it when you remove your Palm device from the cradle.
I set my start time for 7 a.m., as you can see in Figure E.
.FIG E My alarm will activate anytime it’s placed in a cradle after 7 a.m.
As shown in Figure F, my stop time is set for 6 p.m.
.FIG F After 6 p.m., the alarm won’t activate when the device is placed in a cradle.
Finally, back at the main screen, tap on Arm, and the background process will start. You’ll hear a short beep when the background process has activated the alarm. This will happen every time you put your Palm device in its cradle, if you’re between your security start and stop times. As you see in Figure G, the application will now say your alarm system is armed.
.FIG G Your alarm system is armed.
.H1 My experiences
This is a pretty simple product to use. Once you set it up, you forget about it until you remove your Palm device from the cradle. The numeric keypad that pops up on the screen has nice sized, easy to use buttons for deactivating the alarm, as seen in Figure H.
.FIG H The buttons to enter the code are large and easy to use.
The main Cradle Robber interface is easy to use and is logically arranged. I had no problems loading, configuring, or using the software. I was also able to do most of this with minimal reference to the manual, which is always a plus.
According to the manual, when you remove the Palm device from the cradle there’s a four-second delay before the alarm starts. This is to give you time to deactivate the alarm before it annoys your coworkers (again!). However, my experience was that this delay seldom worked. Usually, the alarm sounded within one second of removing the Palm device from the cradle. It would definitely be better if the delay actually lasted the full four seconds.
I also ran into a small problem with battery utilization. The first version of Cradle Robber I worked with (version 1.1) had a bug that caused my Palm Vx to turn on every 90 seconds if the up-button was pressed continuously. I use a leather wrap-around case, and when the case is closed, it puts pressure on the up button. This was causing my Palm device to turn on all the time and drain my battery very quickly. I contacted the author via email to discuss this problem, and he was quick to respond and provide a new version (version 1.2).
I tested the new version and found the Palm unit still turns on every 90 seconds if the up-button is pressed, but then it immediately turns back off. The problem I have with this solution is that it still has a noticeable effect on battery performance. When Cradle Robber is not running and my battery is fully charged, I can leave my Palm device off for several hours and still have a battery charge of 98-100% the next time I use it. However, when Cradle Robber is running and my Palm device’s case is closed for several hours, the battery level may be reduced to 85-90% due to the device turning on and off every 90 seconds. This is not much, but over a weekend it can really add up.
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.H1 Overall impression
First of all, let me say I don’t believe I’m at a high risk of having my Palm Vx stolen, at least not at work. I work in a relatively secure facility where people have to "swipe" their ID badges to get anywhere. I’m probably more at risk of having something stolen from my desk after hours, but I never leave my Palm device at my desk overnight. Therefore, I wouldn’t be inclined to invest in a product like this for myself.
However, the reality is that people do steal from each other. I’m sure there are many Palm device users to whom this product would appeal because their work environment is not nearly as secure as mine. I think the concept is sound, and the author has come up with an innovative approach to preventing a thief from absconding with your Palm device.
The alarm has a good volume and is annoying enough that people are bound to start looking for the source. I’m also quite certain the alarm would surprise a thief in much the same way a motion sensing light would startle someone trying to break into your house. I think, under these situations, a thief is likely to either drop the Palm device and leave quickly or to return the Palm device to its cradle in hopes of quieting the alarm. Either way, you win. From my point of view, this is an insurance plan for your Palm device. If you feel your Palm device is at risk of being stolen, the $9.95 cost of Cradle Robber is pretty cheap compared to the cost of replacement.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on Cradle Robber, visit http://www.dentonsoftware.com.
For more information about Palm computers, visit http://www.palm.com.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO Chris Phillips is a Senior Project Manager for UMB Bank in Kansas City, MO.
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee6f263
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