Prey: Anti-theft software I hope that I never have to use

Prey is FOSS (Free Open Source Software), which means that nerds should love it. I do. But that's not why I love it. Prey can keep track of your devices if they get lost or stolen, and all from a free account. If your device is lost or stolen, you can log in on your Prey account online, and track the location of your device, the last few locations it has been at (and see it on a map), the Wifi connection it is currently connected to and any Wifi connections nearby, you can see what files have been changed recently, and even take a screen shot of the device or view what the webcam can see. So pretty powerful software!

There have been multiple success stories of people having their devices stolen, trying to get help from police and the police not being able to do anything, and then going and getting their devices back themselves. They would check the map to see the actual location their device was at, check a screenshot and see the persons Facebook page or email account open, or take a webcam picture, and then go demand the device back or threaten them with some sort of action. I hope I never have to do that, but I have it installed on my Macbook Air and Nexus 7, just in case.

With a free account, you can track up to three devices, but you can only report them as stolen up to ten times. You can buy premium accounts that let you add tons of new devices, and report them many more times. Prey runs on almost any device you can think of: Linux, Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. I would recommend it on any device that is valuable to you, and that you bring outside of the house. I don't have it on any of my computers I leave at home, because they probably won't get stolen. I also don't have it on my Galaxy Nexus because the huge crack in the screen makes it not worth much to me anymore!

On my Android tablet, the Prey icon is visible in the Application drawer, however you have to have my Prey account password to open or delete the application. On my Mac, I don't even know where to find Prey, which I'd say makes it safe to assume that a thief couldn't find it either! You can even lock down your device, so that the thief can't use if for anything besides a paperweight until you enter your password. 

Check them out at: http://preyproject.com/