Lenovo has teamed up with Phoenix Technologies to give an additional layer of security against data thefts. They have announced the Constant Secure Remote Disable feature that allows users to send a simple text message to restrict unauthorized access to their machines, especially when the laptop is stolen.
ThinkPad notebooks equipped with this feature will be sold from Q1 2009, and will use WWAN networks to execute the lock down. To activate the Remote Disable feature, a user simply needs to create and send a text message with the keywords "lockdown now PC" or "PC shut off." As soon as the laptop's onboard mobile broadband service receives the message, the computer becomes inoperable. It even sends a confirmatory message back to the user when the Remote Disable technology-enabled lock is successfully applied. However, one thing to note here is that this feature is ineffective if the user's mobile broadband service is deactivated or if the user is out of coverage area.
Lenovo will not charge anything for this service and will support it worldwide, wherever GSM networks are available.
