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Sarc · Jan 29, 2004, 05:47 PM

I'll be carrying my PBG4 around a lot in the near future, and as a precaution I wanted to buy one of 'em Security Cables.
However the only ones I could find are made by Kensington.
Here in Chile, they sell for about 55 $US.

Is there another company that makes these or does Kensington have the monopoly ?

offtopic, I noticed my sister's iBook has a K written on top of the "security port" .. not good I presume ?

thx

Ω · Jan 29, 2004, 06:20 PM

I thought they were pretty standard.

I just got a lacie HD with a security cable, and this works on my TiBook as well.

Cost was about US$22.

No doubt someone can beat that price.

tooki · Jan 29, 2004, 10:42 PM

Well the reason the slot has a K is that it's known as a Kensington Lock Slot.

There are alternatives that use the slow, such as Targus security cables.

That said, $55 isn't all that much more than here, where the cost of Kensington cables has risen to about $40.

tooki

Sarc · Jan 30, 2004, 01:54 PM

Just saw the LaCie's website, they got a security cable for $ 19 US.
That's what I would buy.

Thx everyone for the replies.

Ω · Jan 30, 2004, 03:42 PM

Given the reply from tooki above I might be thinking about sending Lacie an e-mail to ensure this is correct.

As I said it works in my TiBook, which may differ slightly. I think I also have a Kensington lock floating around as well, and they both seemed about the same - though the mechanism on the Kensington seemed a little more secure.

Hope this helps

normr · Jan 31, 2004, 08:44 PM

I have the Belkin which uses a 3 number combination lock, that way you don't need to carry a key.

vcutag · Feb 1, 2004, 04:31 PM

How do these locks work? Do they just secure the laptop to a desk, or can they be used to literally lock the laptop shut? I take mine to school with me every day, so I'd love to have some way to lock it shut in case it's stolen.

acadian · Feb 1, 2004, 04:51 PM

Be careful if you have an Al book, the key lock slot is located too close to the power adapter so you cant have the book plugged in while it's locked. I have a kensington lock that is now worthless to me because of this.

normr · Feb 1, 2004, 05:10 PM

It has a cable with a loop on one end and the lock on the another, you can either loop it around something immovable or they also come with a special anchor that gets screwed into something you own (like your desk) and another piece that covers the screws.

I've also seen something new, a transmitter that goes into your laptop case and a receiver you carry and as soon as your laptop goes a certain distance away from you, an alarm goes off.

http://www.etravelergear.com/traclapprot.html

vcutag · Feb 1, 2004, 05:22 PM

Originally posted by acadian:
Be careful if you have an Al book, the key lock slot is located too close to the power adapter so you cant have the book plugged in while it's locked. I have a kensington lock that is now worthless to me because of this.

I've got an Albook, and my power adapter plug is on the upper left side. The lock slot is in the middle, on the right. To say I'm confused is an understatement. :-)

acadian · Feb 1, 2004, 08:20 PM

On the 17 they are right next to each other, they must have fixed it.

vcutag · Feb 1, 2004, 11:23 PM

Originally posted by acadian:
On the 17 they are right next to each other, they must have fixed it.

'doh. I'm a moron. I've a 15" Albook, and the thought that you had anything else totally slipped my mind. Ignore my confusement. :-)

Do you know if there's any way to loop the lock around the case to prevent it being opened? Something like that would really come in handy...

Simon · Feb 2, 2004, 01:57 AM

I have a Kensington with a three-digit combination lock for my 12" PB.

- It works.
- It's a rip off. Because it hardly does jack and it costed a fortune.
- It needs to be nugged, shoved, pushed, etc. for it to lock into place even if the combination is right and you have rotated the lock by 90 degrees
- It scratched my Al around the locking hole

Actually, I thinks it's a POS, especially because it's much too expensive, but I hardly see any alternative if you need to secure your PB.

Re the scratching: They put a rubber ring around the part that touches the PB and Apple puts a bit of plastic lining around the lock hole, but still the area around the hole gets scratched and on Al that's a PITA. The reason for this is ridiculously simple: The rubber only touches (and thus protects) the Al casing when the lock is closed, but while closing it, the bare metal of the lock (before it retracts into the lock case itself) touches the Al, and there's where you get the scratches. It's not the end of the world, but for that kind of money I expect something like this not to happen - ever.

cdhostage · Feb 3, 2004, 10:58 PM

The little security hole is standard on notebook computers - I don't know if Kensington has the entire setup patented b/c there are non-K products which can fit into the slot, rotate 90 degrees and lock thusly.

I've got one that uses a physical key - they're much tighter and more reliable than the combo-styles. It doesn't really matter much how much time it takes to do the combo if you're planning to tie the thing down for the whole day. And if it's loose, i.e. you can build momentum to snap the thing off, then it's no good.

bufka11 · Feb 5, 2004, 05:02 PM

I use an excellent product called the Snap-It. It is less expensive than the Kensington lock and works better. I bought mine from Datamation Systems in NJ. They might be able to ship one to Chile. I know schools buy them from Dell.

The slot is specified by Kensington, but they are not the only people who have something.

Originally posted by Sarc:
I'll be carrying my PBG4 around a lot in the near future, and as a precaution I wanted to buy one of 'em Security Cables.
However the only ones I could find are made by Kensington.
Here in Chile, they sell for about 55 $US.

Is there another company that makes these or does Kensington have the monopoly ?

offtopic, I noticed my sister's iBook has a K written on top of the "security port" .. not good I presume ?

thx

bamchum · Feb 6, 2004, 05:49 AM

I checked out some of the alternatives and I've gotta say that the Kensington Microsaver is the class of this field. It's very well made and thin.

One thing to watch out for: the PBs are thinner than many laptops. Some locks are too thick and will raise the PB off the desk when attached. This is obviously no good. I can vouch that the Microsaver doesn't do this.