You’ve managed to get yourself a new Netbook or Laptop at a fantastic price because you have committed yourself to paying so much a month for a 12 month or 24 month contract for the wireless internet that comes with your new machine. Seems like a great idea doesn’t it?
Many wireless carriers both in the USA and in Europe subsidise computers in this way in order to get the business. Basically you get your laptop and they get the monthly payments for broadband.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you didn’t keep up your payments to the wireless carrier? Ok so you might have your Internet access cut off but you’ve still got your computer haven’t you? Well imagine this.
What if a wireless signal was sent to your computer to shut it down and render it inoperable? I mean you wouldn’t even be able to turn it on. The relationship you and your laptop have carefully built together is over. Everything you have shared together has gone forever.
This is no joke even if it does sound like an April fools prank. The ability to do this is exactly what Swedish company LM Ericsson are planning to install in their modems. They call it a “kill pill” according to Mats Norin, Ericsson’s vice president of mobile broadband.
Now whether they would use it or not to kill a computer dead is anyone’s guess but the fact remains, they can if they choose to and the implications of this if they do don’t bear thinking about.
Murdering a PC isn’t the only possible use for the feature though as it does have some real positives. Basically because the modem stays active whilst the computer is off it can still be accessed wirelessly. So if a computer is stolen a company can just shut the computer down remotely by sending a wireless signal to the modem.
The Lenovo group for one are planning to make this feature available in their new laptops but you can bet there will be others following suit. Dell and Toshiba currently use Ericsson modems so maybe they’ll be next.
Other possible uses include the modem alerting you when you have an important message or call coming through. Now that’s not so bad.
To begin with the new type modems will work on the USA’s AT & T 3G Networks and some other 3G Networks abroad.
Whatever will they think of next!
If you want to find out all the latest news on tech why not subscribe to our RSS feed?
Does anyone else have any experience with this?
ou’ve managed to get yourself a new Netbook or Laptop at a fantastic price because you have committed yourself to paying so much a month for a 12 month or 24 month contract for the wireless internet that comes with your new machine
……………………………………….john
And why is this such a bad thing? The article is almost condoning theft.
I would love a feature like this for if someone nicked my computer. I’d take great pleasure in killing it so they couldn’t do anything with it…
Also, the kill pill theory only partly works. Not connecting the computer to the internet beats that trick.
Oops that Laptop was helping to keep the nuclear Power Plant Stable.
Oh Dear we just lost…..