Firm delivers disguise for laptops

[hausman]

Firm delivers disguise for laptops
No anchovies, but room for a mouse. In the works are regional varieties

RACHEL ROSS
TECHNOLOGY REPORTER
TORONTO STAR
Jan. 31, 2005

Wireless workers concerned about the safety of their gear can now store their laptop in a pizza box.

A British company called Human Beans has developed a new kind of carrying case, called the PowerPizza, that looks a lot like a pizza box from the outside.

"PowerPizza disguises a valuable laptop as a low value and disposable object. Thieves don't like anchovies or garlic!" said Human Beans co-founder and designer Mickaël Charbonnel of London, England.

Charbonnel's carrying cases are real London pizza boxes that have been modified to suit a laptop. The box is lined with 13mm of protective foam. Two Velcro straps are also added so the laptop doesn't slide around inside the box.

"For maximum stealth in transit we recommend that in the morning, on the way to work, you carry it under your arm, as if taking last night's pizza box out to the trash. In the evening, coming home from work, hold it flat as if you were bringing a pizza home for dinner," said Charbonnel.

"In some cases it may not look like a pizza is inside, but it doesn't look like an expensive laptop is inside either!"

Charbonnel said one customer fooled himself with his own carrying case. The customer reportedly took his laptop bag out with the trash after a late night at the office. Fortunately, his laptop wasn't in it at the time.

The company has sold some 2,000 PowerPizza boxes around the world, including about 50 in Canada.

Charbonnel said he and Chris Vanstone started the company because they were disappointed with current products' design. The pair wanted to get people thinking about their purchases.

If sales grow, Charbonnel said he hopes to offer localized boxes so the images on the outside are regionally appropriate and don't give away the ruse.

"New York boxes are different to London boxes (which) are different to the ones you get in Napoli," he said.

There's room in the carrying case for your mouse — you don't need get a garlic bread box to carry it along.

PowerPizza boxes can be ordered online at http://www.humanbeans.net/powerpizza . The price for the box is more than what usually comes in it: approximately CA$30.

[slagmi]

Hmm. I'm afraid that if you're not carrying it flat, it would attract attention. At least around here. (Midwestern US)

[JHEM]

Further proof that there are a LOT of stupid people in the world!

Besides, in most business offices that I'm familiar with an unattended pizza box is more likely to draw unwanted attention than a laptop case.

Regards,

James

[AlphaKilo470]

The setting I'm in on a daily basis is dimly lit and crowded, and carrying a Pizza box would mean having to push wider space between crowds and it would stand out more as well. I've been carrying my ThinkPad with me on a daily basis for a while now and it's leather case is pretty indiscreet, but then again, the surrounding workplace has alot to do with the stealthness of my computer.

[sugo]

Can they at least make a Wide Screen pizza box? Most laptops don't come in sqares lol

[MadeInJapan]

In Japan, there is a hidden compartment in a Bento Bako (lunch box) that is used to hide the laptop....funny how things are not so dissimilar around the world...at least in the developed world.

If you really want a more realistic place to put your Thinkpad in a car, check this site out (to me, it's still not a solution...I think someone might figure out that something important may be in one of these and figure out how to open it, or break it to get in):
http://www.car-safe.com/

[BillMorrow]

i have always advised customers to use beat up cases for new thinkpads..

even to the point of using "biohazard" labels to mislead..
even though getting on an airliner with this might cause some alarm among the homeland security guys..

[AlphaKilo470]

If you have an X series or a 570 series laptop in a questionable environment, keep the computer docked onto the UltraBase. Aside from giving you an extra battery slot, the UltraBase adds enough thickness to make the laptop look heavy, old and undesirable.

Also, for any laptop, if you use a lock on the case, try as hard as you can to hide the lock. As general rule of thumb goes, anything worth locking up is also worth stealing. If you are going to lock your ThinkPad case, use a good lock, but don't go overboard with it, the theif can always cut the bag open, but make sure the lock is not a cheap dollar store lock. Also make sure the lock matches the case, you don't want something that stands out and draws attention.

[bronevaya]

Back in 98 I was walking from a deli back to the car when a bum stole my pizza. Rather a $12 pizza then a $1200 laptop