Overview: Guard your notebook and the data inside from thieves with the Caveo Anti-Theft pack. Its Type II PC card may look deceptively small and simple, but it is packed with built-in motion sensors, an alarm and a rechargeable battery.

You will need to set a four-digit password to arm or disarm the device, and a 16-digit PIN (personal identity number) to stop the alarm if it goes off.

Another important setting is the theft perimeter, which is adjustable from three to 10 on a 10-point scale. The minimum setting is equivalent to movements of about five to 10 feet (1.5m to 3m), and the maximum setting of 10, for about 30 feet.

Features: There are several ways to arm the alarm automatically - when the screensaver comes on, when Windows starts up, and/or when the computer enters standby or hibernate mode.

When your notebook is turned off, you can arm the Caveo with the Motion Password.

This is how it works. You set the Motion Password by tilting the notebook to a series of three predetermined positions.

For example, you can tilt your notebook to the left, right and left again. The device emits short beeps to confirm that it is armed. To disarm, put the notebook through the same movements again.

The device gives a short chirp when it is moved slightly, and emits different levels of warning chirps as you move it nearer to the edge of your preset perimeter. Once it is outside the perimeter, the Caveo assumes a theft is taking place and starts to emit loud, piercing beeps.

The rechargeable battery that powers the alarm takes about 30 hours for a full charge and will last for about three weeks. To charge, simply slot the Caveo into your notebook and leave it on.

To protect files, make use of Caveocrypt. This software lets you separate a portion of hard drive space as a virtual drive.

When you start up or log on to your notebook, you will be prompted for your password. If the password is correct, the encrypted portion appears as a removable drive.

Mock theft tests: I tried several times to fool the Caveo by moving my notebook as slowly and smoothly as I could, but never succeeded.

Even when I removed the card when the alarm sounded, it continued to beep, thanks to its rechargeable battery.

And when I tried to reboot my notebook, it refused to start until I reinserted the card and entered the emergency password.

Possibly, the only way that a thief could get away would be if he managed to figure out the source of the sound, removed the Caveo card and took your notebook away.

Even if that happened, at least you can be sure that he will not be able to access your hard drive.

Reviewer's comments: At $220, it's a small price to pay to protect your notebook, which probably costs 10 times more!

Melvin Seah works in the IT industry.