Such is the Undercover Laptop Sleeve. It’s a product offered by a UK company called Lazybone, which describes its offerings as “freaky, uniquey, gadgetry geekery.” Where high technology fails, gadgetry geekery offers an alternative solution.The beauty of the Undercover Laptop Sleeve is its ugliness. What looks to a potential gadget snatcher as a disgusting old mailing envelope is actually the hiding spot for your MacBook, Dell, Compaq or other high value laptop computer. Even beyond the cost of replacement, how much damage can a thief do when they get your bank records and every other detail of your personal life stored indiscreetly on an unencrypted hard drive?
If you have the proper attitude of security paranoia, your laptop is password protected with encrypted files. You also carry a Kensington Lock with a cable that’s always wrapped around a radiator pipe or strung through the back of a chair to deter any quick grabs. But if you are like the other 99% of us, you probably leave the machine sitting there bringing in email while you make a sprint for the public potty. Many a geek has been victimized by his or her inability to hold their Mountain Dew.
Don’t leave that precious PC out there in public view as temptation to moral weaklings. Slip it into the Undercover Laptop Sleeve and close the flap. Who is going to reach for that disgustingly germified looking brown envelope full of dirt-smudged mailing labels? It must have been through the mail. It’s got stamps on it!
To make the cloaking effect more robust, make sure nobody actually sees you slipping your computer into the sleeve. Even dumb criminals are smarter than that. You’ve got to sneak it in and maybe even sit a few other papers on top of it. That’s especially true if the sleeve is going to be visibly unguarded on a restaurant table or sitting on the backseat of your car, two things that you probably shouldn’t be doing to tempt fate with or without a dirty old computer hiding bag. Think of it more as a security enhancer.
The Undercover Laptop Sleeve comes in two sizes, 8 - 13 inches and 13 - 17 inches. It’s made of a material that is waterproof, tear-proof and can be written on. It’s also nicely padded for extra computer protection. Just don’t write something like “Don’t look in here. No computer inside” on your sleeve. Not only will it attract thieves like bears to honey, but they’ll also know that they can steal your car because you always leave the keys in the ignition where you won’t “lose” them.
