Portable alarm to keep laptops safe when working from a cafe smashes crowdfunding goal

Japan Today -- Oct 13

So imagine you're sitting in Starbucks, sipping hojicha roasted green tea Frappuccinos and making progress on your current project for that sweet, sweet telecommuting job you've landed.

At some point, you're going to need to stop the flow of greatness from your mind to your laptop to either go to the bathroom or order another drink, but when you do that you've actually got another important task that exists outside your body's liquid intake/output cycle: you need to keep your laptop safe.

Even though Japan is an amazingly safe country, it's still not really advisable to leave high-priced electronics unattended, especially if they've got sensitive work material in them. But it can be a pain to pack up your laptop when you're only stepping away for a minute, and so King Jim, the same company that brought us the wearable office futonand snack-hiding folder, has a solution.

The compact, thimble-shaped Trene is a personal alarm that links to your smartphone via Bluetooth. Simply place it on to of our laptop or other belongings you want it to keep an eye on, and if someone tries to move it out of the way, the unit's accelerometer will sense what's going on and trigger the audible alarm and flashing lights.