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We can detect where is our lost phone and track the thief. However, the case is not same when it comes to laptop. The laptop thieves have increased over time and Microsoft has filed a new patent to stop the crime.

On phones, there is a feature that blocks the thieves from assessing the data stored on the phone or resell the device. However, the laptops lack this feature but Microsoft’s new patent has the solution to stop laptop thieves.

Microsoft’s new patent has confirmed that the company will use the emergency call technology to stop laptop thieves. With this feature, emergency calls can be made even without a SIM and this could be also used to remotely disable a device without touching the device.

Microsoft’s always-connected PCs have the cellular connectivity feature and this will help Microsoft enable the emergency call feature on laptops. PCs will have the phone’s always-on LTE connectivity feature.

The patented is described, “At least some embodiments described herein relate to the restricted use of a cellular network to facilitate disablement of a device that is suspected lost or stolen. Accordingly, even if the device is not capable of general use of the cellular network (e.g., due to a physical authentication module, such as a subscriber identity module, being absent and/or due to a software restriction on cellular network access), disablement communications are still permitted across the cellular network. Accordingly, the device may receive a disable command from the disablement service over the cellular network, and acknowledge processing of the disable command to the disablement service also over the cellular network. Thus, efforts by an unauthorized possessor of the device to prevent disablement by removing the physical authentication module are thwarted. Likewise, turning the cellular service off using software settings at the device also does not prevent the device from being disabled via cellular network communication.” (Source: PatentScope).

About The Author

Mayank Parmar

Mayank Parmar is an entrepreneur who founded Windows Latest. He is the Editor-in-Chief and has written on various topics in his seven years of career, but he is mostly known for his well-researched work on Microsoft's Windows. His articles and research works have been referred to by CNN, Business Insiders, Forbes, Fortune, CBS Interactive, Microsoft and many others over the years.