Laptop thefts give state black eye
Advertiser Staff
A relatively minor theft from a vehicle at Ala Moana Center Tuesday night could generate some bad publicity for Hawai'i, according to Brian Chee, who runs the Advanced Network Computing Laboratory at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.
IBM ThinkPad T41 model 2373-9FU. Serial number: 99CDRZK iPAQ Pocket PC model h4350. Serial number: TWC3450R69 Toshiba Portege model 3490CT. Serial number: 61216777PU
Chee said a senior editor at InfoWorld Magazine, a national computer trade journal, was shopping at Ala Moana when two backpacks were taken from the trunk of his rental car. Inside were an IBM ThinkPad, an iPAQ Pocket PC and a Toshiba Portege, which contained reports on product testing done at UH for the magazine.
The stolen equipment:
The testing, which cost the company between $20,000 and $30,000, was completed and all the notes were in the computers. Chee said the cost of the equipment is not much when compared to the expense of renewed testing and the bad publicity that will be generated when the theft is reported in the magazine.
"Unfortunately, this will make it into (the editor's) column, and 800,000 industry professionals are going to hear about his laptop and work being stolen in Hawai'i," Chee said.
"They are going to now ask themselves, 'Do I want to do business in Hawai'i? Am I going to have the same problem?' "
Chee said the thief will not be able to use the information on the machine because he or she will be locked out, but will likely seek help to use the equipment.
"The chances of someone with those kinds of skills breaking into cars at Ala Moana Center are usually mutually exclusive," Chee said. "That means they will probably go to a computer-science student or professional and say it is broken and ask for help."
Chee has sent e-mails to thousands of teachers and students, public and private schools and universities as well as repair shops with the model and serial numbers of the stolen equipment.
No reward has been offered, but anyone with information can call 955-8300 or Chee at 956-5797 or e-mail him at chee@hawaii.edu.
