Recover Lost or Stolen Flash Drives with iHound

Flash drives are fantastic for transporting data, but they're also easily lost or stolen. iHound is a new service designed to help you recover missing drives, iPods, digital cameras, and even cell phones. How does it work? Basically, you install a small, secret, auto-running program on the drive or device in question. When it gets plugged into any PC, it automatically transmits its location to you via e-mail. Then you can print a report for the police so they can go catch the perp.

iHound is currently in the alpha testing stage; you can protect up to three devices free of charge. You don't even need a credit card to sign up. The software currently requires Windows, but a Mac version is in the works. As for compatible devices, the site lists a couple dozen flash drives, iPods, and digital cameras, but it should work with any device that your PC can recognize as a data drive.

The only real downside I can see is that the software doesn't produce an exact location for the device, only a city, ZIP code, and IP address. The authorities will have to do some legwork to turn that IP address into a physical address, and who knows if they'll be willing or able? Still, this is a free (for now) and easy method of safeguarding your stuff, so why not give it a try? While you're at it, check out GadgetTrak, a similar service that's more established. [via TechCrunch]