Very simple solution. Assign them to individuals by serial number and
make the individual responsible for a specific device. Where I work we
have laptops computers assigned this way. If I lose it, I buy it.
NO other protection required.
On Mon, 20 Dec 1999, Tim Hewitt wrote:
> Here's an interesting question, potentially too early to answer since
> Visors seem to be hard to come by, but..
>
> I'm looking at deploying 1000+ Palm OS devices in a factory environment.
> These will be attractive to certain people and may "walk" if we don't
> protect the asset somehow. We've talked about many different ways to
> keep the devices inside the four walls of the factory. Here's the
> suggestion that has risen to the top internally. I'm interested in comments.
>
> The idea was to create a springboard module for a Visor that, if
> missing, would disable the device. The module would incorporate an RF
> tag that would trigger an alarm if it were carried outside the building.
> This function is similar to the protection schemes used by department
> stores to protect merchandise. The Visor would not function without the
> springboard module inserted, thus making it less likely to be "borrowed"
> and taken home.
>
> Since we would order in large quantities, we would also try to get the
> devices made with a custom case - imprinted with "Property of Fairchild
> Semiconductor" or something equally annoying to carry with you - as a deterrent.
>
> It is my understanding that the Visor is not flashable, so I would not
> be able to replace the standard ROM image with my own, but if I could,
> the drill would be to replace the ROM image with one that held only the
> application we would use in the factory, would not run at all without
> seeing the springboard/rf-tag module, and would not allow itself to be
> re-flashed. A custom ROM would also be possible, but we would need to
> maintain the ability to replace this ROM image when the application
> needed to be upgraded.
>
> Does it make any sense to any of you to continue down this path?
>
> Options include having Palm or Handspring or another licensee,
> manufacture a custom device that meets our needs, however the closer we
> can stay to a production device, the lower our total costs, and the more
> attractive the option to deploy the device in the first place.
>
> Thanks for your opinions.
>
> -Tim
> --
> Tim Hewitt
> Principal Software Engineer
> Fairchild Semiconductor
>
>
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Shoot-to-Win
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