Phoenix Freeze Lets You Lock Your Laptop With A Cell Phone
Simple at its core, Phoenix Freeze is designed with laptops in mind, but will work on any PC that has Bluetooth capabilities. Once installed on the PC, the application can be paired with any Bluetooth phone or other device. Basically a security tool, Freeze senses the proximity of the device and will automatically lock the computer when you walk away with it. When you return, the program unlocks the PC upon your arrival.
On forums, it's been pointed out that Freeze installs its own Bluetooth stack which allows it to better control sensitivity. In this way, the user can adjust how far away from the computer they can be before it locks/unlocks. For the most part, this doesn't seem to cause any issues, but some users have reported problems using remote desktop. Freeze can also be used with other Bluetooth stacks, but the proximity control will be less sensitive to fine-tuning.
To conserve battery life, users can also opt to have Freeze put their computer in a "green" power conserving (standby) mode.
Freeze is a downloadable client that starts as a free seven-day trial. The program will automatically prompt the user to purchase the application at the end of the trial. While there is no mention anywhere on the Web site about pricing, there have been online reports that a license costs $9.95. Nothing needs to be installed on the controlling Bluetooth device.
Currently available for all 32-bit versions of Windows and XP, the company claims that Windows 7 and Mac OS support is in the works.
There are other, free applications out there that accomplish the same thing as Phoenix Freeze. However, they lack the fine-tuning control that the custom Bluetooth stack allows. In the near future, we intend to test a few of these applications, including Freeze, in the CRN Test Center and will report our findings.