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It can sometimes happen that a product's strong selling point can also take on the other role of a possible weakness. Take, for example, a laptop computer. I am sure I am not going to get too many arguments if I suggest that one of the main attributes of a laptop should be its ease of portability. After all who is going to purchase a laptop if its weight could result in a hernia or back problems as a result of transporting such a device from one location to another. You just want to pick up the laptop with ease and then move on to your next port-of-call. However if you can easily carry the laptop, then so can somebody else as they walk off with your property and valuable data.

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This particular topic came up when I was speaking to somebody at the recent Info Security Europe Show held at the Olympia Exhibition Centre in London. As luck would have it, this conversation was with a representative from Kensington Technology Group. As you may know this is a company with a great deal of expertise in supplying security solutions for portable and desktop computers. One such product was the Pocket ComboSaver.

As you would expect from the product's title, this is a device that is small enough to fit in your pocket when not in use and uses a combination lock rather than the more traditional key type. Presumably this latter feature has been designed for users, like me, who have a habit of misplaying keys. For inanimate objects, keys do have a propensity for never staying where you put them.

This black and silver coloured ComboSaver is ovoid in design with a smaller similar cut-out shape nestling at the top end. From this opening you can extend a re-enforced cable that is attached to the combination lock. According to Kensington, it would require heavy-duty bolt cutters to break this cable - a lack of the necessary equipment meant I was unable to test this claim. A trigger switch on the main body of the unit lets you release and automatically have the cable rewound back into the unit.

The cable can be extended to a length of 115cm. It can then be looped around a table leg, or any other permanently attached secure object, before inserting the lock into the appropriately named Kensington lock socket that is a standard feature on all laptops. There should be no worry about the cable actually blocking any of the laptop ports as it is attached to a collar which can be rotated a full 360 degrees so clearing a pathway, You just need to twist the body of the lock 90 degrees for the laptop to be secure.

While locking was straightforward, I did struggle a little when it came to removing the lock. This was due mainly to lining up the correct numbers on the three wheels into the correct position. There was also a slight problem with a rubber washer that was meant to sit between the barrel of the lock and the laptop. It became detached on a number of occasions but was easily re-attached. The Pocket ComboSaver has been priced at £21.99 and should help keep your laptop secure when left unattended.

http://www.kensingtonuk.co.uk/security_solutions/products/product.asp?subsection=1&id=2211