PC Theft & Recovery Statistics

GENERAL STATISTICS

• More than 600,000 laptop thefts occurred in 2004, totaling an estimated $720 million in losses.
  Safeware Insurance, 2004
• There were 600,000 laptop thefts reported in 2004, totaling an estimated $5.4 billion in theft of proprietary information.
  Safeware Insurance, 2004
• According to Gartner, the chances of a laptop being stolen this year are 1 in 10.
  Gartner Group, 2002
• Gartner estimates approximately 80% of all laptop thefts are internal.
  Gartner Group, 2002
• Most IT departments can only accurately report on 60% of their computing assets.
  Gartner Group, 2002
• Theft ranks as a cause for overall PC loss.
  Safeware Insurance, 2003
• Laptop theft has been attributed to 59% of computer attacks in government agencies, corporations, and universities during 2003.
  Baseline, 2004
• 73% of companies do not have specific security policies for their laptop computers.
  Gartner Group, 2003
• 80% of those surveyed acknowledged financial losses due to computer breeches.
  CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey, 2002
• 97% of stolen computers are never recovered.
  FBI
• Nearly 40 percent of victims do not report computer intrusions.
  CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey, 2005

The newly-announced Saturn Aura Greenline will be GM’s first production hybrid passenger car later this year. Apr. 16, 2006: Another GM Hybrid Without much fanfare, GM announced at the New York International Auto Show that it would have a hybrid passenger sedan in showrooms by the end of the year--its first production hybrid passenger car. The just-announced Saturn Aura Greenline Hybrid uses the same hybrid system as its SUV cousin, the Saturn VUE Greenline, which is due to go on sale shortly. Both Greenline hybrids feature a 2.4-liter in-line four-cylinder Ecotec engine with a Belt-Alternator-Starter (BAS) system augmented with a 36-Volt NiMH battery pack. Functionally, the Greenline hybrid system offers start-stop and regenerative braking--features expected in a simple Belt-Alternator-Starter system. Going beyond that, however, GM, developed a dual tensioner assembly for the hybrid accessory drive (the motor/generator package) that will transfer a small amount of torque to the drive system for very brief periods of time. GM is using the BAS-based Greenline hybrid system to try to deliver a simple hybrid architecture flexible enough--and low cost enough--to be applied globally on a broad spectrum of both powertrains and vehicles. The Greenline hybrid drive is GM's current mid-range hybrid solution, bracketed by the micro-hybrid on the Silverado, and the two-mode hybrids being applied first in its full-size SUVs. GM has yet to indicate performance specifications for the Aura Greenline or pricing, but odds are that it will be as competitively priced in its segment as the VUE Greenline is in its--which is to say, it will be a price-performer. Also at the New York auto show, Toyota introduced its flagship luxury hybrid. The Lexus LS 600h L is a state-of-the-art luxury sedan with a new 5.0-liter gasoline direct-injection V8 with large, high-output electric motors and a newly designed battery pack that combine to deliver more than 430 horsepower (321 kW). It is an elegant piece of engineering and craft. Lexus is positioning the 600h as delivering the power and performance of a 12-cylinder engine with best-in-class V8 fuel efficiency--i.e., likely in the low 20s, combined city and highway. Hmm. That's a fuel economy rating roughly comparable to that of one of GM's new non-hybrid Tahoe full-size SUVs. Once the two-mode hybrid Tahoe hits the streets next year, it might even prove to be more fuel-efficient than the Lexus 600h hybrid. For all the bad press GM gets about its gas-guzzling beasts, GM should also be recognized for getting in gear and rolling out a range of hybrid systems, the Greenline powertrains being just one. Although technically these Greenline hybrids are relatively weak hybrid systems, applied in the VUE they deliver a projected 20% improvement in fuel economy. That's not insignificant. With companies offering hybrid drivetrains in an increasing number of vehicle segments, the issue once again comes back to the consumer. What do consumers value? A 20% increase in fuel efficiency? What's the baseline? As long as buyers continue to go for more power and performance (even made "guilt-free" by the addition of a hybrid system), we will continue to deepen our addiction to fossil fuels, we will continue to dump an ever-increasing amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and we will continue to crank up the Earth's atmospheric thermostat.

Classic Car Hire has been nominated for another award in Yorkshire. We have been nominated in the category of Best Tourism Experience 2005 for its range of self drive hire options in Classic and Sports Cars and outstanding Sports Car Days where the outstanding Yorkshire countryside is toured whilst driving up to 5 classic and sports cars. Click here for more details. The results will be announced in October 2005.

Self-Parking Cars Coming To U.S.

POSTED: 10:05 am EDT April 4, 2006

UPDATED: 3:24 pm EDT April 4, 2006

Vehicles that are able to parallel park themselves while drivers sit and relax behind the wheel are coming to the United States, according to a Local 6 News report.

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PHOTOS: Self-Parking Car Images

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New Toyota hybrid cars are now available in Britain with a $700 "parking assist" option.Local 6 news showed video of a driver sitting and allowing the car's steering wheel to turn on its own as it pulled into a tight parking spot on a London street. The reporter never touched the wheel as the car parked itself.

With the self-parking assistant, the driver is only responsible for controlling the speed of the car, via the brake pedal.The car's computer senses when it's time to turn the car's wheel and announces when the ride is over.The computer can be heard saying, "The assist is over."So far, the new technology is only available on Toyota hybrid models in Britain with 70 percent of the car owners paying the $700 for the self-park feature.Toyota says expect to see the technology pop up in the U.S. soon, Local 6 anchor Jacqueline London said.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

Copyright 2006 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Self-parking car to hit the US

The new Toyota [compare Toyota prices] ´parking assist´ option is about to go Stateside.

Available in Japan since 2003, Toyota are rumoured to be bringing their Intelligent Parking Assist add-on to the Prius models available in the USA.

The self-parking feature combines a rear-mounted camera, power steering and runs on specially designed software that guides the car backwards towards the kerb. Toyota has named the system Intelligent Parking Assist, and while it is in use, the driver doesn´t even need to touch the steering wheel.

As reported on MotorTorque, way back in November, all the driver needs to do is press a button on the dash when they are stopped next to a parking space, and the car uses a radar sensor to see if the space is big enough, then takes over. The driver can still control the movement of the car by using the brake pedal.

What do you think of the self-parking car - would you use it? Tell us at BlogTorque.