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Cheap webcam privacy cover review

REVIEW – By now, everyone reading this post probably has a piece of opaque tape over the webcam on their laptop. We’ve seen the horror stories, TV shows, and news articles about cameras being hacked, as well as the famous picture of Mark Zuckerberg with tape over his laptop’s webcam. Now, rather than this ugly solution, there are these thin, sliding webcam shutters. I bought a random set on Amazon for under $10. It was listed as a 3 pack but actually came with 5 in the poly bag.

I installed one on my personal MacBook Pro (which has a black bezel), and can’t even see it unless I get the light just right. I know it’s there, though, because if I launch any app that accesses the camera, like FaceTime, the camera light turns on, but the image is totally black. A quick swipe of a finger and there is my smiling face. (Quick, slide it back!) I showed it to my Lovely Bride, and she wanted one for her MacBook Air. Since it has a silver metal bezel, it’s better to see, so that’s what’s in the picture.

If you’re concerned about your privacy, this doesn’t guarantee against hacking or surreptitious recording, but it does guard against images of your person or surroundings being recorded without your knowledge.

What I like

  • Quickly and easily closes off the webcam
  • Neat looking, no gummy tape

What needs to be improved

  • Doesn’t close off mic
  • Will slide open when in a bag
  • Not for phones or tablets, since it moves easily

Price: $7.35
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was purchased with my own funds.

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Cheap webcam privacy cover review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 28, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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Use your laptop as an aromatherapy diffuser

If you like to use aromatherapy while you work but are restricted from using a stand-alone diffuser because of space limitations or by workplace regulations limiting what you can have on your desk, you need a USB Aromatherapy Diffuser.  The one in the image is  from Sharper Image, and it requires you to use your own essential oils.  You put a drop or two of the oils on the scent pad, place the pad in the diffuser, and plug it into a USB port.  It has a sliding control switch for normal level / strong level / or off.  The USB Aromatherapy Diffuser is $29.99 at Sharper Image.  If you don’t have your own oils, and you’d like a better price, there’s a similar, highly user-rated Gaiam USB diffuser with a set of four 100% natural essential oils for $19.99 from Amazon.

The Kensington VeriMark adds a fingerprint reader to your existing laptop

Plug the Kensington VeriMark Fingerprint Key into a USB port on your laptop and you now have an easy way to sign-in to Windows and websites with the touch of a finger.

The Kensington VeriMark Fingerprint Key features 360° readability with anti-spoofing protection and is compatible with Windows Hello™. It’s also FIDO U2F certified to work with online sites including Google, Dropbox, GitHub, Facebook, and others that have 2nd-factor authentication login requirements.

Be aware that this key is not compatible with MacOS or Chrome OS.

You can read more about the VeriMark Fingerprint Key at www.kensington.com and you can buy one for $49.99 from Amazon.

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The Kensington VeriMark adds a fingerprint reader to your existing laptop originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 25, 2017 at 9:00 am.

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