We’re in an age of portability in our gadgets. USB flash drives are the rage, as are other forms of portable storage like memory cards and MP3 players that can double as a storage drive. The only problem with these small, portable gadgets is the high incidences of loss or theft. If you use them to carry around sensitive, personal information on them like a lot of people do, what do you do when that happens to you?

The ihound Software is a free service (for up to 3 different USB drives, after that it’s a small fee) that will allow you to monitor when your portable drives have been connected to another computer. From the website:

What happens if my device is lost or stolen?Your Device Is Located: You will know where your device is at all times via ihound Software’s “Device Tracker”. See your device’s location on a map and “Get your digital life back”.

You’re Alerted Instantly: ihound Software will alert you via email as soon as someone else tries to connect your device to a computer.

You Can Print a Report: Once your device has been located, you can print a report for the authorities that contains your device’s information as well as the location where your device has been tracked.

The software works on most USB devices that you need to connect to your computer to update. (MP3 players, Flash Cards, Jump Drives, Phones, iPods, etc.) They have a full list of supported devices on their website. Pretty cool stuff.

[ihound via Lifehacker]