Image courtesy of Phoenix Technologies

Phoenix Technologies (they of the Phoenix BIOS fame) released an interesting utility for Windows XP & Vista based notebooks and netbooks with a Bluetooth radio...

Phoenix Freeze

It is one of those products that implements a simple idea that no one else has apparently bothered to do (or at least make widely known and widely available): The ability to lock your Windows XP or Vista based Bluetooth enabled notebook or netbook by pairing it with a Bluetooth enabled phone and using proximity to lock or unlock your computer.

This is how it works: You use Phoenix Freeze to pair a Bluetooth-enabled phone with your Bluetooth-enabled notebook or netbook. Then, when you walk away from the notebook, Phoenix Freeze detects the Bluetooth signal loss and locks your notebook. It also has the option to suspend it to reduce power use.

The current download lets you evaluate the product on a 14-day trial basis. I don't see a price associated with the product.

Phoenix notes that they are working on versions to support Windows 7 and Mac OS X in the future.