Remotely Disabling Netbooks

From Gadgetopia -

LM Ericsson AB, the Swedish company that makes many of the modems that go into laptops, announced Tuesday that its new modem includes a "kill pill" feature that’s virtually a wireless repo man. If the carrier has the stomach to do so, it can send a signal that completely disables the computer, making it impossible to turn on. So, if a customer stops paying his wireless bill, the carrier can remotely kill the machine.