Your Powerbook has just been stolen/dropped/left in a cab. Now what?

A friend of mine had her apartment broken into recently and one of the things the bastards took was, of course, her bright, shiny, 8-month old Powerbook. They walked (or maybe ran) out in broad daylight, with the Powerbook, and a few other small (but valuable) things, in a pillowcase they ripped off the very pillow my friend had slept on the night before. Traveling light, indeed.

The good news is that my friend backs up her data pretty religiously, and even keeps some of those backups off-site so her important files are safe. The bad news is that my friend had no insurance to cover the costs of the new Powerbook she’ll need to restore those backups to. That’s a very expensive lesson to learn.

I’ve since urged her to look into not only renter’s insurance (an absolute must in NYC if you ask me), but also technology-specific insurance. Much to my surprise, the only company out there offering comprehensive technology-specific insurance to consumers is Safeware. Sure, you can add a rider to your existing renter’s or homeowner’s policy, but the coverage they offer might not be that comprehensive. Business typically have more options, of course.

Safeware is computer insurance, not an extended warranty ala AppleCare. Safeware compliments your warranty by “providing coverage for all kinds of unexpected, externally caused losses: theft, fire, power surges, lightning, spilled coffee in the keyboard, accidentally dropped notebooks and natural disasters like: earthquakes, hurricanes and floods.” And they don’t just cover laptops… you can protect your entire geek arsenal, everything from your Palm to your Power Mac G5.

Are there any other companies offering comprehensive computer insurance? If you know of any, please share in the comments.