Airlock automatically locks and unlocks your Mac using your iPhone or iPod touch

Works great for me. Had a little hiccup early but had great support for such a low priced app.

For those interested, I have proximity fully activated with the 2 applescripts. In fact, my battery life is amazing, despite what I thought it would be. A full charge on my iPhone lasts me roughly 3-4 days with my regular use. For example, in the morning today I had 88% charge. Roughly 12 hours later and with some serious Skype use via Wifi, I'm at 66% and the BT has been on the entire time!!!

Also, here are updated applescripts that do NOT require you to explicitly include your PASSWORD in the applescript, which is a pretty big security hole. Keep in mind that I'm running 10.5.8 and not 10.6 (I think there is an issue in SL that prevents these scripts from changing Sys Pref password setting).

inrange script:
--
tell application "iTunes" to play

tell application "System Events"
tell security preferences
set require password to wake to false
end tell
end tell

quit application "ScreenSaverEngine"
activate application "Mail" --this is so that Mail is frontmost when I come back
--

_____________________________
outofrange script:

--
tell application "iTunes" to pause


tell application "System Events"
tell security preferences
set require password to wake to true
end tell
end tell

-- start screensaver (which locks the screen)
activate application "ScreenSaverEngine"
--
__________________________

Save ur money as this Airlock is pretty bloated and seems to drain the battery unnecessarily. Some report that even other BT devices like keyboard and mice, still work along w/ Proximity, but some report sluggishness. Can't verify as I don't have these. Proximity has better pinging or something, haven't figured out it's source code, but my battery life is great!

MEch

This lasted about a week on my Macbook. I had issues with it not unlocking when the phone came into range, but worse, it kept locking the machine even with the iPhone sitting right next to it. I assume the iPhone went into some sort of power save state.

And of course, with the constant BT pinging, my iPhone battery life went from hours to minutes it seemed.

Here is a free solution:
My setup: iPhone 3GS + iMac, both had been paired using bluetooth before.

1. download proximity 1.5 for OSX: http://code.google.com/p/reduxcomputing-proximity/downloads/list

2. create 2 applescript files using 'Script Editor' (see wiki for proximity for examples)
3. or use my examples
a) inrange script:
--
tell application "iTunes"
play
end tell

-- types 'return' to activate login screen
tell application "System Events" to keystroke return
delay 1
tell application "System Events" to keystroke "urpasswordhere"
-- it types in your password for you
delay 1
tell application "System Events" to keystroke return
-- accept password and log on; this obviously needs the password option to be activated in the Screen Saver options under System Preferences

b) outrange script
--
tell application "iTunes"
pause
end tell

-- start screensaver (which locks the screen if you have password activated under Sys Pref)
activate application "ScreenSaverEngine"
--

So, when I'm in range, my music is blastin'. When I walk away from the computer with my iPhone in my pocket, my passworded screensaver comes on, music stops. Coming within the range of the computer again restarts the music and logs me in automatically. Hey TUAW. Why don't you summarize all this in your own article, and give me credit for debugging and the script for the screensaver.

BTW, this does not require an iPhone but any bluetooth activated phone.

Enjoy!

My mistake: It's control+OPTION+eject, which puts your machine to sleep. If you have your machine set to prompt for a password (I believe this is under screensaver) then it will prompt you when it wakes up. Sleep and wakeup is so fast on my machine, that this is what I've been using to lock it when I'm away from it.

MacLoc + Spark = win.
The login screen is also better looking than the ugly screen saver unlock dialog.

I believe control+shift+eject does effectively lock your screen if you have your screensaver set to prompt for a password.

nice, unless like me you usually forget also the iPhone on the desk :)

I just set my screensaver to a hot corner and throw my mouse down there when I need to leave. My settings require me to enter my password when coming back from the screen saver.

Airlock is nice, but it does not work reliably enough for me. Furthermore, I don't carry my iPhone all the time.
However, a solution I found very convenient is to use SizzlingKeys (free version). Its primary purpose is controlling iTunes, but there is an option to activate the screensaver in the Extras tab. I set this to Ctrl+Command+L and activate the "require password immediately after sleep or screensaver begins" option in Security preferences.
Works excellent for me.