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Lost or stolen smart phone? Find it, erase its data by remote
[November 22, 2009]

Lost or stolen smart phone? Find it, erase its data by remote


Nov 22, 2009 (Tulsa World - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Your smart phone is small, shiny and expensive. That makes it an attractive target for thieves.

Your smart phone also contains a treasure trove of sensitive data and documents. If it's a work phone, a criminal could gain entry into your company's network.

Fortunately, you can track your phone and even erase your data remotely. Find links to programs mentioned at tulsaworld.com/komandonews .

iPhone Find my Phone is part of Apple's MobileMe service ($100 yearly). It will help you track a stolen phone. GPS coordinates are used to plot the phone's location on a map.

You can play a loud sound to help you find it yourself. If you haven't set a passcode lock, you can remotely add one to keep your iPhone secure until you have it back.

You can also wipe the phone's data remotely via the MobileMe site. And iPhones can be remotely wiped via a Microsoft Exchange Server wipe command.

BlackBerry SmrtGuard ($45 yearly) works with many different BlackBerry models. You can back up your BlackBerry remotely. This also lets you access your data via the Web. SmrtGuard also provides tracking options.

You can wipe data remotely, including data stored on a memory card. This also uninstalls certain applications.

SmrtGuard also lets you listen remotely to the phone's surroundings. Business users can remotely wipe their phones via a BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

The phone can be reset to factory settings. It can also be disabled.

Palm Pre When you activate your Pre, you set up a Palm Profile. This lets you back up your phone and receive wireless updates. It also lets you remotely erase the data on your phone. Business users can also wipe a Pre via Exchange ActiveSync. Your IT manager can erase your data should your phone go missing.



Android For Android phones, there's SMobile Anti-Theft and Identity protection ($20 yearly). The software pinpoints a missing phone on an online map.

You can lock the phone remotely and wipe personal data, and data can be backed up remotely.


The program also includes anti-spyware and antivirus protection.

Windows Mobile Microsoft's My Phone service (free) works with Windows Mobile 6.0 smartphones. You can locate phones via GPS or erase data remotely. It backs up your contacts, calendar, photos and text messages to Microsoft's online storage. This data can be accessed online.

A warning These tools aren't foolproof. Tracking only works when the phone is powered on.

So, encrypt your sensitive data whenever possible. Take time and password-protect your phone. And, if your phone goes missing, act fast.

Kim Komando hosts the nation's largest talk radio show about computers and the Internet; listen from 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays on KRMG AM740 or FM102.3. To subscribe to Kim's free e-mail newsletters, sign up at tulsaworld.com/komandonewsletters. Contact her at [email protected].

To see more of the Tulsa World, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.tulsaworld.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Tulsa World, Okla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

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