While mobile phones are very common tech gadgets to have, they often contain personal and business information that is difficult for owners to lose. As much as we all try to make backups and over the air updates, there is always a chance that the device itself gets stolen and owners lose all that important information.
Of course, losing a phone happens even to the most prudent and vigilant owners –especially when the cause is theft, as some malicious individuals can be quite creative in their methods of nabbing a mobile phone. This means that more often than not, every person is liable to lose one or two handsets in their lifetime.
Seeing this, phone maker RIM has decided that they should have special service for all existing BlackBerry users regarding the security for their handset.
Enter the BlackBerry Protect, a service that aims to give users control over their handsets even when they lose it. Actions that can be taken on a lost phone can range from anywhere between locking down the device to completely wiping the handset’s contents. This is impressive, but at the same time, a logistical nightmare.
Remote access to the handset is going to done via the BlackBerry Protect website which means that if an existing BB user’s account is compromised, their smart phone can also be locked or worse.
At this moment, the service is still in closed beta testing, which means that RIM is still working out the details and issues regarding the service. Some of this possible kinks include requiring the handset to be tuned into 3G the whole time, or even to automatically connect to any available WiFi network (which would be a serious battery drain, but crucial for the service to be effective). RIM is hoping that they are able to release the commercial version of the product this coming fall.
