Keep your iPhone safe!

Use a Password

To provide a first defense, guard your iPhone data with a password at Settings>General>Passcode Lock. Then enable the ‘Erase Data’ option which will wipe out all data on your phone after 10 failed passcode attempts.

Next, enable auto-lock at Settings>General>Auto-Lock. And to prevent anyone from secretly picking up your phone in the first place, install an anti-theft app like these ones.

Anti-theft and snoop detection alarm (Apple Appstore)

This app works based on the iPhone’s accelerometer. Once it is armed, any movement detected by the accelerometer will be interpreted as an attempt to swipe your iPhone.

Sensitivity is adjustable and just in case you trigger the alarm by mistake, there is a disarm sequence which is a pre-programmed sequence of taps that you define. Heaven help you if you forget the disarm code.

It works for the initial shock when the alarm is activated, but the disarm sequence is a joke: holding down the volume button will mute the alarm while pressing the Home button will shut down the app.

Motion Alarm (Apple Appstore)

This app has lots of different alarm tones ranging from a dog barking to police sirens.

It lets you set a motion sensitivity level such that even a brief touch is enough to trigger the alarm. A stealth mode option mutes the alarm but allows the app to secretly send its GPS coordinates to a preset e-mail address. Imagine the surprise of the thief when you show up at his doorstep.

This one is just as easy to disable: a quick tap on the Home button does the trick. The GPS notification does not work either.

MobileMe/iCloud (Apple)

This is more a suite of services than an app. The Find My iPhone feature in MobileMe is filled with bells and whistles.

From the MobileMe site, you can assign a passcode remotely (if you forgot to do it before) or set the phone to pop up a message (‘Hey, you! Gimme my phone back!’).

It will also estimate your handset’s current location on Google Maps. However, if you are still not sure where your iPhone is, you can remotely wipe out all data from prying eyes.

This is the most powerful of the security apps here since it can hide its presence from the thief and is impossible to disable unless the phone gets a hard reset.

iHound

It works almost like MobileMe except that without the passcode enabled, it is easily overcome.

Once you realise your phone is stolen, log on to the iHound website to send menacing messages (‘I have called the cops and I know where you are’) and sounds (car alarms) direct to your iPhone. While the crook is still trying to figure out your passcode, track him down by activating the GPS broadcast feature to find out where your iPhone is on Google maps.

As long as no one can break your passcode, iHound is pretty effective. The snag is that you must remember to activate it if you want to enable location tracking.

Or you have to pray that the menacing sounds and pop up messages are enough to trigger the phone bandit’s guilt.

 

Blackberry App World Opened

The BlackBerry App World (BAW) is the BlackBerry version of iPhone App Store, and what a wonderful welcome for BlackBerry users. BAW is Research in Motion’s (RIM) effort to keep BlackBerry a worthy contender in the battle for the top Smartphone. You can personalize your BlackBerry Smartphone with games, social networks, personal productivity applications and much more.

To start using BAW, go to BlackBerry App World to download the software. You will need a PayPay account to purchase the applications. If you do not have one, you can sign up at paypal.com. Also, take note of the followings:

• BlackBerry Device Software of 4.2 or higher (latest as of April 09 is version 4.5) is required.
• Only BlackBerry Smartphone with a touch screen or trackball is supported.
• BAW is only available to users in US, Canada and UK. Not all networks are supported.

Connect your BlackBerry to your computer via USB to download and install on your Smartphone. You will have to use Microsoft Internet Explorer as RIM uses ActiveX controls. Once BAW is running on your BlackBerry, you will see several featured apps on the home screen; similar to App Store on iPhone. BAW supports both free and for purchase applications (as low as US$2). There are a couple of hundred of apps to choose from in the store. The interface is very easy to use, although you have to go thru some menus. For the apps, you can see the publisher’s description and read user reviews. Just click on the link
and it will download directly to your BlackBerry. Downloading of the app is easy and hassle-free. The app will download into your phone Download folder.

BAW is not as flashy as iPhone App Store but it works pretty well. The problem it not faces is the low number of app, but I have no doubt that in the next few months it will definitely grow. The collection of app is already very good. Seem that the App Stores path is the trend for the Smartphone’s war. Now where is the Symbian App Store?