Losing a Smartphone

Losing my Nexus One is one of the most expensive material losses I've experienced, so far. And it's only the second item I've actually had stolen from me, as far as I know. The first time was my wallet, stolen from my unattended bag, during our NSTP, teaching kids in Montalban. Naturally, I was devastated. I had around P400.00 worth of money in my wallet plus my ATM card, other cards and photos, I think. I only realized that it was gone when we were back in school for our NSTP debriefing.

Looking back, I wish that whoever stole my phone stole my wallet instead. Sure, my wallet had two of my credit cards, my payroll ATM card, my company ID, and some cash in it, but my phone had lots of personal data in it. I could easily have my credit cards and ATM card blocked. I could just report my company ID lost to our HR, and the cash was worth way less than the cost of my phone. But, of course, my phone was the most expensive item inside my bag, so why would the thief settle for anything less?

I'm doing much better now than I was two weeks ago. For the first few days after my phone was stolen I was pretty depressed and emo. Seriously, as in I'd suddenly tear up thinking about my phone. I'd log in to Lookout Mobile everyday and click on the "Locate" button every 5 minutes, hoping each time that I'd get a notification with my phone's location. Now, when I think about it, I still get sad because I really loved that phone, but I can't really do much about it anymore. I guess, you could say I'm in the acceptance stage? I'm not really sure.

I was doing some research on ways you can find a lost or stolen smartphone. There are several Android applications I'll be trying out when I eventually get a new phone.

SeekDroid

(https://www.seekdroid.com)

I like that the app can be hidden from the app drawer and it can't be easily uninstalled. The remote wipe is also an important requirement. It's a paid app, but it'll only set you back $0.99, which is equivalent to less than P50.00.

McAfee Wave Secure

(https://www.wavesecure.com/products/android.aspx)

Worth looking into since McAfee is a well known security software company. There's a free trial that you can download from the Android Market. It''ll be more expensive if you decide to use it permanently, having a subscription fee instead of a one-time payment. I read somewhere that it's around $20 a year, which is around P880.00 or P73.30 per month.

SMS Commander

(https://market.android.com/details?id=sms.commander.paid)

It says under the description "Control your phone via text message with SMS Commander!" Very interesting and very useful, especially if your lost or stolen phone does not have access to wifi or a 3G network. There's a 2-day trial version available in the Android Market, but the paid version costs $6.99, which is around P307.56. Pretty steep, but at least it's a one-time payment.

App Protector

(https://market.android.com/details?id=com.carrotapp.protect&feature=related_apps)

App Protector gives you the ability to lock any application installed on your phone. This will prove useful in protecting your data, files, and photos, if ever your phone gets lost or stolen. The free trial lasts for 7 days and the paid version costs $1.99 or around P87.56.

Android Lost

(http://www.androidlost.com/)

I just found this app while browsing through the Android Market. It has a long list of features that seem too good to be true for a free app, but with a lot of positive reviews and average rating of 4.7 I'm willing to give this app a try.

Where's My Droid

(https://sites.google.com/site/alienmanfc6/wheresmyandroid)

Another app worth looking at from the Android Market because of its high rating. It's free, too.

PhoneLocator Pro

(http://phonelocatorpro.com/)

Similar to most of the apps listed, PhoneLocator Pro allows you to locate your device, wipe your data remotely, has protection against unauthorized uninstallation, detection of unregistered SIM card, and a bunch of other features. One thing that caught my attention, though, was this line: "No data connection required for full operation". I'd be willing to shell out $2.84 or P124.96 if only I could try out the app for free first.

Have you used any of the applications I listed above? If yes, it would be great if you could provide your feedback below. Add a comment, too, if you have any suggestions that aren't on the list.