EDMONTON - Like many connected Canadians, Edmontonian Dawn Angus is never far from her smartphone.
"(It's my) personal assistant, it's my calendar of the family," Angus says. "I have four children so it keeps our family organized as well as my business."
For more and more people, cell phones have become a catch-all convenience; packing music, movies, addresses, photos and other personal information into a small, easy-to-carry package. They're also easy to lose.
"I'd be worried about the personal information that's in there and I wouldn't want that to fall into the wrong hands," Angus says.
That fear has put her on the hunt for an app that could help her find her phone should she ever lose it.
'Phone finder' apps exist for nearly all types of cell phones, including iPhones, Blackberries and Android devices. Once installed, the recovery apps use GPS to display the missing phone's approximate location on a map. Some are free while others, generally with a more robust feature set, can be purchased.
Each app boasts its own sensitivity; some claim to be able to pinpoint a location to within 10 metres, while others are more conservative. The key is to get close, at which point the lost phone can be activated (by using another phone) to play an alarm that will reveal its location.
Many of the apps also allow you to remotely lock and erase the information on your phone. Some will even allow you to remotely download your data to another computer before you delete it.
"Being able to wipe it remotely is very important now with all the information we keep on our phones," Angus says.
'Phone finder' apps
Android
iPhone
Blackberry
10. Purse: 95-100% chance of recovery
9. Restaurant/Bar: 80-95% chance of recovery
8. Roof of your car: 25-75% chance of recovery
7. Changing room: 0-15% chance of recovery
6. Airport security: 50-100% chance of recovery
5. School: 15-75% chance of recovery
4. Bus or subway: 0-2% chance of recovery
3. Airplane: 0-15% chance of recovery
2. Taxi: 0-50% chance of recovery
1. Swimming pool: 50-75% chance of recovery (0-5% chance it’ll work again)
Click
here to find out how you can keep yourself from losing your phone in the first place.
With files from Julie Matthews and Linda Hoang.
© Shaw Media Inc., 2012. All rights reserved.