Datasheet

14
Chapter 1: Utilities and Security
BuddyGuard Pro
$ US
If you lose your BlackBerry, you can hope that some Good Samaritan
will find it and give you a call to arrange its return. That’s one reason I
always have a few obvious listings in my contacts: Home This Phone,
Return This Phone, and Whose Phone Is This.
Or someone could take your phone and see what kind of information
there is that can be used to their benefit. Or they might choose to
remove the SIM card and keep or resell the phone.
One possible remedy is to call your cellphone provider and have ser-
vice shut off from the phone. That will prevent calls being made on
your dime, but it won’t safeguard the information stored on the device
and it might make it difficult for a well-intentioned person to reach you
to arrange a return.
That’s where BuddyGuard comes in. It’s an electronic bodyguard of
sorts, allowing you to use the power of the Internet to take back some
control over a lost or stolen BlackBerry. BuddyGuard works by scan-
ning any e-mail or SMS text message sent to your BlackBerry from
another phone or from a computer. Some of the commands you can
send by e-mail or text message are described here; each command
must be followed by the complex password you put in place when you
install the app.
bg-alert will play a loud and annoying siren and other sounds on your
BlackBerry. If it’s still sitting on the table in the airport (or if it has
fallen behind the cushions on your couch) it should be found.
The tone will sound for as long as ten minutes, and will play even if
your phone is set to silent or vibrate only. At the same time, this com-
mand will also lock your phone and display an information screen that
tells the finder how to get in contact with you.
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