Get More from Windows Mobile

One of the great advantages of a mobile device is also one of its chief weaknesses. Smartphones and PDAs are small enough to take with you anywhere. Their size also makes it easier to lose them, or have them stolen. You need to take some precautions to protect the data on your device, especially if you're an enterprise user and carry sensitive corporate information. Fortunately, there are a number of third-party software solutions available, allowing you to lock your device with a voice command, wipe it clean remotely if you lose it, and much more.

Secure your device with your voice

Windows Mobile touch screen devices have password protection built into them, but using the feature can sometimes be challenging. For starters, it can be difficult to enter the password correctly using the on-screen soft keyboard. This is especially true if you have created a "strong alphanumeric" password with letters and numbers, and have to press the ALT key to enter the numbers. But with VoiceSecureIt from VoiceIt Technologies, these problems are solved. VoiceSecureIt requires a "voice print phrase" to gain access to your device. Each time you turn on your device, the program's lock screen is displayed (Fig. 1) and a friendly female voice informs you that it is voice-secure enabled. Speak your passphrase and access is granted.

Fig. 1: VoiceSecureIt unlocks your Windows Mobile device with your voice passphrase instead of a typed password.

The lock screen also has an Owner Information button that will display your name and a telephone number, a helpful feature that allows someone who finds your device to contact you. If you've caught a cold, or if you are in a noisy environment, VoiceSecureIt allows you to type in an alternate password.

The software is configurable, allowing you to deactivate the female voice that prompts you (making password entry much faster, but less impressive), and deactivating the feature that automatically repeats back your pass-phrase after you speak it. In addition, you can have the software automatically prompt you for your password each time you power on the device, and disable Bluetooth until after the proper voice print phrase is spoken.

VoiceSecureIt 2.0 is available for Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices for $24.95. A 10-day trial is available at no charge from the VoiceIt Technologies, LLC Web site (voiceit-tech.com). The trial software can be sent directly to your phone via SMS or Web download simply by entering in your cell phone number.

Get more from VoiceSecureIt!

If you want to obtain the trial version of VoiceSecureIt, but don't want to pay your wireless service provider to download the software OTA (over the air), simply follow these steps:

1. Enter your phone number on the VoiceSecureIt trial page and send the SMS to your phone.
2. When the SMS arrives, connect your WM device to your ActiveSync-enabled PC.
3. Open the message and click on the download link. Your device will use the Internet pass-thru feature to download the software using your computer's Internet connection.