BlackBerry Protect arrives to save your phone

Protect arrives to help the BlackBerry losers of the world
Protect arrives to help the BlackBerry losers of the world

If you're one of those serial BB losers, RIM has unveiled BlackBerry connect to help keep you emailed up to the eyeballs.

The new service offers a range of options should you mislay your BlackBerry, from simply locking it remotely to completely wiping the contents of the handset - lest you divulge the secrets of a nation, should you be an MI5 agent.

BlackBerry users will be able to download the free application and also get access to a web portal where they can perform functions remotely on a lost phone.

This can even include switching on the GPS, or using cell towers to ascertain the location of the device - handy if you don't think it's been nabbed and you've just left it at somebody's house.

Half-inched

If you do think it's been swiped, you can send a message to the phone, or even have it ring loudly - it might not deter a thief, but if they're nearby it will be easier to hear.

Users are able to back up their data periodically, so therefore not using large volumes of data when all you've done is add a couple of contacts in.

This can be performed at any time, or under special conditions - for instance, when you're in a Wi-Fi zone and the data allowances are less of a problem.

This data can then be restored over the air to any new BlackBerry device, meaning your precious messages and contacts won't be lost.

The service is currently in closed beta, but will be opening up 'this fall', according to Alan Brenner, senior VP of the BlackBerry platform at RIM.

However, no full release date for BlackBerry Protect has been announced.

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.