RobLock by Xim Technologies, LLC, has released it’s next version, and it’s only available to Verizon US handsets. I’ve done a review on RobLock before, as it’s a security app that is reasonably priced and keeps your BlackBerry safe. It is theft recovery software complete with data backup solution.

Now here’s what the absolute 2.0 features:

GPS and cell based device tracking, using Google Maps; the ability to communicate with your lost or stolen phone by SMS, email, or web interface; be alerted by sms or email if the SIM card is changed; the ability to recover your contacts from a lost phone; remote wipe the ENTIRE device AND media card; remote lock and alarm; remote call back; remote popup text messages; does not require BIS/BES for complete wipe.

Now here’s where 3.0 is different. It has a unique backup system. It has remote backup and restore; view and export backup online; schedule automatic backups; restore to a new device; and secure data handling on top of the RobLock Theft and Recovery System. For recovery, we’re talking calendar, tasks, memo, up to fifty emails, and your contacts.

As I have the absolute v2.0 of RobLock, they notified me about their newest version, so I had to try this out. I have to admit, it’s impressive. While v2.0 is only $9.95, the newer v3.0 for Verizon has three tiers of pricing. $2.95 per month, $15.95 bi-annually, or $27.95 per year. Not bad when you think about the backup system and the security it provides.

I downloaded this version on my Tour 9630, and it went very smooth. I was able to download it with no issues whatsoever. Upon installation, it’s red button icon. You have to set an acct online and on the phone. After setting up the account, the icon will open with your password to reveal the Roblock Theft Recovery System and the Roblockup Data Backup Solution. You have backup and restore. In the Theft Recovery System, you can even have an email contact to email for your phone.

Now should you lose your phone or if it gets lost, you are given different options. You can lock the phone with or without a siren, wipe it, even have the phone silently call you in hopes that you may be able to figure out who has your phone, or where it is by it’s surroundings. Even better, how bout tracking it GPS?  You can change the device, you have the power on your phone. And you have options to back up information. It’s a great solution for on hand backup, for protecting your mobile information, and knowing it’s safe.

Using the Control Panel, I couldn’t wait to put it to the test. After registering and activating the account, you open it up and you have the Overview. This is general information such as the email, the phone, Connection, Profile, Subscription, and change device.

Next is your Commands. First is Where. You can see the coordinates of your phone, first by tower information and then by GPS information. Next is Lock Phone and you have the choices of with or without alarm. Now even if it’s on vibrate or mute, you can be sure the alarm will still sound and it will be loud! The police siren is a nice finishing touch. Next is Unlock. This allows the previous command to be taken off. Next is Remote Wipe, and thankfully you have to confirm before you do, so just checking out the control panel won’t erase your phone. Next is call back and this is where you have your phone call another phone. It’s silent so if it’s stolen, the thief has no idea. Display Text, this one is really fun. You can display what you want the person to read and the text will appear in the front of the phone. Of course all these commands show you as they are being directed to the handset, and also if they are successful. I successfully tested each one, except to wipe my handset. It was really impressive how fast it works. Tracking my BlackBerry was fun, and it was neat to see tower information.

Last is Backup. You can view backup you have already created. There is BackUp Now so you can decide what you are going to back up: Memo, Calendar, Contacts, Call Log, Tasks, and Mail. There is Restore Backup so you can decide what will be returned. Last is the Scheduler so you can decide when to back up on a regular basis.

Overall, RobLock is very easy to use and extremely convenient. v3.0 is currently available to Verizon handsets, but hopefully will be open to other handsets as well. It’s easy to use on your phone and on the PC, and has the options. I tested. I can see this as an asset to anyone who is interested in security on the phone. Again, strictly for security.

If you currently have a Verizon Wireless BlackBerry, you are able to subscribe to the service, and if not, v2.0 absolute is available still.

You can download RobLock v3.0 for monthly, bi-annually, or annually here >

You can download RobLock v2.0 absolute for $9.95 here >

For more information, feel free to read more on RobLock by Vapssky here >

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

SmrtGuard is pushing their new update v1.95 next week. New security features and improvements will be added to the app but they will still keep your user-friendly experience as simple as possible.  SmrtGuard is a great security app that secures your BlackBerry smartphone and data, providing you with OTA backup/restore, remote tracking, and remote data wiping.

Features included are:

More ROBUST Remote Wiping that will wipe Password Keeper, Facebook, uninstallatoin Phone application (prevent international calling from a stolen phone).

Backup and Restore will be SECURED by Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption.

Simple yet secure new-activation and re-activation process iwth unique key exchange mechanism.

And more.

You can find SmrtGuard in the BlackBerry Sync Store with three different subscription options. You can purchase the monthly subscription for $3.99, a bi-annual subscription for $22.99, and the yearly subscription for $44.99.

You can purchase any of the SmrtGuard subscriptions from the BlackBerry Sync Store here >

If you’ve used SmrtGuard, please share your thoughts. It’s a great app that offers peace of mind and security.

Remember a few months ago we gave an overview of SMobile Parental Control? In light of the Etisalat incident and the concerns of parents, we felt that a full review of SMobile Systems Parental Control would be a great way for us to experience it first hand and enlighten our readers.

SMobile Systems is a security company based in Columbus, Ohio. What makes them different is that they are the leading provider of security solutions for mobile phones. Their software for consumers is varied and includes SMobile VirusGuard for the BlackBerry at $19.99 a year, SMobile Anti-Theft and Identity Protection (with Remote Lock, Wipe, Backup  and Restore with GPS tracking) for $29.99 a year, SMobile Parental Controls and Monitoring for $29.99 a year, SMobile Security Shield Standard Edition (Point Guard Anti-Spam, Call Filtering, Theft Protection with the Remote Lock, Wipe, and Backup, GPS locator, Anti-Virus) for $34.99 a year, and SMobile Security Shield Professional Edition (The Standard Edition plus a firewall) for $39.99 a year.

The Product we are focusing on this review is the SMobile Security Shield Parental Control Edition.  It contains the following: Email and Text Message Monitoring, Call Monitoring, GPS Locate, Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware, View Contacts, a Monitoring Dashboard, Application Monitoring, and the Lock, Wipe, Backup and Restore. All this for merely $29.99 a year. Now reasons for the software are a given. We live in a world that we must protect our children. It’s not as it was back when we were growing up, and our parents weren’t blessed with the technology we have the access to today. In light of the sexting, child predators, and other worse possible scenarios, imagine being able to arm your family with the peace of mind to monitor it all and make sure your precious child’s safety is held in top priority. And all you need is their cellphone and your pc. SMobile created just the answer and has made it available for parents inexpensively.

For the description of the product, this is what it states:

“SMobile Security Shield Parental Control Edition is the first complete suite of security software applications to protect mobile devices and their pre-adult users from:

By utilizing the innovative Parental Control Dashboard, parents can easily and effectively gain insight into their children’s mobile activities, as well as offering protection from the effects of device loss or theft. Security Shield software communicates with the dashboard server, and also provides an additional level of protection:

• Antivirus and anti-malware scanning, for automatic up-to-the- minute protection from the latest mobile threats
• Anti-spam features for filtering of calls and Text Message messages, via sender number

SMobile Security Shield Parental Control Edition for feature phones such as the Rant, Envy II, Razor, the Juke and many others will be available for purchase in early Summer, 2009.”

When a purchase is made, the builds are available for direct download. The user purchases the product and then sent an email which instructs the customer to visit www.smdownload.com from their browser to download the app for their device. I downloaded and installed the application portion of it on my BlackBerry Tour 9630. It would be as if I were installing it to my child’s phone, and I would have access to it from my pc after installing it.  It installed rather quickly. The app went into my download folder as a green x with swollen ends. When you click on it, it will ask for your username and password. It displays the green x and SMobile Systems Security Shield. On a white screen you have the Virus Guard displayed, Monitor and Control, and Backup and Restore. When you click on the Virus Guard, options of Virus Guard, Update Now, Update Log, Settings, Support Info, Help, and About appear.

Clicking Virus Guard will show the Monitor Status, Last updated, and the License Expiration. Update Log shows update history, Settings show how often to do Auto-Update Frequency and your choices are one hour up to never. I had to set my MDS to off for it to work, License Key, Server, Phone number it is used on (1 and area code, prefix and number), User name and password in stars. Support Info displays the MDS which is off (unless you’re on the BES), License Key, Server, Phone Number, User, IMEI, and Device PIN. Help Displays the Overview of the product as what it does and how it updates. About displays Security Shield V8.3.7, @ 2009, SMobile Systems and the website. It states A mobile security solution providing essential anti-virus and anti-malware protection. This runs in the background.

Monitor and Control shows SMS: hopefully enabled, Voice Enabled, Email Enabled, Picture Enabled, Log File Size, and Even Count and the Last Posted Date and time. Clicking Backup and Restore shows the last backup and the last restore.

The first thing of course I did was update it to it’s current updates. Then noticed how it uses very little energy on the phone. Now here’s where it gets fun. The Parental Control Dashboard that you have access to online. First you register the product on your phone, then you go online and set up your login for the Dashboard. You also have access to the Lock, Wipe, Backup, Restore and GPS locate.

The Parental Control Dashboard is nothing short of high tech amazing. When you log in there are the following access from the phone: Home, Reports, Account Settings, Picture Viewer, and Glossary. In Home you have Messages, Applications, Contacts, Locations, Send Commands, and History. In the Messages, there are full explanations of incoming and outgoing. You can view each and every email and text IN ITS ENTIRETY. The full message. From whom and what everything written is, with date and time included. In the Reports, you can look up certain reports by recipient, sender, message type, time and dates. You can set alerts to be notified if certain messages are considered potentially harmful. In Account Settings  you can change the account management as to the email and phone number of the manager. You can also decide in Handset Management what monitoring is enabled and how large or small log event and size are. In Picture Viewer, you are able to see all pics sent and all pics taken with the phone. This includes all vehicles of communication from email and text to the messengers themselves. In Send Commands, you have the ability to Lock the Handset, Unlock the Handset, Wipe the Handset, Back Up the Handset, Locate the Handset, and Send All Messages. This now gives you the ability to lock it up if there’s reason, or if it’s stolen. Unlock at will, and wipe and backup in case it’s stolen. Now here’s a really helpful asset. The Glossary, which has all the latest text and messaging acronomys and lingo you could ever want to know. So if you’re reading the text and can’t understand them? Don’t worry, the Glossary is there as your decipher tool, so you have your very own texting Rosetta stone.

So my experience with it, extremely impressed. It’s light on the phone, and I love the fact you can see everything and have the ability to be the parent and the guardian. No error messages, which made my experience even better. The online Dashboards are extremely easy to use. If you don’t have children of age for this product, I would highly recommend one of the SMobile Security Shield software. It’s light, works great and is good to have just in case. For the software, I definitely rate it the highest. And for the dashboards, they are very easy to navigate, and easy to understand and read. Support is very good, customer service is fast to address any issues, a big concern to me, also rated high. The program I have to admit, exceeded my expectations. I was shocked to see the picture and text content come in. I like that third party apps are viewable as well. While the review was aimed at the BlackBerry phone, if you’re child has a different phone, the product can still be installed and used, just make sure that it is available for the handset. This is the best comprehensive security software in my opinion that I have seen yet to monitor your child and protect your child, your child’s information, and the phone.

You can purchase your copy of the SMobile Security Shield Parental Control Edition by SMobile for $29.99 a year here >

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

“Successful Mobile Deployments Require Robust Security“, by Maribel Lopez, who was formerly with Forrester Research, states that the BlackBerry smartphones are the most secure against unauthorized access when they were compared against other device manufacturers. The report rates mobile devices in four different categories and the RIM BlackBerry devices stood out in all of them.

The report rated them on: Device; Network; Transmission; and Overall Mobile Security Rating. I’ll break it down for you what each manufacturer was rated and the comments it received.

Let’s start with Apple’s iPhone. In Device it was found the OS can be compromised, lacks device encryption, and does not have OTA updates. In that rating it scored 0%. In Network it received 75% as it uses the same active directory based authentication methods as Windows Mobile. In Transmission it received 50% for it having full VPN support but doesn’t have the added extra protection of a gateway or NOC server solution. The Overall Mobile Security Rating was 25% because even though v2.0 added several security features the platform still doesn’t have several basic yet critical features.

Now it’s Microsoft Windows Mobile’s turn. In Device it received 50% and comments were that it has a two-tier access for code execution control, removable storage but not on the device encryption, it supports OTA updates, and it requires third party Anti-Virus and Firewall support. In Network it received 75% and the comment was it uses certificate and active directory domain services for authentication. Transmission received three fourths as well with the commentary that it has full VPN support but provides MDM gateway in the DMZ. The Overall Security Rating was 75% with the comment that the Windows MDM security update covers a majority of firms basic security requirements.

And last we have the BlackBerry. For Device it received a 100%, comments were that it allows complete control on what can be executed on the device, on device and removable media encryption, and supports OTA updates. In Network it reached 100% with the comments that it encrypts the message and uses an cryptographic shared key system for authentication. In Transmission it received 100% with the comments that it routes traffic through the NOC and the BES to ensure Security and does not require a VPN. The Overall Mobile Security Rating was 100% as the comment states RIM provides solid security across the three areas of vulnerability.

We all knew it all along, even with a PDF security breach, BlackBerry is still on top. Another reason to love your BlackBerry. What do you think of the report? Share your comments, we want to know!

[via: BlackberryBlast]

Techtree.com posted a story yesterday about RIM having issued a patch that will cover a possible security breach, if it’s exploited by hackers. There aren’t details of the patch but it’s being stressed how important this breach is, and it only applies to PDF attachments. RIM has offered a workaround for Administration and advisement for users.

The problem is that there are several vulnerabilities in the PDF distiller of some of the released versions of the BlackBerry Attachment Service portion of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server. This could let someone with malicious intent to send an email with a specially designed PDF file, which when it’s opened to read on the BlackBerry that is associated with an account on a  BlackBerry Enterprise Server can cause memory corruption and possibly lead to arbitrary code execution on the computer that plays host to the Blackberry Attachment Service portion of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

And to be sure it’s clear the following must be pointed out:

• does not affect the BlackBerry Internet Service software and BlackBerry Internet Service users
• does not require a software update for the BlackBerry Device Software or any other changes to BlackBerry smartphones
• relates to a component of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry Professional Software to be updated by administrators only

For best practices, RIM is recommending that BlackBerry smartphone users open attachments from trusted and reliable sources only.

[via: Techtree.com]

Thanks to Kelly Sonora, who alerted us to a really informative post that the e-Justice Blog posted, entitled: 50 Ways to Make Your BlackBerry More Like Obama’s. We know President Barack Obama is the poster addict for BlackBerry Addicts/Advocates alike. And he had to wait for his BlackBerry, which is now extra secure and top secret. I’m going to highlight the article that tells you how to emulate his phone.

There are two pieces of hardware advised. The 8830 World BlackBerry which has no camera, a long lasting battery, and all the great features BlackBerry has such as GPS and email. The other piece of hardware you need is NSA customization. While the average person may not be able to get that for their phone, remember that SMobile Systems carries an assortment of software designed for security and is also used by the government as well consumer versions.

Next mentioned are apps and features, some of which are in the BlackBerry Sync Store, so I’ll list those ones with prices:  MSDict Concise Oxford American Dictionary and Thesaurus for $34.99 because President Obama’s vocabulary is assisted with the Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus on his BlackBerry, Travel Mate for BlackBerry which is $25.99 to organize your vacation as secure and exact as Obama,  Pocket Express which is Free so you can check weather and stocks any other things like him, BlackBerry Data Base Viewer Plus which is $34.95 to view and update databases from your BlackBerry, eSpell for $19.95 to be sure you check your spelling on emails, texts and documents as he does before sending or saving, Agendus for BlackBerry for $19.95 safely store your data and sync it to calendars.

For Security the post states that Obama will not be able to IM, he has restricted email usage, his BlackBerry is password protected. It also mentioned clearing the memory, disabling the GPS, keep a phone with no camera or video, don’t send pins as they are not encrypted as they would be through the BES, and regarding communication don’t enable bluetooth. Also use common sense when reading or sending emails in public, secure private information.

There is fifty ways including the tips and the way it’s broken down. For additional advice, I would still recommend SmrtGuard or RoBlock, or even a product from SMobile such as the SMobile Security Shield Professional Edition or the SMobile Anti-Theft and Identity Protection. If you’re paranoid about text, there’s always the great app SMS Eraser which is  $29.95 (Don’t just send an SMS or MMS, make sure it will self destruct too). I would also advise a Privacy Screen Protector which is $19.95 to help protect your information that you’re viewing.

If you would like to read more, you can go to the 50 Ways to Make Your BlackBerry More Like Obama’s and see what you think. Do you have any other programs or apps to suggest? Any one else want a super secure BlackBerry? What’s the most important reason for your BlackBerry? Please share your comments, we’d like  to know just how much security we want, or how far we’ll go.

[via: e-Justice Blog]

Sometime back I announced the software that would be available by summer for your teens and preteens in an article entitled, ” Software Alert: SMobile Security Shield Parental Control Gives More Power To Parental Control“.  SMobile Security Shield is now available for your child’s BlackBerry, at the price of $29.99 per handset per year! This program is the answer to your dreams: the ability to monitory your child’s safety and well being. It also includes security features for loss, theft, and viruses.

The software has the following to offer:

Have peace of mind knowing that you are able to help protect your child against:

 * Misconduct
* Exploitation
* Unwanted Communications
* Sexting
* Loss and Theft
* Malware
* Online Predators 

But that’s not all, you can monitor who your child is communicating with on Facebook and MySpace, and if your child loses the phone you are able to track it.  The best feature of all is it runs silent on the handset and the child cannot change settings or turn it off, you are in control! SMobile is a name well known for it’s security software and is available to government, enterprises, carriers, and consumers. They’re a well known name when it comes to security, they’re a name you can count on. For more information you can check out SMobiles Security Shield Parental Control Edition website.

If you are interested in purchasing SMobile Security Shield Parental Control Edition for $29.99 a year per handset,  you can grab your copy here from SMobile’s website >

 The program is compatible with all BlackBerry handsets

Compatible with OS: 4.2, 4.3, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7

SmrtGuard-Your Smart Phone Guardian is one of the great apps that was featured at WES, and it’s all about the security. We featured it in an article “What To Do If You Lose Your Blackberry“. Kevin Bacon lost his a few days later, he really should have read our article, but hind site is always 20/20. The moral of the story: Don’t let this happen to you!

So what is SmrtGuard and what does it mean to you? Well, SmrtGuard is a security software program that is designed to protect your phone and your information. You’re able to track your BlackBerry with no GPS required. You are able to fully wipe sensitive data on the BlackBerry from where you are. You can back up all your sensitive data which includes: PIMs; call logs; emails and more. You can back up and restore your personal data (you might want to do that every so often, so when you do lose your BlackBerry, and have to wipe it, that you have those things you want to save on hand). The data can be accessed through the SmrtGuard web portal. You can use audio ping to locate your phone, even if it’s on mute.

The Personal Guardian will allow you to send a distress SMS/Email/Call with a single button push. The SimCard Guardian alerts users that an unregistered Sim card being used in the phone. You can use it to remotely lock the phone or use it to remotely listen to the phone’s surroundings. For further information on the product, you can read more on their SmrtGuard website.

There are currently three types of pricing. Monthly for $3.99, Bi-Annual for $22.99, and annual for $44.99. It’s a small price to invest in your personal information and your BlackBerry. Kevin Bacon and Paris Hilton can testify to that statement. Don’t wait till it happens to you.

Grab your copy of choice of SmrtGuard from the BlackBerry Sync Store today >

Supported models for this app are: BlackBerry Storm, BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Curve 8900, BlackBerry Curve (83xx Series), BlackBerry Pearl (81xx Series), BlackBerry Flip Pearl, BlackBerry 88xx Series     

Supported OS are: 4.2, 4.3, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7

For the past few days I’ve been testing a new application called SmrtGuard. This application allows you to backup and restore pretty much all of your device’s information including phonebook, call logs, emails, memo pad, etc. Not only that but SmrtGuard also allows you to track your BlackBerry in case you loose it and even perform a remote wipe to erase your BlackBerry of all data. SmrtGuard also performs daily or weekly backups so you don’t have to do it manually. This software basically provides similar functions to a BES server in terms of backup and security.

SmrtGuard is currently available in public beta as a free download. The final service will end up costing we just aren’t too sure how much yet. To test out SmrtGuard head over to smrtguard.com and register.

It seems that the Verizon BlackBerry Storm will be packing a trial of McAfee’s Mobile Security software out of the box. Mobile Security scans all attachments, files, messages and downloads to ensure they won’t harm your brand spanking new Storm. There is no word as to how much it will cost after the trial to buy.

[Via BBCool]