Yougetitback debuted its service to help protect, recover and replace mobile
devices from theft and loss, called Mobile Superhero. Yougetitback protects
and helps recover mobile devices--such as phones,
PDAs, cameras, iPods and laptops--while preserving the
sensitive information they may contain. The company's
premium service will even replace the device, if it is not recovered. Yougetitback estimates 75 percent of its lost or stolen
devices registered and tagged with the company's
labels are returned to their owners.
Here's how Mobile Superhero works for a mobile
phone. (Currently available for BlackBerry and Symbian OS phones)
Yougetitback software is preloaded or downloaded to the user's mobile phone; the user creates an account at
Yougetitback.com. If a protected mobile
phone is lost or stolen, the user logs into his or her Yougetitback.com account
and remotely locks the phone by simply clicking a button. Within seconds, the
mobile phone is locked. Now the only thing a finder can do with the device is
call the Yougetitback service to report finding the phone.
The finder is prevented from seeing any of the e-mails, contact details,
text messages,
information like credit card numbers stored on the phone. The finder is also
unable to access any of the mobile commerce applications on the phone like
mobile banking or mobile payments. No outgoing call can be made from the phone
except to the Yougetitback service.
The owner can retrieve contacts from the lost phone remotely by simply
clicking another button on the Web site.
Finders can contact Yougetitback by using the found phone to call
Yougetitback or going online to www.yougetitback.com and clicking on "I
found something." Yougetitback will then facilitate
getting the phone back to its owner, making it extremely easy for the finder to
do the right thing. If owners need to replace their lost or stolen phones,
their contacts can be restored remotely from the Superhero vault.
Device owners can also purchase adhesive security tags at the Yougetitback
Web site for each device to be protected. The tags include a unique number for
each device, along with a toll-free phone number and a link to a Web site
through which a find can be reported. Protection lasts three years.
Consumers can purchase the software for $20 per year. A current online
promotion offers a one-month free trial. Tags can also be purchased separately
for $10 for three-year protection. A 30-Day free trial version is available for download.
Yougetitback.com also offers a premium service that provides a full
replacement of the device if the software and tag are not successful. Details on covered devices are available at Yougetitback.com. Phones covered
include BlackBerry operating system 4.2 and above, Symbian operating system S60
2nd and 3rd editions. A version
of Mobile Superhero is currently being developed for the Apple iPhone.
Yougetitback offers a similar service for laptops called "Laptop
Superhero," which can be preloaded on laptops or
downloaded from Yougetitback.com. The service initially is available for
Windows XP and soon for Windows Vista.