Drop the Pocket PC - You Have Ten Seconds to Comply...

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.handango.com/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&platformId=2&productType=2&catalog=0&sectionId=0&productId=52352' target='_blank'>http://www.handango.com/PlatformPro...productId=52352</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.handango.com/include/pictures/128011/entercode.gif" /><br /><br />"PPCAlarm is an alarm application for the Pocket PC. It is aimed at warning the user or people nearby if the Pocket PC is disconnected from its AC power without the owners consent (e.g. Lifted from its cradle). This can act as a deterrent for people who would like to steal the device...The alarm will sound 5 seconds after the device is disconnected from the AC. When the alarm is sounded the user must enter a passcode to silence it. When the alarm is silenced, it gets rearmed when the device is connected to the AC again. The alarm can easily be disabled using the settings application if desired."<br /><br />There's a free trial available, or a full version can be purchased from the above affiliate link for $7.99.

[djdj]

This doesn't seem like much of a theft deterrent to me. What is to stop the thief from:

- Plugging anything into the headphone jack to silence the speaker
- Turning the device off after removing it from AC power
- Performing a soft reset
- Performing a hard reset
- Clicking the volume icon and turning it down

Seems like an application with little practical use.

[JonnoB]

Couldn't someone just kill the application process from the memory control panel applet?

[67stang]

wins my award for most annoying app of the year. :roll:

[Janak Parekh]

- Performing a soft reset
This is the most important one IMHO. I guess it's designed for those thieves who aren't Pocket PC mavens. I could see, on some of the units, that it would be hard to find the appropriate controls to reset or turn off the volume.

--janak

[pocketpcdude1024]

There's a "Cancel" button! :rofl: All you have to do is tap "Cancel" to stop the alarm! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[derosnec]

The only thing this would cause is annoyance.. annoyance at having to type in the code every time you remove the PDA from the cradle (which I do many, many times a day)

I'm not quite sure if this 'app' was thought through. I would love to hear from the developers, specifically addressing the concerns stated above.

And another concern, if you have sound disabled, will it overried it and still play?

[ECOslin]

Progress in making this world a noisier place.

Edward

[67stang]

if people dont respond to car alarms (and LAPD now says they wont respond to home burglar alarms) why the hell would people perk up from a little monotone alarm clock?!

you dont want your ppc stolen, put it in your pocket when you get up from your desk@!

[JonnoB]

if people dont respond to car alarms (and LAPD now says they wont respond to home burglar alarms) why the hell would people perk up from a little monotone alarm clock?

Not to mention that the audio volume of typical Pocket PC are not that great and can easily be muffled in a pocket or bag.

[EvilOne]

Hmm, $8 for something that can annoy me and others around me. Hmm. I guess I will have to think about it. :silly:

[pocketpcdude1024]

Hmm, $8 for something that can annoy me and others around me. Hmm. I guess I will have to think about it. :silly:

If you really want to annoy people around you, download that warbling tricorder sound of the original Trek series! Now THAT is annoying! :twisted:

[dammad]

This annoyingware doesn't cut it. If someone steals my device, they steal my device. I'm more worried about the data on it.

Does anyone know of a security app that will hard reset/wipe memory if say 5 incorrect password attempts? I know this doesn't solve the problem if sensitive info is on a memory card, but would like to know my schedule, contacts, and key files go bye-bye if my device gets nixed.

- Thanks

[pocketpcdude1024]

This annoyingware doesn't cut it. If someone steals my device, they steal my device. I'm more worried about the data on it.

Does anyone know of a security app that will hard reset/wipe memory if say 5 incorrect password attempts? I know this doesn't solve the problem if sensitive info is on a memory card, but would like to know my schedule, contacts, and key files go bye-bye if my device gets nixed.

- Thanks

Get the iPAQ 5450 with the biometric security. After three failed finger swiped it hard resets the device for you! Besides, a password doesn't cut it if you have really, really sensetive data on it! :D

[heov]

This annoyingware doesn't cut it. If someone steals my device, they steal my device. I'm more worried about the data on it.

Does anyone know of a security app that will hard reset/wipe memory if say 5 incorrect password attempts? I know this doesn't solve the problem if sensitive info is on a memory card, but would like to know my schedule, contacts, and key files go bye-bye if my device gets nixed.

- Thanks

Trancreative Nice Start 2.0 - google it... not only does it have a Password Log to track how many times someone entered a bad password and @ what times, but it also has a lockdown feature. You can have it lock down for a set number of minutes after a set number of wrong passwords. You can also have it automatically hard reset after a set number of wrong passwords... A great feature...

but here's something i noticed. If i hard reset and do a restore (via Asus Backup), although my password is saved, it's not enabled to turn on when power goes on... I must go into the settings and turn it back one... that's stupid if you ask me! If you forget your password, tough luck! start from scratch. The password should be saved in the backup...

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

if people dont respond to car alarms (and LAPD now says they wont respond to home burglar alarms) why the hell would people perk up from a little monotone alarm clock?
Not to mention that the audio volume of typical Pocket PC are not that great and can easily be muffled in a pocket or bag.
Well it would appear to me that the volume icon is available to tap (supporting a basic "mute" request as well)!!

[daninnj]

Reminds me of that bike alarm I used to have:

"You have ten seconds to comply..."
"STOLEN BIKE beep beep beep beep beep STOLEN BIKE..."

I remember my cousin riding around in the neighborhood with the alarm on.

DanInNJ

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Trancreative Nice Start 2.0 - google it... not only does it have a Password Log to track how many times someone entered a bad password and @ what times, but it also has a lockdown feature. You can have it lock down for a set number of minutes after a set number of wrong passwords. You can also have it automatically hard reset after a set number of wrong passwords... A great feature...

I have that app now and saw that feature... the one thing that really concerns me about having those apps hard-reset your device is that anyone feeling a little vindictive could just pick up your device and purposefully enter wrong combinations and *just like that* you have an empty device.

I'd feel better if the device would allow unsuccessful attempts for up to a period of maybe 6, 12, or 24 hours. If no successful logins were performed during that period where there was a minimal number of unsuccessful logins, then reset the device.

[Fzara]

I'd feel better if the device would allow unsuccessful attempts for up to a period of maybe 6, 12, or 24 hours. If no successful logins were performed during that period where there was a minimal number of unsuccessful logins, then reset the device.

Thats an extremely clever idea.

Another good idea would to have a password screen come up before trying to soft-reset or hard-reset a device. Of course if you forget the pw you're screwed, but this would be an excellent theft deterrent program.

[dammad]

Nice Start 2.0 is exactly what I was looking for - thanks. Trancreative's QuickLookUp is a great app I use daily, so figure this should be on par. :)

[R K]

Send your feature requests to the author. I thought I saw a few reviews that suggested that the author is very open to users' feedback and ideas.

[Rirath]

Honestly, I have to wonder why this app got listed. I mean, anyone can think up at least a handful of ways to get around this given 10 seconds. I'd rather see quality software make the front page. :? This looks like some VB coders first app. PPCT should be above this.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

I'd feel better if the device would allow unsuccessful attempts for up to a period of maybe 6, 12, or 24 hours. If no successful logins were performed during that period where there was a minimal number of unsuccessful logins, then reset the device.
Thats an extremely clever idea.

Another good idea would to have a password screen come up before trying to soft-reset or hard-reset a device. Of course if you forget the pw you're screwed, but this would be an excellent theft deterrent program.
Thanks. Yes, your idea sounds interesting too, but then I wonder how that would mix with an app attempting to hard-reset your device due to unsuccessful logins... the app wouldn't be able to hard-reset b/c the thief wouldn't know the reset password also.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Honestly, I have to wonder why this app got listed. I mean, anyone can think up at least a handful of ways to get around this given 10 seconds. I'd rather see quality software make the front page. :? This looks like some VB coders first app. PPCT should be above this.
Well I think the concept itself is rather innovative and I'm sure that's what caught Jason's attention. It's just that its practicality is limited b/c of the half-dozen ways to get around this "alarm".

[Rirath]

Well I think the concept itself is rather innovative and I'm sure that's what caught Jason's attention. It's just that its practicality is limited b/c of the half-dozen ways to get around this "alarm".

You have a real good point about the concept... but in that case I wish the post would have said more about the concept and it's limitations. As it stands it's a C&P of info off Handango and an affiliate link. The thread is what's made this interesting.

[Birdiestyle]

Just Curious.... Did any of you actually try it??
Because what you see in the screenshot is obviously the setup page!! Not the interface for the actual alarm?!?!? So Im guessing most of the listed issues are handled??!!

Hmmm....

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Just Curious.... Did any of you actually try it??
Because what you see in the screenshot is obviously the setup page!! Not the interface for the actual alarm?!?!? So Im guessing most of the listed issues are handled??!!

Hmmm....
But the "issues" listed here have nothing to do with the program itself. It could be a perfectly implemented program for all I know and still it would be easy to get around (e.g. - plug the headset jack, soft-reset the device, etc.).

[Rirath]

Just Curious.... Did any of you actually try it??
Because what you see in the screenshot is obviously the setup page!! Not the interface for the actual alarm?!?!? So Im guessing most of the listed issues are handled??!!

Hmmm....


Have to wonder if you tried it. Since you have to "guess" most the issues listed are handled. And as Ekkie says, it's moot at any rate. There's flaws that go well beyond the program.

[Birdiestyle]

True, although I could easily write this same application and handle every issue brought up except a hard Reset and the Headphone jack.... I just gave the developer the benefit of the doubt that they can too..??

I really believe a thief isnt going to have headphones in his pocket, or know in the first 10-15 seconds how to perform a hard reset... A soft reset can easily be handled to have the alarm come right back on. Volume controls can be programmatically handled to not allow muting/etc..., locking out of the start menu and out of other apps is easy enough too....

I havent tried it either, Im just curious, as some of the suggestions were based off the settings page...

[Jason Dunn]

Uh, YEAH, who's the LOSER that posted on this app? :lol: :lol:

I just saw it in the Handango newsletter and it seemed unique. Don't like it, don't buy it. :wink:

[Rirath]

I say we gets the tar and feather for when we find em. :lol:

[67stang]

the point of all this is you cannot build security into a little device like that - nothing short of a pet rattle snake wrapped around your cradle is going to deter a thief.

The idea of hard reset after 6 or 10 attempted logins... well BFD. I mean what is the point of that? To irritate the guy once he gets home with your device?

[pocketpcdude1024]

Uh, YEAH, who's the LOSER that posted on this app? :lol: :lol:

That's what I want to know! :lol:

[Omikron]

the point of all this is you cannot build security into a little device like that - nothing short of a pet rattle snake wrapped around your cradle is going to deter a thief.

The idea of hard reset after 6 or 10 attempted logins... well BFD. I mean what is the point of that? To irritate the guy once he gets home with your device?

The POINT is that the 5455 is *corporate* device. They really couldn't give a flying f**k about losing the actual device. What they are worried about, is data security. In many ways, sensitive information stored on your PDA is WAAAAY more valuable than a silly device that can be written off on your taxes anyway. The point of password protection is not to deter theft, they could always hard-reset and start fresh as we all did once. The point of password protection is to stop the leaking of sensitive information.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

I really believe a thief isnt going to have headphones in his pocket, or know in the first 10-15 seconds how to perform a hard reset... A soft reset can easily be handled to have the alarm come right back on.
...I bet it doesn't take long to discover the "power" button...

[Birdiestyle]

I said everything but the two... It is very easy to kick the device back on while it is "off". How do you think alarm reminders work? :D

[derosnec]

Alarm reminders work?? :twisted:

[Birdiestyle]

:lol: