.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Keep your Palm safe with Warden
.AUTHOR Heather Wardell
.SUMMARY Like many people, writer Heather Wardell keeps her entire life on her Palm. The information isn’t particularly sensitive, but it is personal and she wouldn’t want just anyone getting into it. When she switched to the Treo 680, she wondered if the smartphone functionality would allow her to leave the unit unlocked, but still be able to lock it if it went missing. Warden, by CorSoft, promises to make that happen.
.OTHER
Like many people, I keep my entire life on my Palm. The information isn’t particularly sensitive, unless the date of my last haircut counts as sensitive, but it is personal and I wouldn’t want just anyone getting into it.
I did occasionally lock my older Palms using the built in security application, but I often forgot to do it, or found the "lock after so many minutes" annoying. When I switched to the Treo 680, I wondered if the smartphone functionality would somehow allow me to leave the unit unlocked, but still be able to lock it if it went missing. Warden, by CorSoft, promises to make this happen.
.H1 Installation and configuration
The install file walks you through the installation process, clearly explaining what it will do and why. The license code I was provided didn’t work on my first attempt, but technical support replaced it within hours and the new one worked properly.
The software does require that you either allow it to register wirelessly over the Internet or type the code it provides into the Lockmytreo.com Web site; I do not use wireless Internet with my Treo, so I used the Web site and everything worked fine.
.BREAK_EMAIL Click here to find out if Warden will put your Treo on lockdown.
The philosophy of Warden divides situations into two groups: local and remote. Local implies that you have the device in your possession. When under a local lock, the device still shows alerts from other applications, such as alarms and phone calls, and you can respond to those without unlocking.
The software can also be set up to lock the Treo automatically. As Figure A shows, several situations can trigger the automatic local lock, and each can be configured independently.
.FIGPAIR A Warden’s options are configurable and easy to use.
If you’ve chosen to lock the Treo remotely, the software assumes, rightly in my opinion, that you’re not in control of the device, and therefore by default doesn’t show anything from other applications. You can configure the software to allow these alerts to appear, but it makes sense to me to keep them hidden; if someone else has my Treo, I don’t want them answering my phone calls.
.H1 Locking: local and remote
The screen Warden presents when locked is different depending on whether the lock was initiated locally or remotely.
The left side of Figure B below shows the local lock; the right side shows the remote lock.
.FIGPAIR B Warden’s local and remote lock, giving different information to the Treo’s finder.
The screen color, and details presented on the screen, are all configurable. Clicking "call owner" or "call to return this device" causes the Treo to dial the first number in your business card record in your contacts.
I like how the local lock includes emergency information; you can enter commonly called numbers (parents, spouse, friends) and health information such as allergies and past medical conditions, all of which could be crucial if you were in a serious accident.
.H1 Operation
The local lock is initiated from the main Warden screen, or from the Treo’s side button if you’ve enabled that option. Local locks can also be triggered when the Treo is powered off, at a specific time of day, or after a certain amount of inactivity, depending on your settings.
The remote lock is triggered by a text message, sent either from another cell phone or from the Lockmytreo.com Web site. This message has a specific format, detailed in the software’s manual, which must be followed precisely. I was able to lock my Treo using a cell phone, but it did take several tries due to mistakes with the message format.
The manual says that the code word, which defaults to WardenSecurityForTreo, can be changed to something easier to remember, and that the default will continue to work. I did change the code word, which made using a cell phone to lock much easier, but the default does NOT continue to work. As a result, I was no longer able to lock my Treo through the Web site, which sends a text message including the default code word.
I see this as a bug with the software, the Web site, or both. Until it’s repaired, I suggest deciding whether you’re more likely to use someone else’s cell phone or the Web site to initiate a remote lock rather than assuming you can easily use both.
Depending on the message you send, the software can merely lock the Treo, or it can destroy all data on the device, the card, or both.
When I sent the message to wipe my memory card, the Treo locked as per usual but seemed to hang. My 2GB card is over half full, so I can understand it taking a while to delete it. But the software took four minutes to post a "please wait" notice and was then accessible immediately afterward. Posting the notice first would make more sense.
.BEGIN_KEEP
Once the card was wiped, the software initiated a hard reset. As that was proceeding, the initiating cell phone received a confirmation text message informing me of the "kill" success. This was surprising, as I hadn’t sent "kill" (wipe both the card and the device), I’d sent "card." In the end, it did only wipe the card. Interestingly, it left the folder structure intact while removing all data files.
The full device wipe was successful as well. The Treo was returned to factory default with the exception of the driver for my wireless keyboard and Warden itself.
.H1 Summary
A program with the ability to erase data from your Palm needs to be flawless in its execution and utterly trustworthy. Warden didn’t do anything I didn’t expect, but the incorrect confirmation message and the glitch with the messaging code word made me uncomfortable, as did inconsistencies between the manual and the actual software screens. Still, these are minor concerns when viewed against the strength of the software and the ease of keeping your valuable information out of inappropriate hands. Warden receives a rating of four.
.RATING 4
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
Learn more about [[http://lockmymobile.com/home.aspx|Warden]].
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
.END_KEEP
