Keep Your Mobile Safe for the Holidays

The holiday seasons are almost upon us. It is hard to believe but Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, and then begins the rush to Christmas and the other winter holidays. This is also a time when mobile phones most often go missing. According to a new study organized by Credant Technologies, the build up to Thanksgiving and the holiday period is when most mobile phones are left in the back of taxis!

In New York City the study found, around 5,000 mobile phones are left in the back of cabs - along with 600 other handheld devices, including iPods, laptops and of course memory sticks. Memory seems to be the key word because people are in such a rush this time of year that they just forget the items!

Credant Technologies suggests that if you do travel by taxi or other public transportation, including during a daily commute, that you make sure to encrypt your data. And this isn't limited to just those in New York. As a frequent traveler I've noticed that it is easy for phones to slip out of one's pocket on an airplane, and those memory sticks can easily be forgotten.

Some other tips that we'll recommend for the holidays:

• Keep backups of important data; and if possible upload your data online so if a laptop is lost, your data is protected.
• Don't keep the backup on a USB drive in the same case as the laptop PC—if the computer is stolen, so is your backup.
• In crowded stores, and when using public transportation, keep your phone in your pocket instead of using a holster than can be easily removed from your belt as pickpockets work best in crowds.
• Don't flash that expensive smartphone on the subway or train while traveling alone, especially late at night or early in the morning.
• Be courteous too, and keep the conversations limited when talking in crowded areas.
• Change all passwords and contact your banks and credit card companies should you lose a laptop or mobile phone, as these can provide clues to hackers to your accounts even if you don't have normal passwords on these devices.

Mobile News: Samsung Closes the Window?
Is Samsung hanging up on Microsoft and closing the Windows? That's what it seems as HMC analysts have noted this week that Samsung is phasing out the Windows Mobile operating system, which will fall from 80 percent of its handsets to just 50 percent in 2010, and to just a mere 20 percent in 2012.

Samsung is also reportedly phasing out the Symbian mobile operating system, but appears to be embracing the Google Android OS, which will increase to 30 percent of its models in 2010, and by a further 30 percent the following year. Additionally, it seems that Samsung might be developing its own OS that could eventually be found on nearly half of the manufacturer's devices. This new OS has been making the rumor mills, but whether it actually comes together is something we'll have to watch and see.

Already it seems that other mobile handset makers are following similar paths. Palm has created its own OS, while HTC, which is now currently the largest producer Windows Mobile handsets, is in the process of rolling out more Android devices. This isn't so much a surprise given that HTC was the maker of the G1 for T-Mobile a year ago, but the company could be focusing on the Google love a bit more, possibly upping its devotion to Android with 50 percent of its handsets using that OS next year.

And even LG, which is set to introduce Windows Mobile handsets, has Android devices in the pipeline. We'll be watching how this affects the Windows Mobile OS very closely over the next few months. While Microsoft essentially dominates the desktop and laptop operating system market, the company's outlook for mobile is hard to see, kind of like looking through a dirty window.