Lost, Stolen, Hacked or Virus-Ridden? Welcome to Cell Hell
UPI's Gene Koprowski takes a look today at research which shows that 65 percent of Americans lost their cell phones last year — totaling $600 milion in losses.
"It's causing anxiety in the IT departments of many major corporations, because, these days, mobile phones are so powerful that most of them are mini-PCs, containing customer information, phone numbers and pricing schedules," Koprowski writes.
Among the tactics that companies are using to secure data on mobile devices is Oasys' Online Locker, which keeps all content stored securely online so it can be retrieved even if the device is lost.
Still, as Koprowski notes, that can become just another place to hack into. "So storage companies like Idealstor are developing removable, encrypted hard drives for pocket PCs and PDAs to make sure the data is concealed all the time from criminals," he writes.
And even if you don't lose your phone, it can still be attacked by mobile viruses like Skulls and Duts — a fast-growing problem that's expected to explode over the next year or so, according to mobile application developer SavaJe Technologies. The company warns that current mobile platforms simply aren't ready to deal with viruses. "The impending 'cell hell' has renewed the industry's call for a new kind of mobile platform," a company spokesperson says.
dean collins said:
Jul 15, 06 at 5:22 pmSource please?
65% hmm I think that figure stinks of being made up.
If you look at the volume of handsets in the US market in 2004 and then look at the volume of handsets sold in 2005, it doesn’t allow for anywhere near 65% of them being replaced and growth of new subscribers.
I’d like to see a reference point on this figure thanks, especially as when you read the original article it’s obvious Mr Koprowski cant add “65+45=110%”
Cheers,
Dean
Jeff Goldman said:
Jul 19, 06 at 12:54 pmI agree — Koprowski doesn’t cite a source, and I haven’t been able to find a reference outside of his article — but it’s certainly an impressive number…