Smartphones and PDAs represent more of a security threat to IT systems than laptops, according to research carried out by data security firm Credant Technologies.
The survey found that, of the 300 senior IT staff who were consulted, 94% felt that mobile devices were a security risk as oppsed to 88% who felt the same way about laptops.
Part of the problem, says Credant, is that nine out of ten mobile devices are given access to company’s data without any security measure being taken - such as a secure password.
Over half of executives did not bother to use a password when using their phone, despite the phone containing confidential data.
“Companies need to regain control of these devices and the data that they are carrying, or risk finding their investment in securing the enterprise misplaced and woefully inadequate,” said Peter Mitteregger, Credant Technologies’ European VP.
Does this ring true where you work? With more and more users reading their (supposedly confidential) emails remotely bia Blackberry, iPhone or IMAP client it would be interesting to know just how open that data was. If you use a smartphone for work, does your IT department lay down the law with regards to security, or are you left to your own devices?
It’s no secret that we have been less than enthusiastic about the Palm Centro since we first heard about it, but despite a slightly underwhelming spec sheet the device seems to be enjoying some pretty stellar sales.
Not only has the device sold more than one million units worldwide, but according to a survey conducted by Palm, 70 percent of Centro customers are first time smartphone users. Looks like brand power goes a long way and though Palm is certainly not at the cutting edge of smartphone technology (having dominated the PDA market for so long) it certainly isn’t having a hard time shifting its flagship device.
We can only hope that this means the company is in rude financial health which will prompt a new and much more inspiring smartphone somewhere down the line.
(Via SlashPhone)
Yeah, its pretty small (107 x 53.5 x 18.5mm), and yeah, the 320 x 320 pixel touch-screen is good for such a pint-sized phone, but aside from that and its EvDO networking (3G in the US), Palm’s latest addition to its US range, the Centro, offers little to get excited about. Such as?
Try a 1.3MP camera, a microSD card slot, Bluetooth 1.3, 64MB of memory… And that’s your lot. The Centro does run Palm OS 5.4.9, which is more appealing than the Windows Mobile that Europe is getting in the Treo 500v. But there’s no sign of even a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is frankly backward.
Check out the Centro on Palm’s US site, and hit the jump for more pics from us.
Continue reading ‘Palm’s new baby, the Centro, unveiled’
Coming the day after Timothy Brady was sent down for cracking past an Oxfordshire speed camera at 172mph in a 911 Turbo, Chartcross’ Camera Alert Europe is nothing if not timely.
Running on your GPS-enabled Windows Mobile smartphone or Pocket PC, the £24.67 app matches your current location with a database of over 18,000 speed cameras across Europe (with updates available from www.scdb.info). You can get speed warnings, prioritise alerts, and even have alert sounds sent to a Bluetooth headset.
Lacking both the handset and car to try this app out, we’d love to hear from anyone who’s given it a go. Or who is willing to lend us their GPS smartphone and Porsche 911. You can buy Camera Alert Europe (or download a trial version) from Clickapps.
If you’re worried about keeping your smartphone or PDA data secure in case of theft or simply losing your handheld, Aiko Solutions has released new encryption technology specifically for Windows Mobile smartphones.
SecuBox 1.3 will safely store all your important files and documents – such as sensitive Pocket Word and Exccel documents - on your memory card. It uses highly secure AES 256-bit encryption to guard against other people accessing or stealing your data.
Another bonus is that SecuBox will completely erase deleted files. According to Aiko, when you normally delete files you simply remove the file name itself from your smartphone’s system directory, leaving the actual data behind. SecuBox’s wiping method is compliant with US Department of Defense specifications, meaning that removed files cannot be restored – so you better be sure you really want to delete files with SecuBox.
SecuBox is currently available for download in English and Japanese language versions, with single-user licences costing US$39.95. However, Aiko is also offering a free 30-day trial.
[Aiko Solutions website]
Doubtless drawing rather more interest then he had perhaps anticipated, British comedian and professional posh bloke Stephen Fry has revealed his love for the smartphone. Writing on his website’s new blog, Fry opines at great length about the ups & downs of smartphone ownership, wrapping up with thoughts on his US-bought iPhone. It’s all rather heroic; click here to read on…
‘There’s been a lot of buzz about the new device our friends across the “pond” are planning to announce on September 12th…and it’s not the Palm Centro smartphone!’
Those are the words of Palm’s Stephanie Richardson, writing on the Official Palm Blog to unofficially officially confirm that a new device is coming from the company on the 12th. The page on Palm’s European site that Richardson links to has this morsel for us to chew on: ‘The new Palm® smartphone. The word is, it’s great for email, mobile internet, instant messaging, text and - with a full keyboard - saying what you really mean.’
But if it’s not the tiny, awkward-looking Centro, then what cometh o Palmists? Boy Genius Report is voting for a Windows Mobile 6-based ‘Gandolf’, sporting a 2.4″ QVGA screen, 256MB memory, stereo Bluetooth and HSDPA. And also ugly as hell.
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