All our selections support Windows Mobile (both Pocket PC and Smartphone editions), which is currently a popular choice for security developers and U.S. users. Some support other OSes, as well. (Note that for supported OSes, not all versions of the OS may be supported.)

If we don’t mention any security software that runs on your device, you can check out Handango (www.handango.com), an online supermarket for mobile software. Many mobile security applications offer a free trial version (some as long as 60 days), so you can find the right utilities without spending a fortune.

Most of us have information stored on our smartphones we would prefer not to share. Even if you never go online at unsecured Wi-Fi hotspots, reply to unsolicited text (SMS [Short Message Service]) or MMS [Multimedia Messaging Service]) messages, or leave yourself open to rogue Bluetooth pairings, it’s a good idea to secure sensitive data on your phone.

Ilium Software eWallet
$19.95 ($29.95 for eWallet Professional) • www.iliumsoft.com
Platforms: Palm, Windows Mobile (Pocket PC and Smartphone); coming soon for RIM BlackBerry

Bottom Line: eWallet is a robust data security program that supports several OSes and offers valuable extras, including direct use of stored data and automatic backup.

eWallet is one of many products that password-protects and secures your mobile data. We picked eWallet for several reasons, and broad device support is only one of them. eWallet protects any data you enter into a wallet with 256-bit encryption, and you can create multiple wallets for different needs. You can also create specialized security settings: lock out after a certain number of minutes or after a designated number of password login attempts or don’t require a password at all if you are just using the program for organization purposes.

The program comes with sample editable records, customizable templates, and a random password generator. You can also create new templates, categories, and subcategories for data.

eWallet Professional gives you some flexibility because it includes mobile and desktop versions. That means you can enter data on your phone or PC and then sync data between the two automatically upon device connection or manually (your choice). eWallet can import data from other programs in CSV (comma-separated values) format, but it doesn’t map multifield records accurately, so you will spend some time reorganizing any complex data you import.

One feature we love is that eWallet creates live links for some of the data in your wallets. You can initiate an action, such as dialing a stored phone number or accessing a stored Web site, straight from the record. eWallet also offers an automatic backup feature, and it is currently publicly testing a Web companion that gives you online, remote access to your data.

SplashData SplashID
$29.95 • www.splashdata.com
Platforms: Palm, Windows Mobile (Pocket PC and Smartphone), Symbian, and BlackBerry

Bottom Line: SplashID’s user-friendly mobile data security interface and import and export features make it a winner for folks with big data stores who don’t need the complexity of multiple wallets.

Like eWallet, SplashID password-protects and secures your mobile data with 256-bit encryption. It also includes a password generator and an array of ready-made templates (called types) and customization options. It also has security optimizations like those of eWallet, although the password lockout setting is set at 10.

Nevertheless, SplashID offers enough differences to make it worthy of review. It is a simpler program than eWallet, with a single database (no multiple wallets) and a basic interface we found easy to learn and navigate. We also liked SplashID’s desktop companion, which lets you enter, structure, and sync data to your mobile device with ease.

SplashID Desktop also imports and exports data (in CSV or TXT formats), and it can process multiple field records. It doesn’t offer field mapping, and it dumps the first field in as the Type. Nevertheless, with a little custom field creation and mapping before export (easy in programs such as Excel and Outlook), you can import groups of data nicely. You can also create and customize everything down to the record level (records in the same type and category can have different field values), making the program very flexible.

SplashID is also available as part of the SplashWallet Suite ($59.95) of productivity applications, which includes SplashID, SplashShopper, and SplashPhoto.



Aiko Solutions SecuBox
$39.95 • www.aikosolutions.com
Platforms: Windows Mobile (Pocket PC and Smartphone)

Bottom Line: This easy-to-use software encrypts entire memory cards or creates secure data storage areas in main memory or removable memory cards.

Rather than securely storing passwords, credit card information, and other sensitive or important information, SecuBox creates a virtual data safe on your device or removable memory card and encrypts everything within it. You decide what information to store in this virtual vault—anything from important passwords and account numbers to Pocket Word or Excel files.

To your system, the encrypted SecuBox looks just like a memory card, but the data within the program is protected by professional-grade, 256-bit encryption. When you need the data, SecuBox decrypts it on the fly, encrypting it again when you are finished. If you need to wipe the data for some reason, SecuBox makes that simple, as well.

We applaud SecuBox for its ease of use. You don’t need to set up any special forms, and no data entry tasks are necessary. However, with SecuBox you also don’t gain the automation features of a secure wallet utility such as SplashID. SecuBox can also encrypt entire memory cards, so you don’t have to hassle with moving data from the memory card to a newly created SecuBox. A password strength meter gives you the confidence that your choice of password is secure.

SmartphoneWare Best Crypto
$9.95 • www.smartphoneware.com
Platforms: Windows Mobile (Pocket PC and Smartphone)

Bottom Line: This inexpensive program offers a user-friendly interface and gives you industry-standard encryption for multiple file types.

Like Aiko Soutions SecuBox, Best Crypto secures important files using 256-bit encryption. However, instead of creating a virtual vault, Best Crypto lets you protect a variety of files, including documents and voice notes, individually. (You can also protect files in groups selecting all the files at once.) We realize this process is more time-consuming than that of the SecuBox program, but Best Crypto will cost you much less.

Best Crypto provides two options for accessing your files: File Browser (where you navigate to the file and provide the password) and Safe List (a quick-access list of files you access frequently).

You can create as many passwords as you like, using a different one for each file or grouping files under unified passwords. If you choose the latter approach, Best Crypto’s Remember Password option lets you decrypt any file stored under the previously entered password until you close the application and password entry is reset. This is an ideal way to keep personal and business files grouped and protected with different passwords and yet be able to expedite decryption and opening of related files when needed.

MotionApps mSafe
$19.99 • www.motionapps.com
Platforms: Palm, Windows Mobile (Pocket PC and Smartphone)

Bottom Line: mSafe offers an instant emergency response system that can lock down or erase the private data on your smartphone.

mSafe provides instantaneous protection that can be invaluable in safeguarding the data on your smartphone. The software lets you lock designated data from your Palm or Windows Mobile device remotely, or you can also configure mSafe to automatically lock your smartphone when specific events occur. After installing mSafe, you can create passwords that enable you to lock your device, wipe private data, or unlock the device for use. Without the appropriate passwords, no one can change these settings. (If you forget these passwords, you’ll have to perform a hard reset [and lose your personal data] to reset them.)

mSafe can automatically lock your device when you or anyone else turns your phone off, you lose network coverage, or someone removes the SIM (subscriber identity module) or memory card. On Windows Mobile devices, you can have mSafe lock the phone after a designated number of minutes without use. You can also set the device not to recognize a new memory card after the device has been locked during prior card removal.

Optionally, you can set mSafe to lock the device upon receipt of a text message or a message sent from a specialized Web portal. The same actions, used with a different password, can initiate a hard reset (which will wipe the device’s private data). You can also opt to have mSafe format the memory card with either a lockdown or a hard reset via SMS. For confirmation purposes, you can instruct mSafe to reply to the sender of the lock or wipe message or to another designated contact. If you use a BlackBerry, we suggest you check out a similar program called Emergency Wipe.

EvenByte Software Phone Security System
$24.99 • www.evenbyte.com
Platforms: Windows Mobile (Pocket PC and Smartphone)

Bottom Line: This simple program notifies smartphone owners via text message if someone inserts an unauthenticated SIM card into the smartphone. The paid version also allows the owner to destroy the new SIM card or its data remotely if the phone cannot be recovered.

Think of Phone Security System as a theft protection service for your phone. If someone inserts a new SIM card and turns on the phone with the Phone Security System service running, the program checks the card against a user-defined list of acceptable SIM cards. If the SIM card is not authenticated, Phone Security System transparently switches to User Monitor mode, tracking all calls and SMS messages. It then transmits this information to a user-provided mobile number via SMS or email after a predesignated period of time.

Users whose phones have been hijacked can even have the pleasure of destroying the thief’s SIM card or the information it contains by sending a predesignated SMS message to the stolen phone. Otherwise, the program runs completely invisibly. Users can start or stop the monitoring service remotely via SMS, as well. If the owner accidentally inserts a new SIM card into his smartphone without registering it first, he can unlock it using a predefined password.

If you are on a budget, you can opt for Phone Security System Lite, which is free. With this version, the service checks new SIM cards and sends an SMS message but does not provide any other options such as remote wipe.

Symantec Norton Smartphone Security
$29.99 • www.symantec.com
Platforms: Symbian, Windows Mobile (Pocket PC and Smartphone)

Bottom Line: This powerful all-in-one security suite (antivirus, antispam, firewall) offers excellent value in its category; it’s a great choice for cautious users wishing to stay ahead of the security curve.

Last year, Symantec turned its industry-leading security attention to smartphones, releasing Norton Smartphone Security for Symbian and Windows Mobile devices. With a single purchase, you can receive antivirus, firewall, and SMS/MMS antispam protection. Admittedly, some of the protections this suite offers, such as the ability to keep “snoopware” from turning on your camera, are more theoretical than practical at this point because the odds of those threats striking your phone are minimal.

Nevertheless, other security features, such as the ability to block SMS/MMS from unknown senders, have real application now. That may make the purchase worthwhile for many.

As you would expect from Norton, the product scans your device for viruses, worms, and spyware on an ongoing and on-demand basis, and the firewall program prevents outside invasion, whether the attack is via Bluetooth, infrared, email, or an unsecure Wi-Fi connection. Virus and product updates come to you automatically via Live Update, so you don’t have to worry about staying up-to-date. The company also lets you control the robustness of protection in many areas.

Symantec has optimized its product to preserve performance, but some users may notice a resource drain when they use this product. How much drain you experience, however, will depend on your smartphone’s processor speed and memory.

F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus
$34.95 • mobile.f-secure.com
Platforms: Symbian, Windows Mobile (Pocket PC and Smartphone)

Bottom Line: This product offers antivirus protection at a premium price, but with a user-friendly, automated approach and minimal impact on system resources.

F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus is the granddaddy of mobile antivirus products; the company’s director of antivirus research, Mikko Hypponen, has been touting the importance of virus protection for years.

Offering only antivirus protection at a premium price, F-Secure is a bit pricey for a basic background virus scanner, but it consumes so few resources that you won’t even know it is there. Like Norton Smartphone Security (and most other mobile device programs), F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus installs quickly and easily and enables you to perform security-level customizations. From then on, it will update every time it senses a connection (you can change this) to keep you safe from viruses, worms, and other malicious code.

If you have a supported mobile phone with a heavy resource load, especially a Symbian model, F-Secure may be the right program for you. (F-Secure offers a complete security suite for the Symbian OS.) Symbian users in particular, especially those that use Bluetooth heavily or are not very vigilant about accepting incoming messages from unknown senders, would be well advised to purchase some form of mobile virus protection.

by Jennifer Farwell