Looking for Anti-Theft Software for Touch Pro2 & WM 6.5

[IT_Architect]

I'm looking for Anti-Theft Software recommendations that work well with Touch Pro2 and WM 6.5. I've worked only with Remote Tracker. I got it to work partially, but when I sent it a command to return GPS coordinates, it hosed my GPS. No GPS program would work after that, and they would crash when I tried them. Un-installing and soft resets would not fix it. I ended up doing a restore from the previous day's backup.

[IT_Architect]

What I've done so far is sign up for Microsoft MyPhone. They will do a back plus find your phone. I works great. It costs nothing if you don't use it. If you need it, it also works for free, but after you use it, it cost's around $5.00 a week later. I would like to buy it now, but they won't let you until your free runs out. Moreover, Even if you use it, and it runs out, you still don't need to buy it unless you need it again, at which time you can buy it.

You can do more with Remote Tracker, because it will return the phone's IP address. From there, you can work with it using MyMobiler, and do about anything you want to with your phone. The best would be to use both it if didn't mess with my phone. I'd use the MS one to find my phone, and Remote Tracker for the rest. It's the GPS functions of Remote Tracker that trashes the GPS on my phone. I still use Sprite to backup also. The MyPhone is great for just doing user data, but if a program messes up your phone, it requires a system backup like Sprite provides to restore you phone to an earlier point-in-time. Sprite was wonderful to have when Remote Tracker trashed the GPS on my phone. After a 20 minute restore, my phone was perfect again.

[IT_Architect]

Testing results:

Remote Tracker: This trashes the GPS in my phone requiring a hard reset to fix. Fortunately I use Sprite Backup, so restoring to a previous point in time is easy to do and always works. It is easily the most capable product out there, but from reading the threads, the common denominator is it works flawlessly with Windows Mobile 6.1, but has major issues with 6.5. The original developer bailed on it for Android although I don't see a product from him for Android. You can use it to send SMS replies or e-mail. It can be made very secure and has a huge command set. You can even connect to your phone using My Mobiler after someone steals it, and see what is happening on screen. They have special commands for the HD2. My guess is because the HD2 uses 6.5 because to get it to work at all with my TP2 with 6.5 I needed to use the HD2 commands. Not withstanding, it killed my GPS and return SMS and E-Mail message timings were unreliable and sporadic. If this program worked right with 6.5, all of the rest might as well go home. I wish the author would fix this program up and charge for it.

SmartPhone Tracker: This is a simple program. There is no password, and only one command to send the GPS location, but you define that command. You can have it send you the GPS location when events occur on the phone such as a SIM change. The maps when you test them with no issues, but whether you select Google Maps, Virtual Earth, or Yahoo!, you always get Google maps. Like Remote Tracker it will work with SMS, e-mail, but also both. The maps display correctly on mobile devices. However, I could not get it to respond. I found this later in the author's site, which may also may be the key to getting Remote Tracker to work:

"HTC has, since manila 2.5, designed and developed a completely new text messaging application (HTC Messaging App) to replace the old Windows messaging application for the entire SMS/text messaging functionality.

Apart for poor performance it does not support message interception."

It continues on with links on how to rip and replace the HTC SMS, which I'm not convinced I want to do at this point.

Sprite Terminator: This is a commercial program, and it works correctly Windows Mobile 6.5 out of the box. It has limited capabilities, but the ones it has are focused on security. It will report your phones location, wipe your MicroSD as well as your phone, or lock your phone. It has no e-mail capabilities. The program has password protection, and thus cannot be reconfigured or uninstalled without it. You can set it up to have only certain trusted SMS numbers work with it or any. In both cases, you must include the password with each command. You can choose Google Maps or Virtual Earth for the link path the SMS returns. The path, however, uses the SpriteSoftware site. With the Google Maps option, if you click the link returned in the SMS with a Windows Mobile device, you will get the map, but no stick pin on the map to show you where it is. It doesn't matter if you use Opera or IE. In fact IE only shows a partial map. That same link will work fine from a PC, showing the stick pin. The links in the SMS for the Virtual Earth option don't work under any scenario. However, you also get a copy of the GPS coordinates in the SMS.

Microsoft MyPhone: This is more useful for backing up your Outlook information than anything else. The phone recover works very well, but it's cumbersome to pay to find your phone each time. A plus is if you are using it to back up your phone, and you lose your phone, you can find and or secure you phone without having to install additional recovery software on it. It uses Microsoft's MyPhone web site to address your phone, which is a plus.

Summary:
SmartPhoneTracker isn't worth the effort of getting it to work with 6.5 because what you get makes the least sense. Remote Tracker is a jaw dropper with its features and how well it works, but it sooner or later trashes your GPS, requiring a hard reset to get it back. Microsoft MyPhone while capable, is also a nuisance. The most practical choice of the four is Sprite Terminator. I don't know how SpriteSoftware got around the SMS change to HTC SMS that slayed the others, but it's evident they did.

Discoveries along the way:
When it comes to mapping, navigation routing that makes sense, finding what you want, dialing a number, voice recognition, etc., Bing slaughters Google Maps, and it works on any phone. Thus, Google, by restricting its best mapping features to Android, is actually fishing with no bait. However, when it comes to tracking yourself and a friend, such as on a trip, or coming half-way to meet each other, Google Latitude is pretty easy to use, and it requires Google Maps. You both need to have a GMail account to set up your friends. Microsoft has the same, but it requires you to have a FaceBook account to set up your friends, and thus is not e-mail specific. You can turn off broadcasting your position to any or all friends at any time.

[49311]

With my TP2 I use the smart phone tracker. Works really well and really accurate and has this cool little feature when you activate it, it will take a snap shot with your camera and remotely send it to you.

[IT_Architect]

Originally Posted by 49311

With my TP2 I use the smart phone tracker. Works really well and really accurate and has this cool little feature when you activate it, it will take a snap shot with your camera and remotely send it to you.

I know, and really got into it. I'm assuming you aren't using 6.5 with Sense 2.5 messaging. The author designed it for his TP2 phone running 6.1 and TouchFlo, and it wasn't designed for, nor does it play well with Sense 2.5 and Windows Mobile 6.5 on my Sprint HTC Touch Pro2. (Or any device running that software combo.) If it did, I'd use it, even if I had to pay for it.

They say misery loves company, and I have a lot of company on the Remote Tracker forum of other HTC Sense and Windows Mobile 6.5 guys. I wish it were not so. If anyone could get it to work right in that environment, let me know. It would also be incredibly good news to post on the Remote Tracker forum.

[Tybalt39]

From my post in the Smartphone Tracker thread:

Re: Smartphone Tracker
This works great on my TP2 with WM6.5 (stock Verizon MR2). The only problem is it eats through the battery very quickly in background mode. With OC'ing, I have been able to get up to three days on a full charge. With this software installed, I can't get through one day (just like the bad old days before OC'ing).

I'm using the latest version from the developers website. It adds the ability to take a photo and send it with the message containing the Google Maps location.

Anyone have a fix for this or a suggestion on settings? Is the drain because the program is constantly accessing the GPS? Is GPS normally not activated unless a specific application requires it?

Bottom Line:

Like the app and it's functionality
Not very useful if the device dies from a drained battery before it can be tracked!

[IT_Architect]

This works great on my TP2 with WM6.5 (stock Verizon MR2)...The only problem is it eats through the battery very quickly...

You're doing better than I. I had to use the HD commands to get it to get the queries to work at all. After sending the queries, the phone would exhibit all manner of strange behavior or simply freeze until I rebooted it.

With OC'ing, I have been able to get up to three days on a full charge.

What are you using to OC with?

[Tybalt39]

Originally Posted by IT_Architect

...What are you using to OC with?

Follow this link to the thread (or click on the link in my sig).

[IT_Architect]

Originally Posted by Tybalt39

Follow this link to the thread (or click on the link in my sig).

That points to the middle of a thread, and the page seems to be an entry point for OC_Auto. I currently have WiMoSpeed installed, but I haven't done any OCing with it yet. It doesn't look like anybody is burning out their TP2s by OCing, but I am concerned about it messing up my battery life simply to gain a little speed.

[Tybalt39]

Originally Posted by IT_Architect

That points to the middle of a thread, and the page seems to be an entry point for OC_Auto. I currently have WiMoSpeed installed, but I haven't done any OCing with it yet. It doesn't look like anybody is burning out their TP2s by OCing, but I am concerned about it messing up my battery life simply to gain a little speed.

You are correct about the "middle of a thread". The entries before that post referred to an older method of OC that lost popularity after OC_Auto came out.

I haven't tried WiMoSpeed (I will after my next hard reset), but I hear good things about it. OC_Auto has been working fine for me. It gives me easily three days per charge with heavy data use and light calling use, or over a day with heavy calling use. While I did purchase spare batteries (found at a good price in another thread), I am still using the original battery; the spares are on the shelf for use on trips if needed. No degradation in capacity.

Now, if only the tracking software didn't constantly drain the battery.... Makes me wonder how long the battery would last (with tracking) if the device weren't OC'd....