Our phones have become our lives - embedding our calendars, cameras, contacts and our link to the outside world into one slim, handheld device. This sounds great - until that smartphone is stolen or lost, along with all that precious information. What's more, it costs money to replace. According to police figures, 5,787 phones were reported lost or stolen last year, compared with 4,892 in 2010.
Lawmaker Albert Ho Chun-yan recently asked security secretary Lai Tung-kwok about reporting and recovering lost mobile phones. Lai said most stolen phones were smuggled out of Hong Kong for resale, but police still kept an eye on places where stolen goods were sold.
While the police don't keep statistics on loss and recovery, Lai advised people to install software to keep track of lost phones or to lock them.
There are many apps for tracking and managing data. Some not only sync more conveniently than built-in functions, but provide added security for personal files or enable remote deletion. The first step is to activate built-in tracking tools.
Apple's Find My iPhone (or iPad) app relies on iCloud. Android phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 come with built-in Find My Mobile functions. Both use the internet and work if the phone has a 3G or Wi-fi connection, even if the Sim card has been removed.
The free Find My iPhone app's remote functions range greatly. First call is to upload a message, which displays even on a locked screen - or make the device play a sound to aid locating it.