Like PCs and laptops, smartphones and tablets are susceptible to nefarious intrusion or attacks from ill-mannered, discourteous people. To safeguard your data and privacy, you need protection against such impolite behavior. Here's an option that covers the gamut.
Norton 360 Multi-Device by Symantec, www.symantec.com,provides protection against viruses, unsafe websites, and other threats for any combination of up to five Android smartphones and tablet devices, as well as your PCs or Macs, in a single integrated solution. It detects and removes mobile threats from your smartphone, preventing cybercriminals from eavesdropping, stealing your data, sending spam texts and taking control of your mobile device.
Norton 360 Multi-Device provides tracking and recovery for lost or stolen Android mobile devices, showing the location of your smartphone or tablet via web or SMS (short message service). You can remotely lock the device, precluding strangers viewing your data or using the device and also remotely delete files, including any data on your phone's memory card. If your phone has a front-facing camera, Sneak Peek in “lost mode” snaps photos of anyone in front of your webcam-enabled device and saves the images to the Norton Anti-Theft website. Web-based Lost Notice displays a customizable message to anyone who finds your missing smartphone or tablet, making it easy for an honest person to return the phone to you.
Norton 360 Multi-Device also protects your identity by warning you of phishing websites that (masquerading as legitimate) could steal your personal information and by remembering, securing and automatically entering your website logins. It also identifies safe websites, proactively blocks unsafe sites and stops online threats before your browser even loads. Other key features include Norton Safe Web for Facebook,e-mail and Instant Message monitoring, and free support around the clock.
Norton 360 Multi-Device also includes Start-Up Manager to speed up initial start-up, optimizes your hard disk, removes Windows temporary files and Internet Explorer temporary files, and cleans up broken Windows registry entries, helping your computer run smoothly. You can also schedule backups to a disk, USB device or online to a cloud-based Symantec secure data center.
The solution also provides ways to block calls and text messages from specific people or phone numbers and, for times when you misplace your phone, includes a “scream” alarm locator that lets you send a text to the phone that sets off a scream, so you can find it fast.
Handy apps
Here are some handy apps for your Android devices to create, edit, save, open and share files (or some combination thereof). The eWO Plus! Work Order Generator for Android devices, www.tractree.com, can be used by field technicians to produce a customizable work slip of work performed — parts used and labor time on a service call or preventive maintenance call — and e-mail a PDF of it to the customer. The tech can also attach photos taken with the Android device's camera. The app includes capability for electronic signature capture so the customer can sign the work order on an Android phone or tablet screen. Users can store common projects or customers, parts and checklists. A free eWO Lite version is available for download, enabling a try before upgrading to eWO Plus.
Autocad WSapps for Android and for iPhone and iPad, www.autocadws.com, gives the ability to open 2D and 3D DWG files, edit them, and share them with others. The app allows users to add new objects and text, accurately draw lines, polylines and circles, and edit and add text. Users can share drawings with others to view and edit online and see each other's edits in real time. Drawings can be viewed in model colors or in grayscale mode. Featuring an intuitive touch and gesture interface, users can scale, rotate and move objects. Changes are available in the user's online account for viewing, editing and download. Office access enables editing files without an Internet connection with edits synced back later.
Handy Scanner Pro, www.halfmobile.net, (free limited version or ad-free paid version) turns an Android phone or tablet into a document scanner. The ad-free app takes a picture of your document and turns it into a PDF file that can be saved, sent by e-mail or shared to any application (including cloud-based document saving apps such as DropBox). Handy Scanner Pro also changes the background of the document to white, while keeping the other colors, making it easier to read and less ink-intensive to print. Designed-in algorithms help with aligning the document, straightening it and fixing perspectives and enhance readability. The app includes access to advanced fine-tune controls to adjust contrast and brightness. There is no limit to the number of documents or number of pages per document that can be scanned.
DropBox, www.dropbox.com, is a free service that saves documents, photos and videos in the cloud, with access from all your computers and Android devices. It also saves all that to the Dropbox website as well. Any change to a document is updated on all devices.
Bill and Patti Feldman write articles and web content for trade magazines and manufacturers of building products. They can be reached at [email protected].