New software to track lost mobiles

There is good news for all of us,regarding the tracing of the lost cell phones.Isn't it amazing and interesting to know about? If this detective takes off, it will be more popular than Sherlock Holmes: a software to trace lost mobiles. Inspired to create a mobile-tracking solution after his 16-year-old son lost his cellphone, P Sekhar, chairman of Micro Technologies, began work on a programme to track phones. The code — downloadable at Rs 200-300 a year on most handsets from Micro’s website — allows the owner to track the exact location of his phone and the number of the new SIM card that has been inserted. As of now, the only action a subscriber can take is to frantically call the service provider and block his card.

He says: ‘‘A stolen phone is generally sold in the grey market. When a new SIM card is inserted, the solution embedded in the phone notifies the original owner of the new SIM card number and the location of the phone. Nine out of ten times, when the original caller calls the owner of the stolen phone, the third party returns the gadget.’’ Called the Lost Mobile Tracking Solution (LMTS), the e-sniffer which can track lost mobiles, is awaiting a patent. It was created with an investment of Rs 50 lakh, of which half has already been recovered in the four months of its launch in the Indian market. It would be safe to say that thousands of phones are stolen and lost in India every day, left behind in cabs, washrooms, restaurants and shops. In 2005, 20,000 cases of stolen mobiles (worth Rs 300 crore) were reported with the police. About eight crore mobile handsets were retailed in India in the same year.

Sekhar, who plans to market this solution worldwide , is in dialogue with five of the largest mobile manufacturers as well as the police, who say that lost mobile complaints are on the rise. He estimates that the market for such a solution could go up to Rs 30-40 crore within the next three years. The LMTS solution is currently restricted to GSM phones in which the SIM card is detachable. The solution is retailed in India through Micro Technologies’s large dealer and distribution networks and will soon be pushed through the mobile manufacturer route as well.

How to use the service
The basic requisite is possessing a smart phone with GPRS activated on it. Most telcos offer this service for a fixed fee every month You register online for LTMS at the Micro Technologies website. A user name and password is sent to you and you can download the software Once the software is activated, a link is sent to your phone. Clicking on the link leads you to a site where another piece of software is installed on your phone. Into this software, you type in the licence key.