Review: MotionApps mSafe

This is part three in our remote lock/wipe smack down. In part 1 we looked at Sprite Terminator and in part 2 we reviewed Corsoft Warden Pro. Stay tuned for the comparison of all of the software that we’ve looked at in this series.

MotionApps develops a number of applications for Windows Mobile and the PalmOS. mSafe, which is available for both platforms, and is available in both PocketPC and Smartphone (Professional and Standard) versions for Windows Mobile, is their remote lock/wipe tool. Keep reading for all the gory details.

Setup

Configuration of mSafe is one of the more straightforward that I’ve come across in this series. A Windows Mobile system password is required and triggers for the lock and wipe functions are configured separately. mSafe can also be configured to reply either to the sender or to a specified number with the status of the lock (or wipe) command. Checkboxes for formatting your storage card are configured separately for remote locks and remote wipes.

Execution

As is the standard in applications of this type, mSafe is designed to listen for specially formatted incoming SMS messages. mSafe can be configured to lock your device when the wireless connectivity is disabled or coverage is lost as well as when the storage card is removed. SMS messages are using the “mSafe [command] [lock trigger]” format. For example, if my lock trigger was “wmexperts” and I wanted to lock my device, I would send a text message with a body of “mSafe lock wmexperts” to my phone.

Conclusion

As far as being a remote lock/wipe application, mSafe is no more and no less. There is not really any additional functionality built in, but they didn’t leave anything out either. PocketPC and Smartphone editions are both available for $19.99 from MotionApps, which is pretty reasonable. Update: Since the writing of this article the price for mSafe has dropped to $9.99. You can purchase it here. Update: The $9.99 price point was a limited time deal. The price is back up to $19.99. I thought that the “mSafe will lock your Treo:” line on the Lock Settings screen (see the screenshot) was a little tacky considering this can be run on any Windows Mobile device (works perfectly on my Tilt).

Since this is part 3 of the series, I’m curious what the readers are thinking as far as a comparison of the features between what I’ve reviewed so far. Are there any features that you think are missing across the board? What do you think about the pricing between the different apps and the value of the features compared to the cost? Also, keep an eye out for the conclusion of the series coming soon.