Gadgetory

hey guys I'm Sharon Vaknin frissina with the lowdown on how to find a lost or stolen android phone first let's talk about a couple apps that you can install now as a precaution just in case you ever misplace your phone or it falls in the wrong hands at a minimum download contact owner this free app allows you to place contact information on the lock screen so that if a decent person finds your phone you'll be able to get ahold of you without unlocking it once it's installed just choose your contact info from this option here then lock your device and you'll see that your info shows up on the lock screen that's a good start but what if you lose your phone and no one finds it or if what if someone steals it and you want to know where the perp with your phone is located lots of apps let you locate your phone and do other useful things remotely like send an alarm a text message and even wipe your device after some research and testing the best deal on such an app is where's my droid it's free does almost all these things and is super easy to set up once you've installed the app you don't have to wait until you've lost your phone to try it out but you will need to borrow someone else's phone to find yours first text wmd GPS to your number you'll receive a series of four texts the first will tell you to hang on while it finds your phone when where's my droid locates your device you'll get text messages with the phone's latitude and longitude a Google map link and the nearest address to the device now you can use that info to figure out where you left that darn phone and if you think you're close to your phone but it's on silent you can make it ring just text wmd ring and your phone will sound you can change these commands by adjusting the settings in the app and if you want features like remote wipe you can purchase the pro version for 4 bucks from within the app now if you're watching this video because you lost your phone before using any of these precautionary measures there is still hope for you check out plan B it's from the makers of the popular lookout security app once you've lost your phone you can remotely install plan B from the Android Market website and within a few minutes your phone's location will be sent to the email address associated with your phone if you have any questions shoot me a line on Twitter and subscribe to my Facebook page for more of my tips and tricks for cnet.com I'm Sharon Vaknin