BlackBerry Protect available for download in open beta

RIM has released the personal data security solution 'BlackBerry Protect' in open beta. This beta is currently available in North America and some of Latin America only, although there will be further country rollout to come in the next couple of months. As a reminder, BlackBerry Protect is a free application designed to keep your information secure if your BlackBerry smartphone goes missing. Download BlackBerry Protect then log into the website and you can lock, locate or wipe your smartphone from wherever you are. You can also choose to have your crucial data backed up wirelessly, and automatically, as often as you choose (daily, weekly, or monthly).

BlackBerry Protect helps you find your smartphone and protect your important information by:
+ Assisting in locating your BlackBerry smartphone on a map via GPS and cell-tower triangulation
+ Locking and setting a device password
+ Activating a special loud ring to help find your smartphone, even if it’s in silent mode
+ Displaying a custom message on the home screen so that anyone who finds it knows how to return it
+ Forcing an instant wireless backup of data even when you don’t have the smartphone with you
+ And as a last resort, securely wiping all information from your BlackBerry smartphone, including the data from your SD card.

Additionally, the new wireless backup and restore features include:
+ Automatically, periodically and wirelessly backing up your contacts, calendar appointments, memos, tasks, browser bookmarks, and text messages
+ Optionally restricting backup to when within Wi-Fi coverage or disable backup when roaming
+ Wirelessly restoring backed up data to a new BlackBerry smartphone

And finally, some of the key feature improvements:
+ Easier discovery and highlighting of BlackBerry Protect-related system messages
+ Better clarity in status messages
+ Unique and improved Loud Ring ringtone
+ Clearer, simpler and more descriptive UI icons and graphics

Important Notes:
+ BlackBerry Protect is free to all users on supported BlackBerry data plans. Contact your carrier to upgrade if your plan is not supported.
+ BlackBerry Protect is not compatible with devices that use the BlackBerry Enterprise Server or BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express.

You can now install BlackBerry Protect for free from the the BlackBerry App World Test Center.