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Tuesday, December 22, 2009
The New Look Of Mobile Security
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BURLINGAME, Calif. - A start-up called Lookout is trying to make phones safer and views itself as the "Symantec or McAfee of the mobile space."
In 2010, the company will offer software that can scan phones to determine which apps are safe and which are not. "Applying PC solutions to a mobile problem just won't work," Lookout Chief Executive John Haring told Forbes magazine.
Here's how Lookout's technology works: You download the software, sign up for an account and configure the options you want to enable. The software offers anti-virus, data backup and device location. Then, when you download a new app from, say, the Android Marketplace, Lookout's software automatically scans the app and alerts you to take action if an app contains spyware or other malware.
"As marketplaces become more open, and a guy from Romania is next to Google, it becomes hard to tell what's good and what's not," says Lookout Chief Technologist Kevin Mahaffey. "We see a tremendous need for someone to pass an opinion."
Lookout's technology works on Microsoft Windows Mobile, Google's Android, Apple iPhone and Research In Motion's BlackBerry platforms.
Haring says Lookout will release all of the applications in 2010, and begin development for the Symbian platform, the world's most popular mobile operating system. For now the software is free to use, and Lookout plans to introduce premium features and subscription accounts later next year.
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Author: Staff Writer
Source:
Forbes Magazine
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