Mobyko aims to safeguard mobile users' content

Despite many initiatives designed to prevent and reduce mobile phone theft, losing or having a device stolen is still a major bugbear for many, but now users can take some comfort in a new service called Mobyko aimed at restoring mobile content.

The free online service lets users, both consumers and businesses, store their mobile address books, texts, pictures and videos so that their data still exists even when their device is long gone.

The service's creator hopes that the innovation will help reduce the headache associated with trying to replace contacts or other types of mobile content. Research carried out by Halifax Home Insurance estimates the financial impact of stolen phones in the UK to be in the region of £390 million each year.

It's simply a case of visiting the website and signing up to add your data to the growing database - at the time of publication, Mobyko had 56,778 contacts securely stored and this number is expected to increase rapidly as the service gains momentum.

Users can also make use of the site to text everyone in their contacts book to inform them when they have been a victim of mobile theft or loss, or in the less traumatic event of a flat battery.

"We all rely heavily on our mobile phones as our connection to the outside world and increasingly as our address book, photo album or even video library," said Julian Saunders, Mobyko's founder and chief executive.

"So, regardless of whether you're a teenager, working mother or high flying business traveller, Mobyko is the ideal solution to store and secure what's important on your mobile phone."

The new offering covers around 90 per cent of the current handset market, with the only exception being PDAs, Samsung handsets and phones on the 3 UK network, but the company's website states that this may change as it is hoping to increase compatibility levels in the future.

In its current form, Mobyko, which also offers a premium version of the service with a dedicated support line and other benefits for £24.99 a year, is largely experimental and its future direction will be heavily influenced by users' reaction, according to a company spokesperson.

Email to a friend

Print this page

Social Bookmark this article: What is this?

Digg

Delicious

Reddit

StumbleUpon

Slashdot

Google

Facebook