I was approached by Convenience Software, the makers of GetItBack, to do a little review of their product. I must admit, at first I couldn’t see where I would ever personally use an application with these capabilities. Let me be the first to tell you, I stand corrected. After using the program for a few days now, I couldnt think of walking outside with my BlackBerry without it.
The application comes in two parts. There is a small application that is installed on the device, and a server side portion that requires logging in to a web site. Buy it here! The Home page has an excellent break down of the service and I will not overwhelm you with the details, but to quote a few:
BlackBerry Statistics
With the new web-interface, you can view vital statistics about your BlackBerry which are updated every thirty seconds including: battery life, backlight state and lock state.BlackBerry Controller
Another feature of the web-interface is the ability to remotely control your BlackBerry. You can make it ring (even if it’s on silent), activate an alarm, make it call you, and make it display a custom messageSIM Number
GetItBack’s Web Interface will also tell you your phone’s SIM number, so if the thief replaces your SIM card, you can easily track and retrieve your phone.GPS Location
GetItBack’s Web Interface will even show you your phone’s GPS coordinates (if they are available on your device), and you will be able to see your phone’s location overlayed on Yahoo! Maps.
As you can see the application provides a laundry list of information to assist with the return of your device. In my experience the mapping feature (which can refresh itself in as little as 30 seconds) is extremely accurate, with not only a street view, but also satellite and hybrid views. Even going inside, the map will show the last known GPS coordinates, which was in most cases, marked as the building I was in.
Still on the fence? How about signing up your entire family’s devices, and being able to log into the web portal from any other BlackBerry? Ever lost your device in your house and cant find where it is, wishing it had a homing device built-in? Log in to the web portal and quickly send a message to the device to turn on your alarm or ringer. The music will continue to play until you either mark it found or pick up the device and silence it. No more calling from another device - that you may or may not have readily available - over and over just to find your misplaced BlackBerry.
Another great example? A corporation using a BES. We all know that the device can be remotely wiped/locked. You can also track the device via the BES. But what about being able to locate any of your employees’ devices, being able to see where they left their device, or track the cab that they left their BlackBerry in. With a 30 second refresh on the GPS map, as long as the device has power, you can see where it is with as much accuracy as any of the on-device GPS applications reveal. Now a BlackBerry Administrator can not only administer the devices, but we can now see where they are in near real time.
A few images are on the website as well, including the one used in this article. All in all, this is one of the best applications that I have used. Tech support was very quick to respond to the only issue that I had (on an OS that is not yet released to the public). This works beautifully on the 4.5 releases, including the many beta versions floating around. I would strongly recommend that you at least try this application out, because all it will take is just one use and you will be hooked
5 comments:
Sweet program! Downloaded the free trial and loved it so I got the full verison, thanks BBHP.
I've made a handful of calls AND sent just as many e-mails to try and get a simple matter resolved, to no avail.
IRONIC that their company name is "Convenience Software"
LOL
To all those experiencing customer service problems,
My name is Dan and I am the creator of Convenience Software. Let me first say I am extremely sorry that so many have been experiencing problems with our customer service. From this point on my business partner and I are personally taking charge of all customer service issues and plan on addressing all issues completely and in a timely
manner. At this point I believe I have responded to all those who have voiced concerns via phone or email and hope their issues have been resolved. It is a personal embarassment to me that Convenience Software has been anything but "convenient" over these past few days but rest assured steps have been taken to rectify this problem. Rest assured that the issue people have been having with the install applys only to very specific phones in certain situations and the vast majority of our customers have had no problems with the installation or use of the program. Additionally, we are currently fixing the problem and should have it solved in the next couple of days.
We truly want the best for you, your family, your business and anyone else who uses our software. It is supposed to make life easier, not more difficult.
Let me remind all customers that there is a 30 day 100% money back guarantee on all of our software. If you purchase any of our programs and we cannot satisfy you in any way, we will happily refund the full purchase price.
Again, I sincerely apologize to anyone who has ANY issues with our company and hope to regain any goodwill we may have lost in the past few days. Thank you and if you have further questions feel free to email me at techsupport@conveniencesoftware.com.
Thanks again,
Dan
I am running this on my 8310 and haven't had any issues with it.
Wondering how many of those saying it doesn't work are running a 4.5 beta on their blackBerry. LOL. There's a reason it's a BETA operating system. HAHA...
Jason,
That is great to hear. I love getting positive feedback on the software I produce and hope to get more positive feedback about our tech support in the coming weeks. Additionally, we are in the process of adding an FAQ section to our homepage, hopefully allowing customers to solve some of their own issues quickly and "conveniently."
Thanks again!
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