Lost my N900
 

I have had about 20 odd mobile phones and in that about 14 are smartphones. Even today I have N900(had), Xperia X1, 3GS, myTouch 3G, an old O2 Atom, HTC touch and a Blackjack.

In all, I have never lost a mobile. So yesterday after reaching home from the airport I noticed that my precious N900 is missing. Frantic calls to the airport's lost and found and the taxi people yielded nothing.

The first 30 mins was the worst I have felt in a long time. Felt totally violated, the pictures, the contacts, the email, the phone. Out of habit I never do online banking on the phone so that's one off the list.

So I changed all the passwords, deactivated nuevasync to remove calendar and contacts from the phone. Changed all the IM passwords. Then realized this phone is a bigger nuisance to loose than many others. For example in an Android phone all I would have to do is change my google password. I hardly use any IM app and don't browse much to warrant a 'save password'. But this phone would log me in all the messengers as soon as its switched on. uh

T-Mobile said they can't do anything with the IMEI number, so paid $20 and got a new SIM today. Now, after the dust has settled. i need to find myself a phone. All the other phones won't have 3G with TMo and I hate the myTouch 3G

So I just finished ordering N900 from Amazon now (I actually made my friend stand in line @ the NY Nokia Store on its first day of release and get it to me). I would have probably got the N1 or waited for the HD2 (ha!) but the recent updates to the OS made me stick with N900.

Just wanted to share my exp and thoughts about this with fellow N9rs

Re: Lost my N900
 

argh :( too bad man....

Did u try to call ur own number when u realize that u lost ur phone?

i hope someone with a good heart has found it and saw your email... who knows maybe he/she will contact u?

Good luck pal and............ N900 FTW! :P

Hard to live without it now :P

Re: Lost my N900
 

Thanks, I kept calling for about an hour or so. full ring and nobody picked up. What I'm wondering now is, the phone would have died by now (battery) so the chance that someone has the micro charger to charge it and find my contacts are slim.

Anyways, getting the New one tomorrow. Now have to get a screen protector. Any suggestions? I hate the Zagg one. I was actually looking to replace it.

Re: Lost my N900
 

Wow man thats sooo sad

Thank God i never lost a mobile in my life...

This reminded me when i lost my Sanddisk Memory Stick (1GB)
I bought it for about 130$ when it first came out
I was reaaally depressed...etc, I felt like puking (LOL 4 real)

Anyway i hope you get another one ASAP...

Re: Lost my N900
 

this sucks, man... sorry

goes to show that password protection (of the phone) is a good idea, although if it was on when you lost it, it doesn't matter that much

Re: Lost my N900
 

Lucky you to still have money to get new one.

I've never lost a phone either, just broken one. I use lock code on my N900 in case it gets into wrong hands.

Re: Lost my N900
 

Makes me wonder what the best way to track your phone would be. If the device is stolen and the thief connects to the internet, the N900 could be prepared to notify the original owner about its location and maybe send pictures of its surroundings, ideally triggered by entering the wrong unlock code (which of course requires it to be set by the user).

I personally have my phone configured to connect to my openvpn server at home by default and use sshfs to copy files to and from it, as this way i can access the phones memory wherever it gets connected to the internet as the ip adress of the tunnel device stays the same - amazingly one can even change from wlan to 3g while copying files using sshfs, just some short freeze while the tunnel reconnects. It's not as fast as usb but it's very very convenient.
I now realized that if my phone would get lost, I still could connect to it and would have shell access (i'm pretty sure there would be a way to retrieve gps coordinates from the shell), however setting up a openvpn server is not what everybody does in his spare time, so I wonder if there is another, more easy way to keep the phone accessible from remote, or at least let it connect home in periods.

A dyndns client for the n900 might do the trick, if there is also an ssh server running on the device. If there is interest and it's not yet existing, I'd try compiling some dynamic dns client. Not sure how the different interfaces get handled, but i think it should at least be possible to make the device remote accessible when it connects to wlan.

Re: Lost my N900
 

If you have access to a an SSH account, you can keep a reverse port-forwarding open at all times (I use a simple looping shell-script and ssh-agent to keep the port-forward open all the times). Then you should be able to log into the phone remotely.

In cases like this, such a port-forward would let you log in to your phone to format it, wherever it is (as long as it has data connection of some sort). You might even be able to start up the GPS and figure out where it is :-) Not sure how to access the GPS from command line, though. Anyone else know?

Re: Lost my N900
 

But ain't there international blacklist for IMEI codes of the phones reported stolen? So reported phones can't access cellular networks. If this T-mobile doesn't do anything, I'd change operator asap! Thats poor service.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imei#Bl...stolen_devices

Re: Lost my N900
 

i would be more concerned about the data on the phone than about loosing the device itself (which also is great pain). Think of getting your laptop stolen. Being able to delete this data before someone else figures out where e.g. the passwords are stored - most likely in clear text - is worth quite a lot, at least to me.

The reverse ssh method sounds easy, as long as one has access to machine with an running ssh server.
Btw. in the case of running ssh + dyndns on the device I'd recommend to disable password based logins and the use of a public key instead.

Re: Lost my N900
 

Could you write a step by step approach to doing this?

Re: Lost my N900
 

Not that I had money lying around. I was about to order a Canon D50 and some lenses. had to put that on hold :(

Re: Lost my N900
 

I have seen it suggested that one could have a daemon check a URL periodically and, should the URL return a flag that the device has been lost, start sending position updates by whatewver means appropriate (text, email, even uploading via ftp, pixelpipe or using the google latitude scripts that are beind discussed on other threads?)

I can't find the thread I'm thinking of, but a bit of google-fu turned up this, the principles of which should be fairly easy to adapt?

What I would I would like reported in this situation:
1) Best positon data available (from all means at the device's disposal), with time stamp.
2) Last solid GPS position.
3) Photos from fore and aft cameras (to ease locating it if it was simply dropped/mislaid somewhere).

Typing this it occurs to me that simply taking a geotagged photo and uploading it would give most of the gen I'd be after...

Re: Lost my N900
 

I have a lock code on mine after 15 mins.

I was thinking about putting a DynDNS service on my phone that pushed its public IP out and updated a sub domain record ... say n900.mydomain.com. I have sshd on the n900 so that way surely I could get to my phone no matter where it was. Provided it wasn't off or out of service that is ;)... might give it a try now actually.

Re: Lost my N900
 

i want to remotely access my n900 also, mainly to acces system files, anyone able to help me???? thanks

Re: Lost my N900
 

eyn that really sucks, I feel for you. Ordering a new one so quickly is probably one of the better examples of device loyalty out there. I wonder if Nokia marketing reads this forum .. ;-)

If I were you (knock on wood), I'd probably wait to order a new one until after Thursday's announcement of a new device (?), mostly out of curiocity.

Re: Lost my N900
 

please some one make antitheft software

Re: Lost my N900
 

Maybe something for the Brainstorm!??!?!


We can "add" a notification (Owner info?) on an empty space when you enter PIN/PHONE code when you turn the phone on... You might actually have a chance to get your phone back if it felt in good hands :)


This is an important value for the Phone I think! :)

Re: Lost my N900
 

Wouldn't the Google Latitude updater package help locate N900's that get lost?

I'm not sure if this part is working yet, but one of the project's goals was to have a Latitude update daemon that can run automatically in the background.

I mean, so long as the phone has got power and is not in off line mode, it should update it's position every few minutes to Google Maps.

Re: Lost my N900
 

Currently all someone has to do to get access to the storage on the N900 is attach it to another PC as a mass storage device. The N900 "password" only protects the data when the device is turned on.

Try this:
1. Turn off device (thinking your data is secure)
2. Attach to PC as mass storage device
3. Peruse the data
4. Begin worrying

This is a massive security flaw (IMHO). Other phones that we laugh at (such as 3GS) even shred the data after too many attempt.

How do we get this fixed? Presumably it's a Nokia/Firmware thing rather than maemo...?

PS. Sorry, eyn, that you've lost your device. The only thing stopping me using the N900 for *everything* is just your situation with the above breach.

Re: Lost my N900
 

With Kaspersky Mobile AntiVir, you can set up an "anti-theft", where you you can block the entire phone with 1 SMS & track it down with the GPS system. It's pretty sweet! But it's not compatible with the N900.

Maybe there should be some sort of software available for the N900 similar to that. (Maybe there is?)

Edit: Oh and sorry to hear that you lost it! It sucks. I've lost 2.

Re: Lost my N900
 

Same here, just want to express my regrets. Fortunately you have a new one soon and most likely will not loose any identities.

Best regards,
Corwin

Re: Lost my N900
 

The problem with an SMS triggered solution is it relies on a thief not swapping SIMs. The odds of them being linux-savvy enough to spot a daemon looking for notification the device has been lost/stolen are, I reckon, slimmer.

Re: Lost my N900
 

I put it here:

http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php...318#post484318

Re: Lost my N900
 

o Install a ssh server on your N900
o if you want to be more secure follow this guide to change to public key based login: http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php...318#post484318

This step is not absolutely mandatory, however when not configuring to login a user on the N900 but as root (which is the default you get after an install of ssh-server), your files on the N900 will always be owned by root and you need tho chown them so the user does not encounter possible access right problems.

o install sshfs on you computer (no idea what to do for that on windows, I only have linux since years)
o mount any directory from the n900 to your computer by running on the computer:

If you have not configured to be able to login as user on N900 (149.44.171.3 is the ip of my N900 atm):
user@Laptop-> mkdir ~/N900
user@Laptop-> sshfs root@149.44.171.3/home/user/MyDocs ~/N900

Now you should be able to access MyDocs on N900 via ~/N900 on your computer.

If you have configured user access to the N900 via ssh, the commands are:

user@Laptop-> mkdir ~/N900
user@Laptop-> sshfs user@149.44.171.3/home/user/MyDocs ~/N900

Re: Lost my N900
 

sms triggered solutions might be an additional safety, but i'd actually prefer something wlan based. Chances are that someone just connects the device to some local wlan(which is still possible after the sim card is blocked e.g.) and then I'd have the connect i want.

Re: Lost my N900
 

I read all and INMHO this is the best solution:

A daemon running in background embedded in the OS, checking periodically (hours, days, can be setup by user) an address, sending IMEI, receiving answer. If answer is not OK then starts GPS, sends coordinates by any means.

I doubt that the thief will hold this phone off. Even if he will sell it, the buyer can be tracked by police and you will get your phone back.

But this must be enabled by default on the OS, not a daemon running or installable app. That will be very easy to turn off. And don't think that thieves today are ******s... they know very well what they are doing and this phone is not for anybody. The guy who will buy this from a shady person will for sure try to turn the feature off.

Re: Lost my N900
 

@everyone, thanks for the kind words. Anyways I didn't want to wait long for a phone. I'm basically from WM phones, so HD2 is my next target. if anything just for the 4.3' screen.

For now I had to get one that is available now and not something in spring. I hate android (it's almost not a smartphone) and I don't fancy being 1 in a million with the iPhone. Anyways, I love that you need to spend time even for petty things like arranging the menu or making a wallpaper. So for now there is no other I would buy...

So I don't think its device loyalty (I have never owned a Nokia before) but that I simply love the OS. And the deciding factor was their SW update, it looks like they do look at things we crib about and that's pretty impressive.

Re: Lost my N900
 

Came across this http://www.celltomap.com/ i dont know if it could help. Happened to me twice lost brand new phone left in the cab on my way to airport and another time in a coffee shop last one i got back theres still a good people out there. Horrible feeling like got mugged or something.

Re: Lost my N900
 

Just to let y'all know, that I am currently developing an application that can do this very thing. It's intended for far more than just finding your phone, however one of the features is that you will still be able to find the location of your phone and secure your data remotely. As I mentioned it's in the process of being developed and tested so I should have it ready for the public in a month or two.

Re: Lost my N900
 

Good to hear and very much appreciated :)

Re: Lost my N900
 

Sorry to hear your news, that's bad.
But all this talk of writing daemons to support remote wipe makes me laugh.
If Nokia's MfE supported MS Exchange properly with Provisioning, as it does on other devices, there would be no issue with lost or stolen phones. Password enforcement, remote wipe, device encryption, it should all be there out of the box. It's no-one but Nokia's fault that it isn't.

Re: Lost my N900
 

@northerner That would of course be a good thing, but then you need to set up a exchangeserver to do this. It's nice with a function that will work for all users, not only exchange-users.

Re: Lost my N900
 

Wow, sounds scary dude. Now I am trying to imagine what I would do in your shoes and I have had the phone for about 2 weeks now. Have a sinking feeling in my heart...

Re: Lost my N900
 

It's a standard, industry accepted service which Nokia refuse to support. Many N900 owners have it high on their wish list because they already have accounts on corporate servers that they want to access (little point carrying around an "all in your pocket" mobile computer if it can't access your work email or calendar). Even if you don't have (or want) access to a corporate server, there are plenty of suppliers offering MSE services (including Nuevasync which the OP was using) which give similar protection and peace of mind (and push email - seeing as the N900's IMAP implementation is also half-baked).

Point is, if you advertise something as MS Exchange 2003/2007 compatible, then you shouldn't be surprised when customers see that to be a nod towards corporate use, and therefore expect it to work with commonly implemented policies which no security concious enterprise would be without.

And seeing as those services are widely available and adopted (and even supported by Nokia themselves in other versions of MfE), to me it seems ludicrous to expect users to invent something else from scratch when there would be no need if Nokia had done their job properly in the first place.

Re: Lost my N900
 

also, the N900 uses a very generic charger, actually, it's the same charger that many LG phones use (Rumor2, Xenon). I bought a dollar store charger for my girlfriends Rumor2, and it works on my N900 also... :(

Re: Lost my N900
 

Would be nice to have something like Apple developed for their iPhones: http://www.apple.com/mobileme/whats-new/

Re: Lost my N900
 

Seeing as you can geo-locate from visible wifi access points, the output of "iwlist scanning" would be useful to get a location. Use "iwconfig" to find out which access point it's currently connected to.

iwlist and iwconfig are in wireless tools:
http://wiki.maemo.org/Documentation/...wireless-tools

Re: Lost my N900
 

lost my n900, doubt ill ever see its like again :( With the amount of space and number of applications etc phones are now offering, surely they will need to offer far better protection in some matter or another. one day your average phone will not be that different from the average pc (especially regarding the amount of documents that may be contained within it, that a thief may find rather useful, lol). you can stop your sim from working, but supposedly a thief can simply swap the sim and find a "crack" to stop the phones IMEI from being traceable, so it would seem theres no real solution at the moment