Windows Phone Thoughts: Microsoft's My Phone Service Put to the Test

"The short video segment showcases the Microsoft My Phone service which, amongst other things, allows users to locate and retrieve a lost mobile phone. Watch as host Natali DelConte tosses her AT&T HTC Pure into the back of a cab as it drives straight into the heart of New York City. Laugh Be concerned when the GPS signal fails and the phone is no longer traceable, seemingly lost forever..."

CNET's Senior Editor Natali DelConte tested Microsoft's My Phone tracking service, which helps users locate misplaced (or stolen) smartphones, by throwing it into the back of a cab in New York City and seeing how successful she is recovering it by using the service. In the end the GPS tracking feature didn't help, but the phone was returned by a good samaritan who saw a message on the phone's screen that was sent using the service.

I signed up for the My Phone service recently, and while I find the service useful there are still some areas for improvement like the map tracking feature. It'd be nice if the service could pinpoint a devices location much closer than a 1 mile radius, so good luck finding your phone in a place like New York city. The more useful features in my opinion are the ability to lock your phone and display a custom message on screen on what to do if found, ring the phone loudly (even if the phone is set to silent or vibrate as it will override the settings), remotely delete messages and files or erase all data entirely. It also allows you to do an automatic or manual backup your phone's text messages and data (including data stored on memory cards) to the "cloud."

Have you used Microsoft My Phone or similar service to recover a lost device? Tell us your stories and/or what you'd like to see in future versions of phone tracking services. And for a video walk-through (via PocketNow) of My Phone, click here.