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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1877
124 MacDirectory
CLOSER LOOK
BLUERETRIEVER > A CLEVER SOLUTION TO A UNIVERSAL PROBLEM
You know the feeling; that wave of panic
that rolls over you when you realize that
you may have lost your phone. You
frantically scan the surroundings, pat
yourself down and empty your bags.
For a moment, nothing else matters.
Hopefully you also know the feeling of
relief that comes when you finally do find
your phone. This relief is often followed by
the realization of how valuable your
phone really is. It's more than just the
replacement cost, which can often be
hundreds of dollars, but also the
information that's on it and the outright
inconvenience of it all.
Unfortunately, for many, the relief of
finding that lost phone never comes.
Rather than turning up at the bottom of
the bag or in that extra deep pocket, it
was left in some public place,
unidentifiable and with no hope of ever
being reunited with its owner. But it
doesn't have to end this way, not any
more at least. Now there is a simple,
effective, and best of all, a free mobile
device retrieval service and it's called
BlueRetriever.
BlueRetriever is a privately funded start-up
that has developed a clever solution to
this universal problem by "merging the
powers of technology and goodwill," as
the firm puts it. It has created an intuitive
system that allows finders of BlueRetriever
protected devices to get in touch with the
device's owner through safe and
anonymous Web-based e-mail messaging.
The system also gives owners an easy
way to express their appreciation by
rewarding the finder of their device with
an e-gift card.
The concept behind BlueRetriever is quite
simple, really. Just about every mobile
device allows users to customize their
wallpapers. BlueRetriever taps into this
functionality by generating cool and
distinctive BlueRetreiver-branded
wallpapers, each with a unique ID number.
By displaying the wallpaper, the owner is
essentially tagging his or her device with
an identifying mark that is visible to a
potential finder. If the misplaced or
forgotten phone is picked up by a Good
Samaritan, the wallpaper steers the finder
to