The Samsung Galaxy S5 being one of the most well known smartphones in the market, you’d expect it to come with anti-theft features, right? After all, who wants to lose a new device? Insurance companies that have profitable tie-ups with carriers apparently want you to misplace your precious handset.
In an unexpected move by Verizon and US Cellular, their customers will get the Samsung Galaxy S5 pre-loaded with Find My Mobile and Reactivation Lock anti-theft software. Apple iOS gadget owners may be familiar with the Find my iPhone online application which lets them track and lock a stolen handset, get alerts if a new SIM card is inserted and wipe the device memory clean too.
Find My Mobile will offer a similar service. A factory reset is the first best option you have when you want to unlock and access a device on the sly, right? Well, Reactivation Lock can register odd attempts to reset the Galaxy S5 and reacts by asking for login credentials even after a factory reset is executed. Normally, you’d get a clean gadget with no passwords required.
The specs of the new Galaxy smartphone cover a 5.1-inch touchscreen, quad-core (or octa core) processor, 2GB RAM, 16/32GB onboard memory, 128GB microSD card support, 16MP main camera and Android KitKat OS. Users have to opt in to activate the anti-theft features. But need we really try and force you to do so and keep your precious data safe?
Follow this link if you want some quick and dirty details on the alleged nexus between carriers and insurance companies, from CNET. Meanwhile, rest assured, future owners of the Samsung Galaxy S5.