My favourite feature in Windows Phone is actually more than one feature: the features to help you find a lost phone.
Tonite I misplaced my phone. You have kids, you know what I’m talking about, dragging who-knows-what in from who-knows-where. And invariably, the phone gets misplaced or set somewhere in the mad dash of being a parent. BTW, this can apply to those without kids as well, given the demands of groceries, holiday shopping, getting around the office or whatever your schedule presents in a hectic day.
Did I leave it at the smoothie place? Could I have left it at my son’s drum lesson? Did I leave it on the counter at home, or on my desk at the office?
Enter Find My Phone from Windows Live. This free service was able to not only locate my phone on a map (reassuring me I hadn’t left it at the drum shop) but it was able to ring it even though it was set to vibrate only. CHecking the house and then the car: having slipped from my pocket, I heard the phone ringing under the driver’s seat. If I hadn’t tracked it down, Windows Live could also lock the phone remotely (and even put a “please return” note on the screen) or if all else failed, erase my phone.
Did I mention the features are free?
I. Absolutey. Love. It. And I’d say that even if I didn’t work at Microsoft.
To use Find My Phone, visit windowsphone.live.com and log in with the same Windows Live ID you registered on your phone. (See What is a Windows Live ID? and Which Windows Live ID should I use? to learn more about setting one up.)
Tags: articles, what I read, blogs, Microsoft, travel tips, Windows Phone 7.
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Dude, where’s my Windows Phone? How to locate your Windows Phone 7. How to find your Windows Phone 7.
2 replies on “Dude, where’s my Windows Phone? Found it, with Windows Live”
This happened to me today. Went grocery shopping. Got in car. Played with phone. Drove to wallgreens. Got back in car. Drove home. No phone. I do find phone and see the phone is somewhere I hadn't been. I must've dropped it in Wallgreens parking lot. I called several times, no answer. I finally locked my phone. Tried calling again. Finally, someone answered and they happened to live on the same street as me. Walked over there and got my phone back. If it wasn't for the locking feature, the person may have kept the phone.
Awesome features!
Awesome, especially being able to see the phone's location on the map. Good stuff.