[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] vijay555:
Gadi asked me to comment on this idea, so my thoughts:

Writing the app is not difficult, this is basically just a reimplementation of the password redirect (custom password screens).

If the phone has password protection then you already can't access activesync. So this is a built in feature. Overriding the password protection is not easy (but may not be impossible...): see here

http://xdaforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=37693&highlight=password

The length of the password string is not so important. You could make it 2 digits, and lock the system immediately afterwards if it's wrong.

Why three attempts? I don't see that the length of the password is important so long as it's more then 1 digit. Only you should know the password, so you only need 1 attempt. Get it wrong = thief = lock immediately.

How do you intend to unlock the phone after it's in the locked state? After 3-4 attemps, how permanent is the lock? Is it so permanent that you can't even unlock it? How do you legitimately override it if the program has already locked you and everyone else out? You must either have a 12 digit password and infinite attemps, or any length password with a quick lockout, with some kind of override. What method would you use?

Activesync lockout is fine (and already built in), but as hb328_dtdd says what happens if he hardresets? Fine, put it in extended rom. But what if he reflashes? You can't burn the software into every new rom. I know you want to keep the phone locked in the splash screen, but I don't think it adds anything particularly useful. If you've got a good lock, you've got a good lock.

So, your thief has a locked phone he can't use. Options for him: try to unlock it, try to sell it, throw it away or give it back to you.

Selling it - well the new buyer will have the same problems as the thief.

Unlock it: Someone will know how to reflash the phone, and he'll reflash it and you've still lost your phone.

Throw it away: you've lost your phone.

Return it to you: highly unlikely, but perhaps the best aspect of your idea. Offering a reward may end up with the phone being returned to you, but you can already just put that info in your Owner Notes and display it on your password screen. But I think the thief will be quite silly to return it, and not many other people will find a $1000 phone on the grass and think "oooh, I should return this". I think > 50% people will put it in their pocket, and you're back at the start again..

So in conclusion, although possible, I don't see what it really adds over the standard password screen, other than perhaps put it in extended rom. And for this, we already have IIWPO.

Sorry for sounding critical, but I just don't think that password locking any phone will help much. It's better then nothing. But for me, the question always is, and with all due respect to him, because I love him, but imagine if Buzz finds your locked phone. How long will it be locked if he wants it? Many people on this board have the knowledge to reflash a phone.

There are 57,289 members of this board. That's a lot of potential clever thieves :) And this is not the only PPC board.

I think, if your phone is stolen, you're in trouble. Block the IMEI, call your insurance, and hope that you had any kind of password protection on it to protect your info.

V