Phone Backup

[Tudor]

Out on the market is an app called Phone Backup.

I am pretty sure that the app is signed with a dev.cert., because on the installation process is popping up a warning message: "Application is for development use only. Continuing installation may cause serious problems to your device. Continue?"

As far as I know, is not legal to distribute (sell) an app signed with an dev. cert.

Actually I have contacted symbiansigned.com (I am registered user on developer.symbian.org forum)and they reply to me:

" It is against our legal Terms and Conditions to distribute applications using developer certificates. Can you let us know where you purchased the software from? You should not install any untrusted applications like this to your phone."

Even L.T., an Chief Engineer at Nokia in Finland (Senior Technology Expert at Nokia, Accredited Symbian Developer and S60 Accredited Developer) reply to me: "Definitely against Symbian Signed's terms and conditions."

This is the site selling that app.: call-spy.com

I did some inquiry about Dimans Ltd. (Companies House Agency 2404 Palisade Aveunstarred, London WC1B 3XD United Kingdom Phone: +44 303-253-0500 Fax: +44 303-253-050). Guess what: there is no company registered with this name in UK. Not even an offshore company.

Strings are leading to some guy located in my country...

I might be wrong, but apparently this is an unbranded version of Mobile-Spy app. (Internet version), dedicated probably for resellers. Please have a look on both GUI (similarities are more than obviously):

So, in this case, Retina-X Studios are in trouble because they are selling a dev.cert. signed app.?

I did some testing on boths app.:

1. Are not invisible at all on the target phone: can be easily spotted in Mngr.App list, and its visible as well if the target phone is connected to Nokia PC Suite. Go to Manager app. folder > INSTAPP text folder > view all installed apps, including that "stealth" Phone Backup.

2. Internet version is using just one APN (you have to configure that on target phone, on installation process), so if the target phone user is changing the sim-card issued by another carrier, than no more reports on web account. Pretty sad...

3. Absolutely curious, but this app have no "uninstall" option. How do they pass symbian testing criteria?

4. No remote commands. Once installed on the target phone, this app. can not be disabled if you don't have direct access to the target phone. No chance for "install and forget".

5. For sms forarding version: if target phone is running out of credit, app. is useless. Moreover, after 10-14 days (depends on traffic, if the target phone is receiving sms and phone calls), app. will be disabled by the OS because the internal memory will be on maximum load capacity.

This is a screenshot of Mobile Backup web account:

Can someone confirm that Phone Backup is a Retina-X product?

[Guest Ian]

Thanks for this. It will be looked in to.