Why it might be time to give Lookout a second look
Lookout Security & Antivirus released a pretty major update yesterday – one that brought so many improvements, it’s got me thinking twice about an earlier decision I made to not install it on my HTC EVO 4G LTE.
One of the neatest new features is called Signal Flare. This will help users find lost or stolen phones even with a dying or dead battery; it works by alerting the online dashboard as to the phone’s last known location before the battery dies. Even though the new EVO has decent battery life already, it seems that as smartphones suck up more and more juice, it’s making the jobs of apps like Lookout harder and harder – so I’m happy to see the developers taking this into consideration.
Some other new enhancements include dialer protection, which could help protect against that threat we reported on last month, along with a new activity feed that informs users of safe browsing history, recent scans, app updates, etc.
Previously, I never really saw the need for Lookout. I don’t download pirated apps, and Chrome for Android does a good job of protecting me against malicious links. I’ve never lost my phone (knock on wood), and even if I do, I already purchased Seek Droid a long time ago, and that seems to do the job quite nicely most of the time.
However, as our smartphones become more complicated, we are in need of more intricate solutions – and Lookout seems to be at the forefront of innovation, at least as far as mobile security is concerned. Of course, I still think that the app is a little bloated (I don’t need cloud backup of my contacts, for example, since Google already does that). But these latest updates just might make me consider this app once more.
As always, Lookout says that basic security features are free, but you should pay $2.99/month for “complete protection.”
Download: Google Play
