At a time when smartphone use has become engrained in everyday life as a primary way to communicate, work and share, a new survey from Norton reveals that 33 percent of consumers in Canada1 and 36 percent of consumers in the U.S. have fallen victim to cell phone loss or theft2. These results make it clear that there is a growing need to protect important and personal information stored on smartphones.

To that end, Norton released today Norton Mobile Security 1.5, the only product for Android to seamlessly combine anti-theft features with powerful Norton mobile antimalware, giving consumers a sense of security in the event their phone is lost or stolen.

In the new survey commissioned by Norton, Toronto and neighbouring Mississauga, Ontario are revealed as the cities with the highest rate of cell phone loss or theft. Forty-eight percent of respondents in Toronto/Mississauga have experienced cell phone loss/theft. Montreal and Vancouver were the #2 and #3 cities in the survey with 32 and 31 percent of respondents experiencing loss/theft respectively. Respondents in Halifax by comparison only reported experiencing cell phone loss/theft 17 percent.

"Losing your phone or having it stolen can be quite traumatic for people, especially with the amount of personal information saved in cell phone nowadays," said Lynn Hargrove, Director of Consumer Solutions, Symantec Canada. "The most shocking finding from the survey to me was the fact that 70 percent of people did not password protect their phones - allowing anyone to access their information."

Frustration was the most dominant feeling consumers experienced when their mobile phone was lost or stolen, likely because 83 percent could neither remotely lock nor remotely wipe their phone’s memory afterwards and two-thirds (70 percent) of all smartphone users did not password protect their phones. An overwhelming majority of respondents contacted their mobile service provider to resolve the situation as the first step and ultimately reported that it cost an average of $170.85 to resolve.

"The survey results are clear: cell phone loss and theft is a significant issue for consumers today," said Laura Garcia-Manrique, vice president, Consumer Business Unit, Norton by Symantec. "Norton Mobile Security lets you determine your phone’s location, lock it up, or even wipe it clean in the event you’ll never see the device again. The response to the offering thus far - with more than 100,000 beta downloads and a 4 out of 5 star Android Market rating - confirms that consumers trust the Norton brand to protect them everywhere, regardless of the platform."

Norton Mobile Security 1.5 for Android
In addition to the ability to locate and remotely lock or wipe an Android phone, Norton Mobile Security includes antimalware functionality that automatically scans for malicious applications or spyware, and call/text blocking to avoid annoying or unwanted calls and text messages.

Top 5 Canadian Cities For Cell Phone Loss/Theft:

1. Toronto (Mississauga) - 48%
2. Montreal (Laval) - 32%
3. Vancouver (Surrey, Burnaby) - 31%
4. Calgary - 23%
5. Halifax - 17%

Product Availability
Norton Mobile Security is now available for a one-year license through select Symantec partners. Alternatively, consumers can download a free limited-trial beta version directly from the Android Market.

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