BlackBerry PlayBook Security Tips: How to Protect Your Tablet
Boost your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet security and protect your personal privacy with these simple tips and tricks, from CIO.com's mobile maestro Al Sacco.
CIO
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Research In Motion's (RIM) (RIM) much-anticipated BlackBerry PlayBook tablet hit stores this week in the United States and Canada. RIM has reportedly shipped some 50,000 PlayBooks--a mere fraction of the hundreds of thousands of iPads Apple sold on its recent launch day, but a healthy chuck of gadgets nonetheless.
Whether you're lucky enough to already have a BlackBerry PlayBook or are still considering the purchase, you'll be happy to know that RIM packed a number of valuable security safeguards into its tablet to help ensure that your PlayBook experience is a safe, secure and private one.
The following BlackBerry PlayBook tablet security and privacy tips address how to browse the Web safely, how to deal with lost or stolen devices, and more.
BlackBerry PlayBook Password--On Tablet and "Bridged" Smartphone
One of the easiest, most effective ways to protect your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and all the potentially-sensitive data on it is by assigning a security password to restrict unauthorized access.
To set a BlackBerry PlayBook password, simply click your PlayBook Settings icon in the top right corner of your tablet's home screen--the icon looks like a gear of some sort. Next, click the Security option from the list on the left of your PlayBook screen, then tap Password from the options that appear in the center of your display.
Make sure the Enable Password option is set to On, and then enter in your new password twice to confirm it. Finally, I recommend setting your Password Lock After options to one of the lowest settings: either one or two minutes. Exit out of the Security/Password options and your PlayBook is now password protected.
Note: It's also a good idea to protect your BlackBerry smartphone, if you employ one, with a handset password, but you should know that if you do use a BlackBerry smartphone password, you'll need to enter it every time you want to access core BlackBerry apps via the PlayBook's "BlackBerry Bridge" application. (For more on BlackBerry handheld security read, "BlackBerry Security Basics." And check out this video for a look at BlackBerry Bridge in action.)
