In stores now: Find my iPhone

CUPERTINO, California - It's an application you hope you never have to use -- but if you do, Apple's "Find My iPhone" app is sure is nice to have.

I found that out the hard way a couple of days ago when my iPhone 4 went missing. I was running errands and after a while, realized it was gone. After about a half hour of retracing my steps and returning home to make sure I hadn't left it behind, I realized it was really missing.

That's when I launched the "Find My iPhone" app -- and within seconds, it "found" my phone about a half mile from my home. I drove to the location -- a private house. I called the police and an officer came by to knock on the door and ask for the phone. A gentleman said he had found it in the parking lot of one of the malls I had visited -- and returned it to me.

Find My iPhone is free if you have an iPhone 4, iPad or 4th generation iPod touch. You have to activate the device to allow you to look for it if it goes missing -- then any other Apple device with an iOS 4.2 or later will let you find it.

The app is also included with a subscription to MobileMe.

The app also lets you display a message on the device, play a sound or lock the device. Or if the person who "found" doesn't seem to want to return it, you can electronically wipe it clean to remove your data.
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by Oscar Wells Gabriel II

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)