[newtoblack]

I know there have been many posts re putting a password on your berry or at least activating it so nobody else can. Case in point-I was at the ATT store today and wanted to speed test the Iphone vs Bold since they were set right next to each other. Some customer placed a password on the Bold during the day and the employees were not able to figure out how to unlock it (aside fr completely reinstalling everything). So those who posted about enabling password, Thank You!! I will not make this mistake. Far too many pranksters out there. I guess it is a little funny, but only if you do it to a friend and then give them the password.

[jeffh]

Your friends' and family's personal, private information is in your call logs and address book. You can always get a new phone. Do you want some identity thief (or worse) having a family member's picture, home address, and phone number?

If you let someone play with your BlackBerry and they set a password, you have only yourself to blame. A user can't change the password without knowing the password, so if you have it properly protected, your friends can't set one as a joke.

[Branta]

The simple answer to the store problem was to trip the 'failed password' counter, and the phone would have reset itself.

For your concerns, I'm not sure whether you're saying this is a practical joke you won't be playing, or if you think the password feature is dangerous. To set the record straight, There is no problem to setting a password on your own phone, and it is the smartest single thing you can do if the phone ever goes into 'high risk' environments like pubs, airports, schools, offices, downtown streets, near your teenage kids...

Having a phone without a password is like leaving your house unlocked. Anyone can walk up with a new set of locks, and because the door is not secure there's nothing to stop them fitting their own locks and squatting your house. If you already locked the doors when you went out, all they can do is ring the bell. Going beyond that point makes them criminals and wins a free ride in a cop car.