It's a known fact that lost handhelds pose as security risks for companies and consumers. Here to help you protect your Pocket PC with a flourish are five top encryption programs.

Price: US$39.99	1.	Signwise Professional 2.51    The signature is considered one of the most socially accepted biometric methods. As it's easier to sign to get access, Canadian software developer, carrot4free Software, came up with Signwise which allows you to do just that. This utility prompts you to acknowledge by signing on a login screen that displays your owner information. Plus, it offers 128-bit file encryption to keep your documents from prying eyes. Signwise is tested by the company to work on all Pocket PC devices. Download now Download 4302K
Price: US$14.95	2.	PicturePassword 1.0   If you find entering passwords on your handheld a hassle, try PicturePassword. It lets you gain entry to your PDA with a single tap on a predefined spot on the screen. It doesn't get any faster than that. Adding to the fun is the ability to personalise with images of your choice. If you prefer, the program also offers the convenience of unlocking your PDA by a series of hardware button presses. PicturePassword works on most Pocket PCs except the HP iPaq 5xxx series. Palm users aren't left out, too, as there's a version that works on devices running on Palm OS 3.5 to 5.x. Download now Download 338K
Price: Free	3.	LogoLogin 1.0   As part of its community building effort, the people behind PicturePassword have released a freeware called LogoLogin. This stripped-down version doesn't offer many features compared with its full-fledged brother. Still, this gets the job done without needing you to pay a cent. Download now Download 183K
Price: US$11.25	4.	Touch Password Protection 2.3   Touch Password Protection uses a mechanism similar to PicturePassword. You tap, in a predetermined sequence, around the screen border of your PDA to unlock it. The center of the screen is left for you to clear the sequence in case you input wrongly. What's handy about it is that it presents you with an overview of your appointments and tasks akin to the familiar Today screen. So if you want a quick glance of your schedule, you needn't login. Download now Download 633K
Price: US$49.95	5.	Sentry 2020 2.3    If data integrity is of utmost importance to you, SoftWinter's Sentry 2020 will be your best bet to protect your information on your Pocket PC. What's great about this software is its ability to seamlessly encrypt documents when accessed by the applications on your handheld. This works transparently and the 256-bit encryption should prove dependable for most users. In addition, it has support for external media like CompactFlash cards. Unfortunately, the price tag of US$49.95 is a little steep for general consumers. Download now Download 229K

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