There is an article in today’s Toronto Star detailing Research In Motion’s (RIM) plan to release “a wireless device that aims to thwart thieves and ease the minds of those who are prone to misplacing their handheld units.”

From the article:

Details of the new device, which has not been announced by the company, are included in a recent patent application. The new device would be carried in a holster armed with a wireless transceiver. The handheld unit could be switched to a pickpocket mode so that once it’s removed from the holster, a wireless alert message would be sent to the user.

Unless a user authentication code is input in a predetermined length of time, the device’s data would be rendered unusable, according to the application, which was filed with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.

I think this is a good step towards wireless security and has been needed for quite some time. My only concern is careless users who set off ‘false alarm’ alarms due to not properly seating the phone in the holster. Only time will tell.

The full article can be read here.