There aren't that many viruses or malware made for mobile platforms. That will surely change in the future, as handhelds and mobiles become more connected. Right now though installing anti-virus software onto your smartphone or PDA isn't an absolute must. So it may seem that there's no need to be careful when trying out new software on your gadget.

Yet when a friend installed software onto his discounted Treo 650, he learned the hard way why scrutiny must also apply to these kind of programs. He was installing a cracked version of Ringo (to avoid paying the $19.95 registration fee, hee hee) Nothing bad happened to his 650, but after syncing the smartphone with his computer, he suddenly found spyware that wasn't there before. Somehow, the bad code found its way into the system through the syncing process.

Yes, suspect mobile software may not be as destructive as their desktop counterparts. But the lesson we can learn while my friend reformats his computer is that evil people out there are constantly coming up with new ways to sneak in. That's why looking before you leap is even more necessary. Perhaps scanning the files before uploading them onto your smartphone or PDA is a wise move.