Lost Phone Recovery is an application that ties into the RewardingReturn.com service for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This application tries to give incentive to those who find your device by offering a reward to return it.

When you open the application, you will have the option to either log in or register your device. Tapping the "Register" option will take you to a screen where you must fill out your personal contact information. Something to mention is that all of the fields must be filled out, so that if you are like me and do not have a second street address, filling it in with the word "None" is an acceptable solution. Once you have filled out your contact information, you will be asked to fill in a reward. You will then be asked to create a PIN so that you may log in and update your personal information, if you have the need to do so. After all of this, a wallpaper with a uniquely generated identification number will be saved to your device. You will be asked to use this as your wallpaper, as it contains instructions on how to report the device as lost, as well as the identification number to enter on their website.

Curious, I went ahead and reported my phone as lost. On the website, I entered my identification number as generated by the app, and was told that the owner would be contacted shortly. As of writing, it has been three hours without an email whatsoever; though this email may come tomorrow, and if it does, I will update my review in the comments section below. My main problem with this application is that it makes the finder of the lost device jump through an unnecessary amount of hoops without even detailing on how much the reward value is. The generated wallpaper does not contain any personal information, which some may enjoy; Though, if you had lost your expensive Apple device, more than likely you will be more concerned about retrieving your device than someone knowing your billing address. Besides, you are still giving your billing address to the website, so the point of keeping it from anyone is moot.

For the price this app is being offered at in the App Store, I recommend passing on it and saving your money. If, however, you are in need of a way to provide a return address, here is a free way to do so:

Open the notes application on your device. From here, tap the "+" sign to begin a new note. Type in "If found, return to:" then tap the return button on the keyboard a couple of times. After doing so, fill out your name, your address, your alternate phone number (if you have one), your email, and a reward amount if you choose to offer one. Once you have this information entered, take a screenshot (hold the power and menu button at the same time for a brief moment.) and use that as your wallpaper.