The tip was to ensure that you wipe the data off your smartphone – iPhone or BlackBerry – before you trade it in. Whether you’re donating it or selling it, or just giving it to a friend, it’s important that you take all of your data off of it.

iPhone – Erasing Data

If you have the latest stable version of software on your iPhone, the data can be wiped securely. If you are running software earlier than 2.0, there is a way to hack it to dump the data.

The steps to erase the data on iPhones running 2.0 or later versions of the OS are to go to:

Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Contents and Settings

BlackBerry – Erasing Data

On the BlackBerry, thanks to BBGeeks, incorrectly enter your password 10 times then enter the code “blackberry” to trigger a wipe OR go to:

Options > Security Options > General Settings > Click the trackwheel/trackball on the Password field > Select “Wipe Handheld” > Enter “blackberry” when prompted

Also, if you’ve been following along with this blog, you’ll know that Absolute Software is beta testing Computrace Mobile for the BlackBerry right now. This will enable you to do a remote delete of your BlackBerry data in the event that your phone is lost or stolen. Stay tuned for more news on that soon!!

Images: Apple & BlackBerry