Sony has announced the beta of its new My Xperia service that aims to help you find your Xperia handset if lost or stolen. 

My Xperia will first be available in beta in the Nordics starting with the Xperia Arcos S and moving to 2012 Xperia smartphones running ICS. In a phased move, it will then launch to Xperia users globally during Q2, where more handsets will be added. Presumably the new Xperia Z and whatever Sony plans to announce at MWC 2013 will be included.

The service seems easy enough to use, as users will only have to activate it through the phone's settings. It can be accessed using Google login credentials through myxperia.sonymobile.com, where users can then locate their smartphone on a map, sound an alert to get someone's attention, lock the phone, and erase both internal and external data. 

Apple offers a similar service for its iOS users dubbed Find My iPhone. Both the App Store and Google Play also offer third-party solutions for tracking a misplaced handset or tablet. 

In an era where a smartphone is as important and valuable as a wallet and keys, it's always a good idea to have security measures in-place in-case of unfortunate events. 

Sony seems to have a solid service here.