Research In Motion (RIM) on Friday launched BlackBerry Protect in open Beta in North America and Latin America.

Much like Apple’s MobileMe service, BlackBerry Protect is a free application that allows users to wirelessly back up, restore and locate their BlackBerry smartphone.

BlackBerry Protect provides users with features such as remote device wipe, remote device lock, “Lost and Found” screen, locate device on a map, remote activation of the BlackBerry smartphone loud ringer, and wireless device backup and restore.

BlackBerry users can now install BlackBerry Protect for free from the BlackBerry App World Test Center. They also can find it at the BlackBerry Protect Web page, which is where users would need to go if they ever need help finding a misplaced BlackBerry smartphone once the BlackBerry Protect device software has been installed.