Microsoft has launched an online phone back up service called MyPhone. It's exclusively for handsets running on Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 OS. It is still in beta so the application has a limited set of features. What It Can And Can't Do It automatically backs up phone numbers (contacts), photos, video, calendar and appointments and text messages from a handset to the web. Users with a Windows Live id (what used to be your Hotmail id) can instantly download the application and log on while others will need to register online first. Storage space offered is 200 MB - which we think is fine for storing SMSs, photos, contacts and bits of information. The data is password-protected, like your email id, so is relatively safe. We noted one small security lapse - the mobile user can use someone else's email id as there is no background check performed by Microsoft to verify that the owners of the Windows Live account and the mobile are the same person. There are options to search and manage your contacts online - which may be more convenient than tapping away on handsets. It will definitely be easier to manage your text messages online. A screenshot provided by Microsoft is here. MyPhone has been programmed to automatically synchronize every night so users are not inconvenienced. You can also back up your data manually using the application. The problem I have faced with synchronising software is that they take too long. It will only work…
