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Looking for a way to make sending text messages a little easier? Give PowerSMS a shot.

The free app is still in beta but is very well put together. With it you can:

• Note to Self: Quickly send yourself a text message without having to lookup your own name first. Makes sense.
• Group message: Just like it sounds. Set up groups and send them messages.
• Auto reply: Again, just like it sounds. Set it and forget it.
• Schedule SMS: Write a text and schedule it for later delivery.
• Cool stats: See how many messages you've received in a given time frame, average per day, most active day, most active hour and who you text most. You're probably aware of these stats, but it's a quick way for a soon-to-be-ex loved one to check up on you.
• Backup and restore: Hang on to those texts, or export as a .csv or .xml file.

Pretty handy stuff. The only thing I'd like to see added is the ability to send pictures, but that'd make it PowerMMS, now wouldn't it?

Check out more at the Trinket Software Web site, or download the CAB file directly here.

And for more SMS options, take a look at our reviews of SMS Chat and Vito Threaded SMS.

[via MSDN]

The HTC Touch Cruise - the keyboardless follow-up to the Touch and precursor to the Touch Diamond - never managed to officially made its way into the United States.

And while that didn't stop people from importing the device, tempers have flared as we've seen other phones in the HTC family receive update after update, most noticeably the Touch receiving updates to Windows Mobile 6.1, and the Diamond getting multiple ROM fixes.

Finally, it appears that the Touch Cruise will get some 6.1 love, at least according to HTC's Twitter feed.

@danyw We're in the process of making sure the Touch Cruise upgrade is rock solid. It should be ready for release soon!

So congrats, all you Touch Cruise owners. Looks like you have just a little bit longer to wait.

Via Mobile Tech Addicts

"Who is Johnny X? Johnny X is in trouble. Find out if Johnny X can regain his memory with the help of his Xperia X1 before the gangsters catch him."

That's the line embedded in the metadata of the advert site WhoIsJohnny-X.com.

Taking a play straight out of Sprint's Samsung Instinct advertising manual, SE is pimping the Xperia X1 in a movie-style web short, complete with Memento-esque memory loss and cryptic scribblings.

The clip is impressive. But we're less concerned with who Johnny-X is, and a little more interested in where's the bloody phone already?!?!?

If you listened to WMExperts Podcast 26, you would have heard that HTC was bringing back something that looks and feels like the original HTC Touch (aka the Elf, and elfin it was) but with the newer features found in the Diamond. Mal and I were a touch skeptical, but it looks as though Anton has been vindicated. Witness: the HTC Opal [via], which seems to fit the bill pretty nicely.

Pretty nicely, but not very nicely, it looks like we're seeing nearly identical specs to the original Touch -- EDGE / WiFi, 320x240 screen, and so on. The thing will run TouchFLO 3D, but we're guessing that it must be getting a little driver/graphics proc help because the TI OMAP 850 ain't likely to be able to get that particular job done. In other words, let's hope this doesn't retail at anywhere near top-shelf prices.

The iPhone isn

Launched less than two weeks ago, the Kinoma Play media player (check out our full review) already has rolled out its first update.

The update mostly appears to be bug fixes or "improvements."

The deets:

• More "finger-friendly" for phones with hi-resolution (VGA+) screens, including the HTC Touch Diamond.
• On touchscreen phones, the menu pod supports left and right swipes to move between menus.
• Norwegian language support (hilsener!).
• Improved support for phones with both slide-out QWERTY keyboards and phone keypads.
• Improved support for resuming video and audio streamed with Orb (requires Orb v2.01.0017 or newer).
• Improved compatibility with podcast feeds hosted by FeedBurner (say, for instance, the WM Experts podcast!)
• Improved Google Video compatibility.
• Correct presentation of multipart Audible audiobooks.

According Kinoma's blog, the application should automatically notify you of the update. Or, you can manually go to Player>Check for Updates.

We'd still like to see some adjustments to automatic (and overaggressive) media scan on startup. And any improvement to the memory footprint would be a good thing (when is it not?).

But for an application still in its Windows Mobile infancy, an upgrade this early is an obvious sign (as is the activity on Kinoma's forum as well as our own) that the company is paying attention.

We've been enjoying the Qik video streaming and recording service on our iPhones, Motorola, Samsung and Nokia phones for a while now, and HTC devices are finally getting some love [via], as is the Samsung ACE and the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1. (Congats if you actually have that in your fat little fingers.)

Qik's Web site lists the following devices as newly compatible:

• AT&T Tilt
• HTC Touch Dual
• HTC Touch Diamond
• HTC Touch Pro
• HTC TyTN II
• Samsung SPH-i325
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

Check out Qik's signup page for a full list of supported devices. And hit us up after the jump for Dieter's Qik test video.