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T-Mobile is hiking their per-SMS rate up to 20 cents per (for those not on unlimited plans) starting August 29th. This brings them in line with most of the other carriers' costs. SMS rates have climbed steadily over the past couple of years, which makes it clear to us that the technology is just plain untenable and needs to be abandoned. Clearly, each character in these 160 character messages needs to be wrapped in plastic and driven by truck between cell towers. This explains the rate hikes -- the rapidly increasing price of gasoline is taking its toll on cell phone companies. See, it's the gas....

Oh, wait, that's not how it works. As carriers build out their network and their infrastructure it actually costs them less to deliver a text message now than it used to and the per-message infrastructure cost to them is likely still decreasing. We know that you're corporations in it to make money, guys, but raising per-SMS costs is starting to feel egregious. Why not follow Alltel's example? They've made SMS's within your “fave 5” free.

Lookie, lookie. Someone's got their hands on the roadmap of upcoming devices for AT&T.

What you can expect later this year, in the fourth quarter:

New Pantech Duo:

• Windows Mobile SP 6.1
• Tri-band HSDPA (3.6)/Quad-band EDGE
• 528 MHz Processor
• 128MB RAM
• 256MB ROM
• USB, Bluetooth 2.0
• Micro SD
• 2 MP Camera
• GPS

The current Pantech Duo will get a WinMo 6.1 upgrade in October.

Samsung Blackjack 2: Upgrade to 6.1 sometime this month.

Motorola Q9H: Upgrade to 6.1 sometime this month.

Samsung Blackjack 3 (the i788):

• Windows Mobile SP 6.1
• Tri-band HSDPA (3.6); Quad-band EDGE
• 528 MHz processor
• 128MB RAM/ 256MB ROM
• Camera 3 MP
• AGPS
• VSC
• WiFi

AT&T Tilt: Upgrade to 6.1 sometime this month.

AT&T Tilt 2:

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition
• Tri-band HSDPA (3.6); Quad-band EDGE
• Qualcomm 528 MHz processor
• 256MB ROM/ 128MB RAM
• 3.0 MP camera
• WiFi; Bluetooth 2.0
• PTT; AGPS
• VSC (at launch)

Also: Another Samsung device in the fourth quarter, possibly the Omnia.

Bad news for Palm fans: The Treo 750 is specifically mentioned as NOT getting an upgrade to WinMo 6.1. No mention yet of the upcoming Treo 850, but that's not too big of a surprise.

Via Boy Genius Report

Microsoft on Thursday announced it was purchasing a company that allows you to back up your PIM data - that'd be your e-mail, contacts, calendar items, etc. - online, as well as post directly to social networking sites, such as Facebook.

No, it's not buying Dashwire, which has been a hot topic of late.

What Redmond is buying is MobiComp, who is tight with Europe's Vodafone (Verizon's parent company), and other mobile carriers with a good number of customers in Portugal and Saudi Arabia.

A direct shot across Dashwire's bow? Or Apple's Mobile Me, for that matter? Probably not just yet.

According to a Reuters report, Microsoft intends to turn MobiComp into a research and development group and keep it in Portugal, making it unclear exactly what Microsoft will do with MobiComp's technology. Microsoft already has a number of cloud services in development and is rapidly expanding its mobile portfolio.

Hang in there, Dashwire. Chin up, Mobile Me. You've probably got a good one, maybe two years if we stick to Microsoft's "development" schedule.

Welcome to this week's Software Wrangle! Get ready to lasso this week's new, updated and free software for WM Professional and WM Standard.

This week we are featuring new software for WM Standard, Smartphone PopUps Notification Windows and MemoryUp-Mobile RAM Booster v2.5 Updated software includes PhatNotes 5.3 and 1Touch Contacts. Freeware this week is Skype for Smartphone v2.2.0.44.

WM Professional new software is EasyHelper Information Hide v1.0 and PRPWallet - Digital Password Manager for Windows Mobile Pocket PC v1.0. Updated software includes IM+ All-in-One Messenger: AIM/ iChat, MSN/ Live Messenger, Yahoo!, ICQ, Jabber, GTalk and MySpace v5.3 and HandyMenu v3.7. Freeware is JB Piano v1.7.

Time to circle the wagons and dig in to the software!

WM Standard: New

First up is Smartphone PopUps Notification Windows for WM 5 / 6 Smartphone or Standard v1.03 by QoreFunctions. Don't miss anything with the help of PopUps!

It's like Caller-ID for New Email, SMS, Missed Call, & Voice Mail Messages! Actual Contact Name & Photo of sender appears in PopUp window.

Instantly know who sent new Email or SMS messages, tried calling your phone, or left Voice Mail messages.

Save time & keystrokes - Read & Reply to Messages, Return Calls, Dial Voice Mail directly from PopUp Window!

Never miss another unattended event- each PopUp remains visible until dismissed or action taken

Features: - PocketPC-style PopUp Event Notifications for WM Smartphone/Standard devices - Caller-ID for Email, SMS, Missed Calls, Voice Mail - PopUps for New Email Messages - PopUps for New SMS/Text Messages - PopUps for Missed Calls - PopUps for New VoiceMail Messages - Displays Contact Name & Photo in PopUp - Displays SMS message & Email subject in PopUp - No need to launch Messaging - VoiceMail ID - Displays Name & Photo of caller who left message (no need to dial voice mail) - Save time- Read & Reply to Messages, Return Calls, Dial Voice Mail directly from PopUp Window - Customize PopUps with different colors or Themes!

Get Smartphone PopUps Notification Windows for WM 5 / 6 Smartphone or Standard v1.03 for $12.95 here.

Next up is MemoryUp-Mobile RAM Booster v2.5 by eMobiStudio Inc.

Is your cell phone running slow? Do your programs crash after the smartphone has been running awhile? Then you need a boost, a Memory Boost! MemoryUp Standard Edition recovers memory leaks, and prevents cell phone crashes. Read on to boost your smartphone memory.

MemoryUp is a powerful mobile RAM boosting tool and Java virtual machine (JVM) management application specially designed for Windows Mobile smartphone users. It is a handy memory optimizer tool that will keep your smartphone running faster and efficiently. It increases your cell phone performance by making more memory available for both your applications and the mobile system.

MemoryUp is optimized for all series of Windows Mobile smartphones, which can monitor your mobile system in the background, freeing resources when needed. It uses many advanced features to keep your smartphone running at optimum speed. But more importantly, it's designed with all users in mind; whether you're a power-user or a novice, MemoryUp will give you the features you want without confusing or limiting you.

Get MemoryUp-Mobile RAM Booster v2.5 for $13.99/year here.

WM Standard: Updated

PhatNotes 5.3 by Phatware is our first updated software for WM Standard this week.

PhatNotes is an award-winning notes organizer for Microsoft Windows based Pocket PC, Microsoft Windows Mobile based Smartphone, and Desktop PC. You can create notes providing them with category, subject, creation and modification date, which helps to find required information quickly and easily.

With PhatNotes you can search for specific text in a specific field and sort notes by category, date, or subject. You can protect notes from unauthorized access with a password and send e-mail messages directly from the Note Editor. Interface to the Contacts Database enables you to pick an e-mail address instead of typing it in.

PhatNotes uses a compressed database, saving limited storage space. The intuitive, easy user interface lets you start using the program within minutes. PhatNotes Professional Edition allows synchronizing multiple notes databases between the desktop PC and mobile device.

Get PhatNotes 5.3 for $39.95 here.

1Touch Contacts v3.0 by 1TouchMobile is the next updated application this week.

1Touch Contacts has been designed to give the user easy and efficient ways to accomplish frequently used tasks and to provide new features that will make managing contacts a more enjoyable experience. It uses the same contacts database as the built-in contacts and can be syncronized with Outlook using ActiveSync.

Users can now manage their contact groups using a Group Manager. Sending SMS to multiple users can be accomplished with 1Touch Contacts.

Business cards (vCard) can be transferred using bluetooth just like the built-in contacts, the only difference being - you can transfer multiple business cards in one operation.

Selecting contacts for sending SMS or business card or for deleting contacts is done using a smart selection list. 1Touch Contacts allows deleting of multiple contacts from a single selection list.

Get 1Touch Contacts v3.0 for $14.95 here.

WM Standard: Freeware

Skype for Smartphone v2.2.0.44 by Skype is the WM Standard freeware app featured today in our Wrangle.

Skype for Windows Mobile Smartphone v2.2.0.44 provides you with: - Free calls to friends and family from your mobile phone. - Save on mobile calls

We've done our fair share of hating on Microsoft over Windows Mobile, and some much of it is deserved. But we're not above dishing out some unfettered love from time to time, and that's about what we have for the new Windows Mobile online.

The site is mainly geared for consumers, and does a pretty good job of going through the basics of Windows Mobile.

Join us after the jump for a more friendly Microsoft (yeah, we're going that far), one that takes the time to introduce you to Windows Mobile, your phone, and how to make it yours.

The home page

The page you see above is what you first see when you visit the site. You're greeted by a Verizon HTC Touch, and a scrolling list that helps you "Find the phone that fits." Hovering over a phone will display its name, operating system - odd that 6.1 is nowhere to be found - and what carrier you can find it on in the United States. Samsung, HTC and Motorola are represented, though Palm is conspicuously missing. We'll see if the upcoming Treo 800W or Treo 850, which should both sport WinMo 6.1, are added once they're released later this summer (we hope).

Receiving prominent placement is "TotalAccess," which we'll touch on in a little bit.

For now, let's dive into the nav bar at the top. Featured are:

• Meet Windows Mobile
• Choose Your Phone
• Use Your Phone
• Make It Yours
• Total Access

Meet Windows Mobile

Ah ha! There's 6.1! And, Microsoft says, "Your mobile life is about to get much better." Better? Yeah. Much? Maybe. But there are a few items on this page that we'd like to point out.

1. Compare versions: A chart that compares the features of WM 5.0, 6.0 and 6.1, standard and pro. (Actually, the list is so long it's a little unwieldy, but them's the breaks.)
2. WinMo 6.1 FAQ: Translated, that's Windows Mobile 6.1 frequently asked questions. 'Nuff said.
3. See the phones: Here's a rundown of phones currently available in the U.S. that are running WinMo 6.1.
4. Windows Live: We've covered this pretty extensively, but think search, maps, e-mail.

Choose Your Phone

With the myriad devices on the market today, it can be pretty tough - overwhelming, even - to decide what will work best for you, and what will work best within your budget.

For our part, check out How To: Buy a Windows Mobile Phone. Boy, some of those phones look old now, but the principles behind making a decision still stand.

Here, Microsoft lets you drill down through the features, carriers and brands available. Standard vs. Pro. WiFi. GPS. Physical or on-screen keyboard. It's a very useful tool if you're not sure what's out there, or if you're helping someone else pick out their first smartphone. (Also check out our numerous device reviews and Phone Scoop's Phone Finder.)

Outside the U.S.? No problem. Pick your country from the drop-down list, and you're on your way.

Use Your Phone

This is why you bought the thing in the first place, right? This page is broken down into several basic sections.

1. Getting started: Because, as the site says, you have to start somewhere.
2. Personalizing: Make the phone your own, without third-party software.
3. E-mailing and texting: Pretty self-explanatory, but it does tackle how to manage multiple e-mail accounts.
4. Synchronizing your phone and PC: Still the bane of most WinMo users, to the point where many people only sync over the air. Maybe this will help.
5. User forums: Find help from someone like you. Or someone more experienced than you.
6. Support: How to get in touch with your carrier or device manufacturer.
7. Notices and upgrades: Such as the Daylight Saving Time fix, for those who still need it, and upgrades to ActiveSync.

Make It Yours

Here's a repository of apps, including the usual Microsoft gang - Office Mobile, Live Search, Outlook Mobile, Internet Explorer Mobile (no longer Pocket IE?), Live, and Media Player Mobile.

The Windows Mobile Catalog features third-party apps, though it really serves as a portal to software retailers Handango and MobiHand.

Total Access - the elephant in the room

Evident on just about every page is a link to Total Access. Sign in with your Windows Live ID, and you'll get ... most of the same things you've gotten through the rest of the site, with a couple of bright spots. The best news is that it's all free.

1. Ringtones, Extras and Add-ons: Preview and download two dozen ringtones (in WMA format, of course). Snag some wallpapers or download entire themes. The Halo 3 content isn't awful.
2. Tips and premium help: Links to massive, Microsoft-esque PDFs that nobody will make it through. (Then you get an e-mail thanking you for downloading it.)
3. Software, Services and More: Links to Live Search, an MSNBC.com mobile app, Zumobi and Viigo (which is a fan favorite around here).
4. Member Benefits: See Nos. 1-3. A page to entice you to sign up.

Conclusion: A good start

It's good to see Microsoft making an earnest effort. Simplicity is key for the average user, and this site should offer some help. There's plenty of room for improvement, but this could prove to be a good step as we await Windows Mobile 7, and hope that such extensive how-to sites aren't even necessary.

The Touch Pro and the Diamond are definitely the new hotness -- though we still don't know yet when we're going to see an American release. The Diamond made the rounds on the interw00ts first, now comes the Touch Pro. Mobileburn takes a peek and notes that HTC wouldn't let them play around with the inteface, perhaps hinting at yet more TouchFLO 3D enhancements coming down the pike. SlashGear is justifiably happy that the back of the device is matted so there'll be fewer fingerpints. Finally, PhoneScoop find the Touch Pro to be a little thick to their liking. We suppose compared to the Diamond, darn near anything is going to fee a little thick.

As excited as we are for the Xperia X1, we're HTC boys at heart. The Touch Pro looks to beat it by just a hair.

[via]