MyPhone Beta: I’m Sorry – Could You Repeat That?

No, it’s not an iPhone, it’s the MyPhone. Not to be confused with the revolutionary smart phone that is being ripped limb by limb from competitors. The product is actually a service, not a phone itself – but its name alone makes it clear what it’s trying to emulate.

The Microsoft MyPhone service is now in beta version and, according to ArsTechnica, it “allows users to automatically back up contacts, photos, videos, text messages, calendar and so on, from their phone to a password-protected web account… this data can be easily later restored to the same device, or a new one.” This add-on to Windows Mobile devices makes the thought of losing your phone a mere $200-400 drop in the bucket, instead of a more tragic loss of vital information. Ever lose a laptop? Before we know it, our phones might be just as irreplaceable.

The forum has more suggestions than answers or discussion on this new feature, similar to the iSync program for Mac, and beta trial versions have been hard to find until this beta launch. While the name is a boon to itself, this little feature might be the pioneer for smart phone syncing to a cloud.

The system has the look and feel of the current Windows Live (and you need a Windows ID to use it). Now that it’s available to everyone, you can add it on yourself. Hopefully, other networks and software developers will follow suit.