Microsoft’s Skybox Will Sync The Phone To The Cloud; Coming This Month In Beta

Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) will likely launch a beta version of its mobile sync and storage service called Skybox this month, as part of three Sky-branded products that will be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress. ZDNet is reporting that Skybox, which sounds a lot like Apple’s MobileMe services, will have three versions. Skybox 1.0, which is expected this month in beta, will be a free ad-supported service that will let people store and access photos, contact lists, calendar items, etc. on a Microsoft server, so if you ever get a new handset, you can take that information with you. This summer, we will see Skybox 1.5, which will be offered as a free service or subscription-based premium service. When Skybox 2.0 is released, it will let users control their phone from the cloud, like change ringtones and backgrounds and download apps, music and videos. The service will also be integrated with Skymarket — Microsoft’s comeback to Apple’s app store — to let people buy and store apps on remote servers.

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