In today's mobile Minute, we'll take a look at some of the latest news and software related to Windows Mobile devices.

Windows Mobile Device Center 6.1 on its way

When Microsoft announced they'd be replacing ActiveSync, few Windows Mobile users were complaining. The default program for synchronizing data between a PC and mobile device has always been a bit finnicky, to say the least.

Microsoft built a synchronization center into Windows Vista for basic functions, and released the freely downloadable Windows Mobile Device Center for more advanced users. And it didn't take long for those users to realize that WMDC seems to offer fewer synchronizations, not more. For example, ActiveSync has an option to manually resolve conflicts between appointments on your PDA and computer. WMDC does not.

Version 6.1 of WMDC is due out withing the next few weeks. While it doesn't look like there will be any major updates other than support for Windows Mobile 6 devices, there should be a number of bug fixes and some new features such as improved accessibility support.
Opera Mobile 8.65 beta extended

Opera Mobile has extended the public beta period for version 8.65 of its browser through October 1st. If you downloaded the previous version of the beta it probably stopped working this weekend. The new version is free to use through August, which is a great deal, considering the less functional Opera Mobile 8.60 will set you back $24 (after a 30 day free trial).

Of course, if there's one Windows program that's worth its price tag, it's Opera Mobile. Opera's mobile browser for Windows Mobile 2003 and newer devices blows away Pocket Internet Explorer, but that's not saying much, since pretty much anything would blow PIE away.

In a nutshell, Opera Mobile includes pretty decent Java support, tabbed browsing, terrific fit-to-screen technology and incredibly fast page rendering even on relatively underpowered Windows Mobile devices. Don't expect any web page to load as quickly on your Smartphone with a low power processor as on your home gaming rig, but Opera Mobile makes using your PDA online seem better than using a 6 year old computer running Windows 98 and Internet Explorer. A lot better.

The only disappointing thing is that this either means that Opera Mobile 9 is further away than we'd thought, or perhaps 8.65 is just the code name for a prerelease version of Opera Mobile 9.

Hand Write Memo

Hand Write Memo for PokeP is a nifty little piece of freeware that lets you jot handwritten notes on your Windows Mobile Today Screen.

While there are plenty of applications that let you scribble handwritten notes, most requiring opening up a separate program. A Today Screen plugin is attractive sheerly for the ease of use factor.

Hand Write Memo for PokeP is written for Windows Mobile 5.0 devices, although it may work on Windows Mobile 6 as well. VGA, QVGA and square screens are supported. You'll need about 1.35 MB of free space in your main memory to install the program.

The program is a work in progress, so check the developer's site frequently for updates.

Flash Video plugin released for TCPMP

We hate to say it, but there's yet another reason to stick with the free TCPMP multimedia player rather than upgrading to the newer commercial Core Player.

Besides the fact that TCPMP is free, the older software also plays files that Core Player can't handle.

Now it looks like a flash video plugin has been developed for the open source version of TCPMP. There are no plans to port that plugin to Core Player (which isn't to say that the Core Player developers might not make their own plugin at some point.

Just Another Mobile Monday has a great tutorial on installing and using the plugin to download and view YouTube videos on your device. The file you download is actually a zip file containing several files, including a Windows program for downloading YouTube videos to your desktop before transferring them to your PDA for viewing.

A few more tidbits:

• Windows Mobile 6 ROM for Blackjack is leaked
• Sling Media is working to make SlingPlayer Mobile compatible with Windows Mobile 6
• AskMeNow to provide desktop and mobile Wikipedia search
• WebIS releases Pocket Informant 2007 Rev 4
• Sprite Software releases Sprite Swipe to protect your data in the event that your PDA is stolen
• How to Emulate a TI calculator on Windows Mobile