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

Who Needs an iPhone?

Not long after Apple started showing off the iPhone in images and demos, the hacker community got to work making Windows Mobile devices mimic the mobile phone's innovative interface. But the truth is, Windows Mobile PDAs and phones will never actually be iPhones.

That's a good thing and a bad thing. Multi-touch screens would be nice. But removable storage, the ability to work with multiple carriers, and the fact that you may already have one in your pocket all work to Windows Mobile's advantage.

And so that's why it's exciting to check out the project at WhoNeedsAnIphone.com. One developer started off tinkering with Flash to see if he could make an iPhone-like interface for his PPC6700. But he quickly realized that he could use the iPhone interface as a starting point and go in different directions. For example, 16 icons on the program launcher doesn't take you very far when you can install hundreds of programs. So the bottom four buttons will turn from program launch buttons into page flipping buttons, giving you a total of 48 buttons to press for applications.

SAMs Carousel

If you'd prefer to spruce up your Windows Mobile Today Screen without giving your entire device an overhaul, you might want to take a look at SAMs Carousel from V2R.

This is one of those program launchers that makes your device a bit prettier without actually making it more useful. Based on V2R's Active UI platform, SAMs Carousel is an animated interface for Windows Mobile 5.0 and Windows Mobile 6.

You can use the application to flip through a list of categories and applications and launch them from your Today Screen. The program is available for purchase, although the V2R web site doesn't make the price clear. There's also a free trial available for download.

MemMaid 2.0

At version 1.73, DinarSoft's MemMaid was already one of the best memory management devices for Windows Mobile. Now that MemMaid 2.0 is out, you'd be hard pressed to find a more useful utility for your phone or PDA.

Here are just a few of the new features:

• Cleaner scheduling
• Registry editor
• CPU and memory usage
• CAB Installer/uninstaller
• External card tools
• File type association
• System tweaks
• Application cache remover
• Windows Mobile 6 support

MemMaid will set you back $20, but there's a 15-day free trial version that you can download to check out before making that kind of commitment.

Windows Live Mobile Search v2

Enough of these commercial applications. What can I get for free?

How about an updated version of Windows Live Mobile Search? The first version of this application allowed you to search for locations, restaurants, movie theaters, and other businesses on a mobile device. All this while viewing standard or aerial maps.

Version 2 ups the ante with movie showtimes, user submitted restaurant ratings, support for GPS directions, and Mobile Virtual Earth maps.

There are US and UK versions available for Windows Mobile or J2ME phones. There's also a beta client available for BlackBerry users.

Speech to Text takes off

There seems to be a growing number of businesses aimed at adding speech to text abilities to your phone - even it if takes a real live person to do that transcription. These services can come in handy in a number of ways. If you're in a noisy environment, for example, it might be easier to read your voicemail than to listen to it. Or if you're on the go, it might be easier to record a voice memo than to jot one down with a stylus.

Jott is a free (while in beta) service that lets you call a toll-free number, leave a message, and receive an email with that message transcribed. The service doesn't involve any fancy voice recognition software. Since you're leaving short messages, it doesn't take that much time for a human being to type up your note and email it back to you so it won't be lost. Just be sure not to leave too many nasty messages. A few folks have had their accounts suspended for excessive profanity.

CallWave translates voicemail into text... or rather txt. You can receive voicemail messages as short text messages on your phone. You can also choose to listen to your messages as well. According to the web site, it's likely that the basic service will remain free after the beta period is over, but there will be a fee for premium services.

SimulScribe is another service that lets you "read your voicemail." The company's basic, free service is called SimulSays, and it lets you receive visual voicemail. In other words, in stead of calling a number to listen to your voicemails, you open an application on your BlackBerry or Windows Mobile phone and click on audio files to listen to your messages. For $10 per month (for the first 40 messages), you can also get transcripts of each message, which you can reply to via e-mail or SMS.