It looks like Microsoft has somewhat conceded that there is a larger piece of the pie out there as far as mobile devices go, and Windows Mobile is just a small portion of it.

They’ve released the beta version of their new Phone Data Manager software which, aside from syncing Mobile Windows running devices, also plays friendly with a host of S60 2nd and 3rd edition phones as well. Unlike Nokia PC Suite, the Data Manager stores all your contacts online through Windows Live Contacts which means you’ll have to create a Windows Live account. The good thing about that is if ever your PC suddenly crashes, all your phone’s contact information will be saved online and you can simply access it once you hook up to the internet. Other phone contents such as music, pictures and video are saved on the PC only for now.

What the Phone Data Manager lacks in comparison to Nokia’s data sync software is the ability to save settings and messages, but I guess the doors are still open to accommodate such features in the final version. Sound interesting? It’s free to download so do try it out and tell us what you think.

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