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What The? Latest Mobile Backup Service Offered By Best Buy

Best Buy has decided to take on a bigger role in the mobile landscape, though I am not sure who's going to go for this. Today, Best Buy has announced a service that is similar to My Phone from Microsoft or MobileMe from Apple: mIQ will backup end user smartphones and store up to 1GB of data in the cloud.

Nearly every smartphone maker already offers a cloud-based or desktop-based syncing program to keep sure end-user data, settings, and messages are safe. Apple has MobileMe. Microsoft has My Phone. Nokia's S60 devices have Ovi. Android devices have their native Google apps.

You get the point. Anyone using devices such as these are pretty much already able to access a way to backup and store their device's data up in the clouds. Not all of them are free, mind you. Apple's MobileMe, for example, costs $70 - $100 per year, depending on whether or not you qualify for a discount. Further, each of the wireless network operators offers a similar service, usually for a small monthly fee between $2 and $5. So, Best Buy's mIQ isn't a new entrant by any means. In fact, it's entering a crowded field of backup solutions.

According to Best Buy, mIQ is free, and offers up to 1GB of space for storing data, SMS messages, photos and videos, calendar and contact information. Users will also be able to access their information from any Web browser.

From the press release, Best Buy Mobile Director of Business Development Mark Mosiniak noted, “Smartphones allow our customers to do some pretty amazing things, but sometimes all the great features can be overwhelming, as a result, customers have a hard time getting the most out of their devices. mIQ creates significant value for consumers by allowing them to easily manage their data, share their mobile experiences and get the most out of mobile technology."

As for details, the service goes live on Monday, October 12. It will support smartphones running BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and Symbian S60 operating systems, such as the BlackBerry 9700, Bold, Tour, Nokia E71 and N97, HTC Pro 2, Samsung Omnia II, and T-Mobile Dash 3G.

Best Buy has been stepping up its game in the mobile space lately, with more floor space in its stores being given to mobile phones, not to mention its tie-up with the U.K.'s Carphone Warehouse.

My question is, who's going to skip the service that is offered by the maker of their smartphone and its operating system and choose to go with a third party? It's one thing to trust the company that makes the device, its software, and has an in-depth knowledge about how it all works. It's another to trust a retail chain to keep your data safe from the prying eyes of marketers and others who might wish to access it.

What do you think? WIll you give it a shot?

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