When Vodafone starts selling the touch-screen BlackBerry Storm on December 1, the plans will include a feature that's common overseas but rare down under: unlimited access to email and Web browsing on the devices, with monthly plans starting from $69. There are still a couple of limitations: you have to use the built-in BlackBerry browser (so no Opera options), streaming video isn't included, and you can't download individual files bigger than 3M without incurring excess usage charges. Nonetheless, it's a nice change from the complex range of data plans that have characterised the iPhone and other smart phones. Now if only they'd roll the same plan onto the more productive BlackBerry Bold . . .

We noted earlier today that Flash is coming to Windows Mobile and Android, but for other platforms, the reality is a little more complicated. As I report in an article for APC, while Adobe maintains that work continues with Apple on building a Flash implementation for the iPhone, the BlackBerry has been put in the too-hard basket because of the "code it in Java" requirement. At least there's a technical reason in that case. I can't help suspecting Apple's holdout is because a flash-enabled iPhone would open up a world of applications which it couldn't control through the AppStore.

Adobe plans to demonstrate today a version of Flash 10 working on a Windows Mobile phone, and a spokesperson says an Android version is also in the works. The Flash maker is also working closely with chip-maker ARM to optimise mobile Flash, but as for a version for iPhones (which run on ARM chips): It's "up to Apple." [via Gizmodo]

Web application Soocial promises hassle-free contact management, seamlessly syncing contacts between a handful of potential buckets including Gmail, Outlook, the OS X Address Book, Highrise, and over 400 phones (including your BlackBerry). To get started, just sign up with Soocial and start adding accounts and apps using their simple setup wizards. Some syncing will require you to download a utility (Outlook and Address Book, for example), while others simple require that you enter in a password (e.g., Gmail). The site is currently in beta, and though it's gotten a lot of positive feedback from users, keep in mind that you could run into a bug or two. If you're concerned with the privacy implications, Soocial makes it clear that if you decide to cancel your account, all of your data will be permanently deleted from their servers. Keep reading to get a clearer picture of how Soocial makes contact syncing a "hassle-free" process from their demo video.

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Got a bill for a pricey premium SMS service on your mobile phone but not sure what it is, or how to get it stopped? The newly-launched 19 SMS service can help you out. Enter the number and the date from your bill, and the site will identify who provided the service, how much it costs, and other relevant details. Most importantly, if it's a recurring service that could potentially cost you a bomb, information on how to unsubscribe will be included -- a detail people often misplace. I'd advise against using any 19 services if you can help it, but even if you resist, it's a useful bookmark for tracking what your teenage cousins did with your phone.

Telstra today rolled out MyConnect, a set of email-related services designed for mobile phone users. While the concept -- the ability to access multiple email accounts on your Next G phone and synchronise contacts -- is appealing, the pricing is not. The offering consists of three services: MyInbox (essentially web mail with MMS and SMS access), MyEmail (up to five accounts accessible on your mobile), and MySync (contacts synced from your mobile into the cloud daily). MyInbox is free if you're a BigPond or Next G customer, but MyEmail is $7 a month, and MySync is $3 a month. Admittedly, rival email sync services like the BlackBerry or MobileMe aren't free either, but $3 a month for contact syncing -- something you should be able to achieve for free via Bluetooth to your PC -- sounds way overpriced.

You've already seen our hands-on review of Google's new mobile operating system, Android—so now it's time to take a look at what kinds of apps third-party developers have made available for the platform. The first phone running Android has been out in the wild for two weeks now, and every day new applications have appeared in the Android Market that add fun and functionality to your handset. Best of all, most of them are free. Let's take a look at our favourite free apps (so far) that make working and living a lot easier in Android. (Yes, we know the Android hasn't hit the local market yet, but think of it as a useful reference for when it does (assuming some of the apps get internationalised), and a handy guide for anyone who's gone nuts and bought one on eBay.

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Windows only: Free application ToneThis makes it simple to create MP3 ringtones, wallpaper, and videos for your mobile phone. Apart from its simple MP3 ringtone creator, ToneThis sports a lot of great features—like simple tools for sending media to supported phones in a few clicks. Unfortunately those features don't always work perfectly—as CNET can attest to—but as a simple ringtone and wallpaper creator, it does the job admirably. If you decide to give it a try, be sure to read the installer carefully—this thing tries its best to install all kinds of toolbars and other crap that you probably don't want. ToneThis is a free download, Windows only.

Send a batch of email, IM, SMS or even voice messages with Notifu. The site is designed as a iPhone webapp, but it'll work in any browser. Simply add a list of recipient email addresses, IM handles or text or voice phone numbers and send a message to a group of folks quickly and easily no matter how they prefer to be reached. Your typewritten message will be delivered to callers or voicemail via text-to-speech, and you don't need an IM account to send messages to AIM, Yahoo IM, GTalk or other chat clients. Sign up to register and you can save a set of contacts, get confirmation of message delivery and manage replies.

Following our post earlier this week on sticking a reward-if-found label to your mobile, several commenters suggested an alternative that's potentially less aesthetically intrusive: setting your phone's wallpaper to display the same information. That's also a neat idea, though with two caveats: not all mobiles display wallpaper while they're locked, and an external label, while uglier, is also more likely to get noticed. For maximum peace-of-mind if you're a phone-losing klutz, you could always implement both.