A number of outlets are reporting that the New York Police Department is having to shift direction in its technology strategy. Last year, Jessica Tisch, the department’s deputy commissioner for information technology, deployed 36,000 Windows Phone devices. But with the platform being dumped by Microsoft, they will be switching hardware. What are the lessons from this?

Microsoft has acquired Xamarin, a cross-platform mobile app development platform provider, which will help developers create apps will easily work across iOS, Android and Windows mobile operating systems. This is part of Microsoft's efforts to woo developers into making apps for the Windows 10 Mobile platform. Here's what you need to know.

You'll find no shortage of simple file-sharing services on the web (see previously mentioned ge.tt), but file-sharing app Minus sets itself apart with dedicated apps for nearly every platform (in addition to the browser-accessible web app).

Android/BlackBerry/WinMo: If you're headed on a road trip with friends or moving around town in a large group, Loudtalks is a mobile app that will turn your phone into more of a walkie-talkie so you can speak to the others in your party instantly, without having to call them first.

newVideoPlayer( {"type":"video","player":"http://www.youtube.com/v/wg-MsCQJ6n4&hl=en&fs=1&hd=1","customParams": ,"width":570,"height":360,"ratio":0.615,"flashData":"","embedName":null,"objectId":null,"noEmbed":false,"source":"youtube","wrap":true,"agegate":false} );

Android/iOS/Windows Mobile: If your main objection to location sharing services is that you don't want to share your location all the time, and when you do you'd like easy and private sharing, Glympse is a private and real-time location sharing tool.

newVideoPlayer( {"type":"video","player":"http://www.youtube.com/v/AJTaKch7OIU&hl=en&fs=1&fmt=22","customParams": ,"width":570,"height":360,"ratio":0.824,"flashData":"","embedName":null,"objectId":null,"noEmbed":false,"source":"youtube","wrap":true,"agegate":false} );

Windows Mobile (5.x & 6.x only): If your Windows Mobile phone is of a more recent vintage, you're in need of Opera Mini 5.1. The updated, speedier browser supports higher resolutions, accelerometer rotation and can be set as your default browser.

We know trapster.com can help you avoid speed traps, but now you can locate speed traps in real time while you're on the go.

Windows Mobile: If you're interested in trying out Android but you're locked into your current contract with a Windows Mobile phone don't despair. Quite a few Windows Mobile phones have the right hardware to support Android booting — without erasing Windows Mobile.

Windows Mobile: If you're a Dropbox and Windows Mobile user, DroppedBoxx brings your Dropbox files and folder syncing to Windows Mobile.

Android/Windows Mobile/BlackBerry: Nowadays, a lot of us store our whole lives on our smartphones. If your phone gets lost or stolen, free web service Lookout can back it up, locate it and wipe it all from a web interface.

Android/Windows Mobile/BlackBerry: Opera's Mini browser isn't the same as its Turbo-sporting Mobile, but it's still got a neat start page, smart image controls, desktop syncing and fast rendering. All of that has just landed in the Android Market.

Smart phones are becoming an increasingly common choice even for casual users, but the whole area can seem confusing and overwhelming for new buyers. Lifehacker 101 guides you through the main platforms available.

A lot of contacts, documents, text messages, games and other data live on your smartphone, but manufacturers and service carriers aren't going out of their way to make backing up easy. Gizmodo, however, has you covered on nearly any platform.

Windows Mobile 6.5: If you're rocking a fairly new Windows Mobile phone, Microsoft offers a beta build of its portable Office applications until April 2010. That means free viewing editing of Excel, Word, Powerpoint, OneNote and other documents.

Windows Mobile/Symbian: Opera has released version 10 beta of their popular mobile browser. If you put a lot of miles on your mobile browser, Opera Mobile 10 has quite a few new features and tweaks worth the update.

If you've got a Windows Mobile device running the 6.0 or 6.1 system, you can now grab any of the roughly 800 apps in the Windows Mobile Marketplace.

iPhone/Android/Windows Mobile: Photoshop.com, the online home of Adobe's market-leading image editor, has released a native photo editor and photo uploader for Android phones, and it's a fairly versatile solution for fixing or offloading images while you're out and about.

Yesterday we heard that an unknown something from Mozilla is headed to iPhones, but Firefox's maker is being a bit more specific about Android: A mobile browser is in the works for the open-source phone.

Modern phones come loaded with bright screens, fun games and apps, and connections for 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. Not coincidentally, they're constantly out of juice. Here's some of the best collected wisdom about saving your web-connected phone's battery life.