Microsoft has today revealed details of an upgrade to Windows Phone 7 at the Mobile World Congress.

Not content to sit back and bask in the potential of last week's Nokia deal, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer presented details of changes to the Windows Phone 7 coming later this year.

The significant changes in the free update will include copy and paste support, multi-tasking, the addition of SkyDrive support into Office for Windows Phone 7, native Twitter integration, and a version of Internet Explorer 9 for the device.

An early build of the Windows Phone 7 update was demoed during the keynote, with some interesting additions clear to see. Multitasking, in particular, looks slick, with near instant switching between apps using the Start button. Multiple running apps can be browsed by holding the Start button, then flicking through the previews of the open apps.

An interesting point to note is that the new multitasking will support third party audio applications. Windows Phone 7 users will be able to tune into radio apps while using other programs on their phone.

Internet Explorer 9 for Windows Phone 7 was also shown. Its support for graphics hardware acceleration was demonstrated by running the IE fish task test through a Windows Phone and an iPhone, with IE9 delivering a significantly smoother view of the fish, even with more fish on screen at once.

Another highlight of the demo was a video showing an early build of Kinect support for Windows Phone 7. The example given was a bowling mobile game, which is controlled by linking the phone up to the Kinect.

Steve Ballmer, predictably, was a little excited about the new update, saying: “Windows Phones are now the easiest to use and most delightful phones available”.

Not only is the 14th February a day for romantics, this year it’s also a pretty exciting date for mobile phone lovers.  The World Mobile Congress starts in earnest on Monday, as thousands of people from across the industry descend on Barcelona for the high profile four-day event.

But what can we expect to see at the conference this year? Well, Nokia and Microsoft have already pricked up the ears of the industry following today’s announcement that the Finnish handset giant will start packing Windows Phone 7 into its devices.

Controversial new Nokia CEO Stephen Elop and his Microsoft counterpart Steve Ballmer will both be present at the event to fill us in on exactly how this huge deal will work. Microsoft is likely to also reveal an update to Windows Phone 7, while Nokia will bring us news on the future of Meego.

Tablets will be huge a part of this year’s Mobile World Congress. Besides getting a look at the BlackBerry Playbook, we will almost certainly be tripping over Android tablets as we pass through the exhibition. It will be interesting to see Google’s plans for porting its new Honeycomb OS onto tablets, and hopefully former Google CEO Eric Schmidt will be able to convey some order to the chaotic world of Android operating systems.

Other big trends to watch out for at the MWC 2011 will include mobile payments, 4G connections, 3D on mobile devices, and augmented reality.

OnSoftware will bravely fight its way through the hoards of mobile geeks at the event to give you an insight into all the exciting stuff going on in this burgeoning industry right now.  For all the big news and some of the smaller, weirder tidbits from the event, be sure to follow us on Twitter @softonic_en

At its Strategy and Financial Briefing in London today, Nokia has confirmed it is aligning with Microsoft for its 2011 smartphone strategies. Specifically, Nokia will begin producing Windows Phone 7 devices for Microsoft in an effort to catch up with current mobile leaders iPhone and Google.

The broad strategic partnership between Microsoft and Nokia includes making the Windows Phone Nokia's primary platform for smartphones in 2011. Bing will be Nokia's primary search engine across all of its smartphone devices, for one, while Microsoft will adopt Nokia Maps as its primary mapping service. Nokia's app store will merge with Microsoft's Marketplace as well, likely bringing even more content and app options to Windows Phone 7 users.

Nokia has assured users that Symbian devices will still be produced, although at the same time noting that it will become more of a "franchise platform." This presumably means that Nokia will continue to sell the devices, as well as introduce new phones on the Symbian OS currently in development, with the ultimate goal being to retain Nokia customers and eventually migrate them over to the Windows phone platform in the years to come.

MeeGo, Nokia's Linux-based open source OS, will also continue being developed, with a new MeeGo device set for release in late 2011. Nokia's game plan for MeeGo seems ultimately to be more long-term. Nokia seems to be hedging its bets, using MeeGo as an open source project to gauge the mobile market's longer term future, in terms of trends to be on the look-out for.

What does this new partnership between Nokia and Microsoft mean for the future of the mobile market in general?

It's difficult to know for sure, but we can make some educated guesses. Nokia is a well-known and respected mobile company, as is Microsoft in its own element. Apple and Google might be leading the mobile industry currently, but Windows Phone 7 is a cool operating system and with this boost it might finally get the audience it deserves.

Whereas Android hasn't had the gaming success of iOS, Windows Phone 7 already has some really impressive titles that up the ante for mobile gaming. A bigger audience could make it the gamer's choice OS. More competition for Apple and Google in this sphere will be nothing if not interesting.

Last week, an Android app was revealed at the 18th annual Network and Distributed System Security Symposium (NDSS) in San Diego, California that demonstrated just how much information could be disseminated from your phone during the course of a single call. The purpose was to demonstrate how smartphone apps can record financial data you give over the phone while on a call and transmit it to other locations. Named Soundminer, this proof-of-concept app for Google's Android OS monitors the phone calls you make. It also records credit card numbers you either speak into your phone's microphone or type into its number pad.

Given that one of Google's primary boasts during the release of Gingerbread was the ability to use your phone as a credit card to make in-store purchases, the gravity of this new threat is clear. While smartphone users in general are becoming savvier about not allowing an untrusted app access to all of their phone's data, many don't view a request for microphone access as an active security threat. This issue isn't exclusive to Android phones either. Recent developer studies have shown that many iPhone apps have also collected user data that tracks your location, among other things.

Although there are clearly ways around smartphone security, as long as you use yours responsibly and are careful with what you install, you should be safe.

Here are 4 ways to keep your smartphone secure:

1. Use discretion when downloading apps to your phone. Make sure you trust the developer, and do an online search to find out more about them if you're unfamiliar.

2. Only download apps from sites you trust, and read reviews on the app before making the ultimate decision to install it.

3. Take care to note what private data each app is requesting access to. Be it your location, personal information, or text messages, some apps want to access a lot of information. Ensure it makes sense for the app to access that information before choosing to grant it.

4. Make sure to download app updates to your phone when prompted. Many of these come with additional security patches that will help protect your phone.

This year's Mobile World Congress is starting Monday February 14th in Barcelona, Spain. The location couldn't be better for us - a short ride on the red line and we're there - but for others it's a long trip that involves buying plane tickets, booking hotels, changing currency and knowing their way around the beautiful city of Barcelona. Luckily, there's an app for all that! We've compiled a list of  10 iPhone apps that will surely prove to be very useful for those of you planning to attend MWC next week. Here they are:

Kayak - The ultimate traveling app! With Kayak you can search for flights, book a hotel, rent a car, organize your itinerary and much more, all for free. The app includes information about airports and lets you track flight status as well.

Currency - If you're new to euros, this app could be a life-savior. Currency includes updated exchange rate information for more than 100 different countries and currencies. It's the perfect tool to know if they're charging you too much for the paella!

Barcelona Subway - Once you're in Barcelona, metro is by far the fastest and most efficient way to move around the city. With this app you'll have all the information you need about the Barcelona metro (maps, stations, trip planners) right on your iPhone.

Catalunya Taxi - Do you prefer taking a taxi? No worries! Catalunya Taxi helps you get one without having to call a taxi service and wait on the line. Book a taxi ride, obtain an estimated price in advance and get the booking confirmation by text message.

Mobile World Live -When you're at the Congress you probably won't have time to follow all the conferences and exhibitions going on at the same time. Use the Mobile World Congress official app to keep track of everything going on in the mobile industry!

Bump - One important activity in the MWC is networking. Forget about your old-style business cards and use Bump instea: an app that lets you share whatever you want (photos, messages, contacts, even Facebook friend requests) just by bumping two phones together.

Babelingo - Of course, networking is so much easier when you speak the same language. If you don't, Babelingo can give you a hand with its collection of more than 300 useful phrases translated into 11 languages. Just choose your desired phrase and the app will display the translation.

AroundMe - Now where's the nearest ATM? Where can I find a coffee shop for a short break? I need to buy something, is there a supermarket near the MWC? Find the answer to these and other questions in the AroundMe app - a must-have when travelling abroad!

Lonely Planet Barcelona City Guide - Work is over! It's time for tourism, and the Lonely Planet guides have all the information you need. This app will tell you about all the museums, markets, monuments and tapas bars you can't miss while you're in Barcelona!

Bus Turístic Virtual -Another great option to explore Barcelona is the Bus Turístic - three bus routes that cover all the points of interest in the city. With the help of augmented reality, this app lets you locate the most outstanding spots in Barcelona and make the most of your visit.

With the advent of the smartphone, quite a few everyday tasks have become easier. You can now keep up with your emails in a matter of seconds, take pictures andshare them with friends, all without having to find a computer. The technology keeps growing as well. With Google's release of Gingerbread a few months back, phones can even be used as credit card substitutes in some instances.

Now you can use your phone to take advantage of great deals based on where you shop and even what you're looking to buy. Time to get rid of your Sunday coupons. There'll be no more arduous newspaper clipping projects for you. Here are some great apps for your iPhone that will help you save a bundle.

MobiQpons: This handy little app uses your current location to bring you coupons valid in stores closest to you. MobiQpons tracks your location and uses it to sort coupons within about a 10 mile radius. You also have the option of manually adding your location, either by city or zip code, or sorting by the coupon's product category. Overall, it's a great way of saving money, especially if you live in a larger city where there are more opportunities for store savings. Just be sure to ask store owners or cashiers the best way to redeem each coupon. Most don't come with a bar code.

Grocery Gadget: At first glance, this app seems to have nothing to do with coupons and instead appears to simply allow you to create a list of grocery items you need to buy on your next shopping trip. A closer look, however, will reveal an integrated coupon feature. Based on the items in your grocery list, this app scours nearby stores and pulls up any related coupons, complete with a bar code to be scanned for your discount at the register. Note that you do need to sign up for an online service to make use of the coupons. The process is relatively simple however.

Shopkick: This app uses a GPS tracker to locate stores you're within a certain range of. A signal is then sent to participating stores allows you to earn points toward discounts on specific store items. The points are known as kickbucks, and much like Foursquare you can earn more kickbucks by doing certain things at specific stores like scanning an item with your device's camera. Kickbucks can also be used to donate to over 30 different charities. Right now, Shopkick is only available in a select few larger U.S. metropolitan areas, but the service promises to expand quickly.

Amazon Price Check: Instantaneously check and compare the prices of store products with Amazon.com's own inventory with this app. If your device has a built-in camera, you can scan in product bar codes, or even snap a picture of the product you’re interested in. Price Check provides customer reviews and ratings straight from Amazon's main website as well If you like what you see, you can even buy the product online. Although it's not technically a coupon app, it does allow you to make informed purchase decisions and potentially save a lot of money in the process.

If you have already grown tired of playing the Christmas-themed version of Angry Birds Seasons, we have good news for you: the popular game just got updated with a special new version to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Angry Birds Valentine's Edition features the same great gameplay and insane level of addiction as the original game, only in a more 'romantic' environment - meaning the graphics have been sprinkled with hearts, ribbons, balloons and lots of pink. Beside the new decoration, you aim remains the same: using physics laws and a slingshot, throw birds against the pigs' hideouts to destroy them. Not sure how this act of revenge and destruction goes with the spirit of Valentine's Day, but it's certainly a lot of fun!

The new Valentine's Edition of Angry Birds is already available on the AppStore for $0.99.

Angry Birds fans will be pleased to hear that developers Rovio have announced that it is to create a version of the game based on the upcoming animated movie “Rio” due for US release in mid-April.

The "twist" to the hugely popular original game is that the original flock is kidnapped and taken to Rio where they then escape and seek to help their friends - two macaws named Blu and Jewel who will be the stars of the 20th Century Fox film.

Consisting of 45 levels with more available via automatic updates, the game will initially be released on smart-phones and tablets. However, since the original has also recently been released on Mac and Windows, don't be surprised to see more platform releases if it takes off.

If you can't wait until then, you can find video previews of the game here.

The popular cloud-based file-sharing software brought to you by the folks at Box.net has gotten a new look. If enhancing user experience was the end goal, simplicity was definitely the theme.

Similar to other file-sharing and collaborative programs like Dropbox and Microsoft SharePoint, Box allows users to share files across computers, tablets, and mobile devices. Often viewed as an alternative to the better-known Dropbox service, Box developers claim their application offers more enterprise-friendly features, including role-based access to files. In addition, quite a bit of net clutter has been removed from Box’s web-based interface, which should allow users to view their files even more easily.

Box has also added real-time activity updates and a Box Apps Marketplace where more than 150 third-party apps can be downloaded to increase Box’s usability even more. In addition, a new collaborative discussions tab specifically for conversations about projects (as opposed to just specific files) has also been unveiled.

The new interface is currently available via invitations, which are in the process of being sent to Box’s approximately 5 million users. Currently Box users have the option to switch between the new and old versions of Box at their whim. It’s advised to start getting used to the new interface now though, as the old version will be phased out at the end of February.

So far, you were able to Access Facebook anytime, anywhere on almost any smartphone in the market: iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, and so on. But what about feature phones? If you’re still using one of those, we’ve got good news for you: Zuckerberg’s company  just announced that they’re launching a new mobile app to make Facebook “available to as many people as possible”.

The new Facebook app for feature phones will make sure the social network is available to 14 new mobile operators from all around the world, and more than 2,500 new devices. According to Mark Heynen, Facebook Mobile Program Manager,

The app provides a better Facebook experience for our most popular features, including an easier-to-navigate home screen, contact synchronization, and fast scrolling of photos and friend updates.

The best thing about this announcement though is the fact that Facebook has made all the necessary arrangements with mobile operators to make the site available without paying for any extra charges, at least for the first 90 days after the launch.

The numbers are in, and Apple has had its best quarter ever, in terms of revenue. At $26.74 billion, Apple even superseded its prior best quarter, which was $20.34 million at the end of 2010. Coming off what was arguably a very successful grand opening of the Mac App Store, as well as the upcoming release of the iPhone for Verizon customers, there's a lot for Apple users to look forward to in 2011.

Apple broke a new record in its iPhone division, selling 16.24 million. iPad sales also increased by over 3 million from last quarter, totaling 7.33 million. Mac computer sales of 4.13 million were also at a record high, up 23% from 2010. The only product whose sales figures didn't improve was the iPod which, at a 7% decline, is continuing a drop that started last year.

This is good news overall for Apple product users. As the company continues to grow and increase revenue, so too will its inventory of mobile and Mac apps in all likelihood. As Nick pointed out in his full review of the Mac App Store, downloading and installing apps on a Mac has never been simpler. Although it remains to be seen whether Apple will continue breaking its own revenue records from quarter to quarter, with new innovations like the Mac App Store the future certainly does seem bright.

The New Year has come and gone. How are those weight loss resolutions coming along? Losing weight or getting into better shape is the number one cited New Years resolution in the US. It's also the number one resolution people tend to break. Whether you find you don't have time to get to the gym as regularly as you'd planned or just don't know where to start, it's easy to see your initial optimism turn sour quite quickly.

Enter the age of exercise and calorie tracking mobile apps. There are a lot of them out there, and they can make keeping your weight loss resolution quite a bit easier. Here are the three I found most helpful:

Your Ideal Weight: If you've ever wanted to know what the healthiest weight for you based on your own personal body statistics is, this is the iPhone app for you. Your Ideal Weight walks you through a series of information-collecting prompts to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI). As an added bonus, the app also gives occasional health-related facts. Since calculating your BMI and doling out interesting tips is about all this app does though, consider the next two options to supplement it.

Lose It!: A great deal of diet plans fail because it's easy to forget what you've eaten throughout the day. Lose It! will first ask you a series of questions about your current weight and other relevant body statistics to calculate a goal weight. It then lets you input every meal, snack, and drink you eat into its interface so you can keep track of your daily caloric intake. This is a great way to track your process over the span of days, weeks, and even months.

Calorie Counter by ShapeUp Club: If you're looking for a comprehensive weight loss plan that comes wrapped up in one little app, Calorie Counter is a good choice. You can define a goal weight and add your daily food intake from an expansive inventory of food items. Exercise activities can also be factored in. Additionally, Calorie Counter is linked to the online weight loss site, ShapeUp Club, where a paid membership gets you even more tips and added features.

No one ever said sticking to your weight loss resolution was going to be easy. Apps like these definitely help keep you on track though, no matter how busy your weekly schedule happens to be.

There was lots of laughter at Softonic today as we tried out the coolest feature in the new version of Google Translate for Android - Conversation Mode.

It is pretty revolutionary - but for the moment it's only available in Spanish/English. Once you have installed Google Translate (you might also need to download text-to-speech software, but if you do, the app will prompt you), hit the little microphone and speak.

Google Translate quickly analyzes what you have said, translates it into Spanish (or vice versa) and plays it back - in Spanish - to the listener. To respond to what's been said, press the Responder en español button, and speak Spanish. The original speaker hears your answer in English, and so on. Google Translate's Conversation Mode allows you to have conversations in languages that you don't actually speak!

If Google Translate isn't sure what has been said, it will ask you for confirmation before translating - but you can turn this feature on or off. Even so, the app did pretty well when we tested it, often getting the translation more or less right on the first go, especially if you speak loudly and clearly. As you can see from the screenshots - even when it's wrong, it's pretty funny!

Groupon, the company that offers popular daily deals at hyper-discounted rates, announced earlier this morning that users have now saved more than $1 billion with their service. While you technically have buy something to take advantage of the savings, this remains a lofty achievement in the company's relatively young existence.

Since its inception in 2008, Groupon has steadily risen in popularity. Part of the reason is the great deals Groupon offers its users. Every day a new deal gets emailed to users, generally offering a 40-60% discounted rate on region-specific merchandise or services. Another thing that makes Groupon so popular is its accessibility. Users can take advantage of daily deals online at Groupon's website or via an easy-to-use mobile app. As we recently reported, Groupon has even gone international and increased its popularity quite a bit as a result.

Groupon is no stranger to making news, however. Just last month the company turned down a multi-billion dollar buy-out offer from Google, surprising market experts and loyal users alike. With its most recent tweet though, Groupon seems to be sending a very targeted message to anyone willing to listen: the sky's the limit, and we're not done yet.

If you're anything like me, the name Crayola brings back some really great childhood memories. Well, both you - and your tech-savvy kids - will be dying to get your hands on the upcoming Crayola/Griffin Technologies mash-up for iPad - Crayola ColorStudio HD.

It's not actually out yet, but when it is, it's sure to be fantastic. You'll need a special stylus to use the software, but once you have it, you'll be able to use revolutionary "live" coloring books. Apparently, this new generation of coloring will have "custom-produced pictures, animations, music, sound effects, and high quality special effects", which sounds awesome!

Crayola ColorStudio HD will be able to tell the difference between the stylus and kids' fingers, which means they'll be able to interact with the app to the max. They might need an adult to help them with the price tag though: the Crayola iMarker stylus will cost $29.99 - not to mention a few hundred bucks for the iPad itself. Available spring 2011.