Microsoft SkyBox rebadged as My Phone

My Phone becomes all official
My Phone becomes all official

Microsoft's mysterious SkyBox application store appears to have finally made it into the real world, under the new moniker My Phone.

The rumours have been doing the rounds for a few months that the Redmond group will be launching such a service at Mobile World Congress later this month, and a posting on Microsoft's official site shows My Phone has emerged into beta.

However, the My Phone service will be more than just your basic application library; it will also allow users to back up critical information like photos, videos and contacts on a password protected site, straight from the phone.

Excited about a beta

According to the website jkOnTheRun, Microsoft has responded to the announcement by saying:

"Microsoft's My Phone website went live prior to its scheduled debut. However, we are excited about the new Microsoft My Phone service, which will be available as a limited, invite-only beta.

"This is a significant milestone for Microsoft as it connects the phone to the PC and Web, making mobility a key pillar for the company's software+services strategy."

The new service will allow users to restore their key information should they lose or swap phones, which isn't strictly a new idea but is handy thanks to its over-the-air updating.

Stay tuned to TechRadar over the next two weeks as we find out all the big gossip and chat from Mobile World Congress... we're even brushing up on our Spanish so we won't miss anything for you.

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.