Alltel smart phones get Sharpcast photo syncing

Sharpcast Photos will be the "standard and exclusive" photo-sharing and -syncing tool for Alltel Wireless smart phones running the Windows Mobile operating system, both companies announced Wednesday. Those phones include the Palm Treo 700wx and the UTStarcom PPC6700. The photo software autosyncs photo collections between multiple PCs, online albums and mobile phones. The technology has garnered interest from the tech world because of its potential use for other types of files. Sharpcast's software, code-named "Hummingbird," is currently in alpha testing.

In addition to the live updating, Sharpcast's cross-synchronization enables photo files that have been edited or added on an offline PC to automatically update file changes to other locations the next time the device connects. Sharpcast Photos works with Windows Mobile 5.0 devices, and the company plans to add new platforms in 2007. The company has also released the Sharpcast Photos iPhoto Uploader, a Mac version that lets users export iPhoto albums to Sharpcast for viewing on PC or mobile phones. Both the Sharpcast Photos and the Mac iPhoto Uploader software are free to download on Sharpcast's Web site.