Merry Christmas from your friends at This Mobile Life! Have safe and happy holidays.

So I was looking around for a new app to feature here and a friend bought a G1, which has built-in Google Talk, so that got me looking around for a good app to connect to Google Talk on my HTC Touch. The first link when you google “google talk windows mobile” is a post on the Official Google Mobile Blog about Google Talk being ported onto the iPhone. Now, this review isn’t about the official Google Talk app, it’s about an app that someone mentioned in a comment on that post — Beejive (pronounced bē-hīv).

Beejive is a cross-platform, multi-IM network enabled Instant Message application, it supports AIM/iChat/MobileMe, MSN/Windows Live, Yahoo!, MySpace, Google Talk, ICQ, & Jabber, and it works on Blackberry, iPhone, and Windows Mobile. Unfortunately, according to the site, the Windows Mobile version is not going to be updated and will stay in a beta version, but it is free.

The power’s out, you’ve got no internet to check the weather on your laptop, and your radio’s batteries just died. What do you? Well, if you had WunderRadio you could just pull out your iPhone and check the weather right then.

WunderRadio lets you listen to local radio stations for music, weather alerts, and more.  It’s on the App Store now for $5.99, or browse to i.wund.com for a free browser-based version. If you don’t have an iPhone, you can still get the weather any time from your mobile browser by surfing to m.wund.com.

WunderRadio is a WUnderground.com app.

About 3 weeks ago I reviewed an app for Windows Mobile called slydial that let you call directly to someone’s voicemail. Today, MobileSphere announced that slydial is available for free on the iPhone App Store.

Here’s the full Press Release.

Dec 15, 2008 09:00 ET
slydial iPhone Application Now Available

iPhone App Allows Users to Go Straight to Voicemail in One Simple Step

BOSTON, MA–(Marketwire – December 15, 2008) -

News Facts

MobileSphere, a leading-edge provider of global wireless communications solutions, today announced the availability of its slydial application for iPhone. Due to the rapid popularity of slydial, MobileSphere developed this free, downloadable iPhone application that lets you instantly voice message anyone in your iPhone address book with a U.S. mobile phone number in one simple step. The slydial App is now available for free download at the App Store in iTunes.

slydial has hit a nerve in the marketplace, indicating the value of this effective and practical messaging service that offers a voice alternative to text messaging. Whether saving time, avoiding an awkward conversation or returning business calls, slydial has proven to have universal appeal. Now, with the company’s smartphone Apps, slydialing will become easier than ever, increasing the use of this sly, yet practical, service.

Don’t have an iPhone? Applications are available for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile smartphones too. Download and install the slydial application of your choice on your smartphone by visiting the slydial Apps page.

Don’t have a smartphone? Have no fear; slydialing can still be an easy-to-use service. Join MYslydial for free and become a registered user to take advantage of advanced features for quick and easy slydialing, including Dial By Name and Click 2 slydial.

To slydial, dial 267-SLYDIAL (267-759-3425) and follow the voice prompts. slydial connects to all major U.S. wireless carriers and calls can be placed from any mobile or landline phone.

- Quote, attributed to Gavin Macomber, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Business Development, MobileSphere

“Based on feedback from our user community, it was evident that our iPhone and other smartphone users have been looking for ways to simplify their slydial experience. The slydial app was an obvious next step. Our downloadable applications provide quick and easy ways to instantly voice message any address book contact.”

- Quote, attributed to Clayton Wakida, Honolulu, HI, slydial iPhone App user

“Extremely useful App that every iPhone user should get and everyone else will want!”

- Quote, attributed to Bruce Wagner, New York City, NY, slydial iPhone App user

“I called 40 friends and family in only 30 minutes on Thanksgiving Day and left each of them a super-sweet personalized greeting. How long would it take you to call 40 friends and family without using slydial? And now, with the iPhone App, it’s one-touch calling which is brilliant!”

About MobileSphere

MobileSphere is a leading-edge provider of global wireless communications solutions leveraging the migration from fixed to mobile communications. MobileSphere focuses on providing mobile messaging and telephony solutions to service providers, enterprises, universities and consumers. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Boston, Mass., MobileSphere’s products and solutions include slydial™ for mobile voice messaging, Joopz™ for web-to-mobile text messaging and CellularLD™, TravelCall™, Utalk™, CarrierILD™ for international wireless long distance. For additional information, visit www.mobile-sphere.com.

NOTE: Apple and iTunes are registered trademarks and iPhone is a trademark of Apple, Inc.

The trademark BlackBerry is owned by Research In Motion Limited and is registered in the United States and may be pending or registered in other countries. MobileSphere is not endorsed, sponsored, affiliated with or otherwise authorized by Research In Motion Limited.

All other trade names and trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

San Francisco – December 15, 2008 – The Coveroo, a new electronic fashion accessory that takes your phone from drab to fab, is unveiled today – pioneering a world where personal electronics are truly personal. A Coveroo replaces the original back cover on your mobile device with a custom version that features lasered artwork from your favorite band, TV show, movie or artist. Coveroo launches with over 250 high-quality designs from leading brands – some of which are being made commercially available for the first time – such as AC/DC, Star Trek, The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Barbie.

Getting a Coveroo is simple, inexpensive and quick –prices start at only $19.95 and holiday delivery is guaranteed if ordered by December 22, 2008. Go to www.coveroo.com, choose a phone model, and select your desired design or pick from a variety of fonts to have your name or initials etched. The folks at Coveroo will hand craft a new back cover for your phone and send it to you. Once received, you just slip off the old boring back cover and replace it with your new fashion-forward Coveroo. Coveroo early adopters and trend-setters looking to stand out, promote a cause or carry a reminder of their favorite things include a growing list of celebrities such as Dustin Hoffman, Eva Longoria and Paris Hilton.

“Consumers who are accustomed to instantly customizing everything about their online world are now demanding the same thing in the physical world,” said Karl Jacob, CEO of Coveroo. “Now they expect that anything can be a unique reflection of them – including personal electronics. On demand customization with the most popular designs is finally here and we are excited to deliver this product to consumers for the holidays.”

As part of the company’s debut, Coveroo also announced a partnership with Best Buy to provide its on-demand laser engraving at select stores nationwide. In addition to Best Buy customers being able to personalize their new purchases by adding custom Coveroos, they can also bring their existing devices into participating stores to be etched – a particularly appealing solution for Apple iPhone users. Currently, Coveroo is set-up for business in the following Best Buy locations:  Bloomington, MN in the Mall of America; Fairfax, VA; Schaumburg, IL; and West Hollywood, CA; and has plans to extend its relationship and rollout to additional Best Buy stores in the coming year.

The sophistication of the laser technology and engraving process, along with the exclusive licensing deals made with leading brands and covetted artists, allow Coveroo to fullful its mission of personalization in a way that is unmatched by any other in the market today. Coveroo offers a tremendous variety of designs while being the most affordable, high-quality and time-efficient solution for device personalization.

San Francisco-based Coveroo, formed from the merger of Wallop and Etchstar, was founded in October 2008 by seasoned industry veterans including Karl Jacob, Ben Katz and Mark Halstead. Jacob, now CEO of Coveroo, is a four-time successful entrepreneur and was most recently CEO and founder of Wallop, funded by Bay Partners, Norwest and Microsoft – all of which stayed on to finance Coveroo. Katz, now President of Coveroo, was previously CEO and founder of Etchstar, where he pioneered commercialization of on-demand customized consumer electronics. Halstead who has invented several ecommerce technologies will take on the role of Coveroo CTO. The joining of the companies and associated business and creative credentials provides the perfect combination of online insights with real-world know-how.

Available immediately from the Coveroo website are designs for the Blackberry Bold, Curve and Pearl, as well as the Motorola SLVR 7, Samsung U410 and U340 and LG CU515.  The Apple iPod touch with a Coveroo is also available on the Coveroo site.  Customers can also get Coveroos for any of these devices, and the iPhone 3G, in person at select Best Buy stores.

Coveroo is adding new phone models and design choices all the time, and can also etch custom designs to fashion a truly “one of a kind” Coveroo. For more information or to order a Coveroo online, please go to www.coveroo.com.

The people at Eltima Software have graciously supplied me with three (3) licenses to give away to my readers. But I’m not one for just giving things out, I like a little fun involved. So I’m going to have a contest to determine who gets the licenses.

It’s a simple contest, one that involves a bit of work, but it won’t be too hard. All you have to do is send in a picture that has “ThisMobileLife.com” somewhere in it. It can be a picture you took, a photo you made with Photoshop, or even a drawing; anything, as long as it has “ThisMobileLife.com” in it. Entries will be accepted until December 24th at midnight, you have three weeks. That should be enough, right?

Send all contest entries to contest@thismobilelife.com.

So, you’ve been using S2U2 to unlock your Windows Mobile phone, just like the iPhone, and now you’ve seen the Android’s Pattern Unlocker and want that. You are lucky that there are people out there just like you and who want to make their phones just like another.

ThrottleLock is ThrottleLauncher.com’s answer to your desires, just download their FREE app and install the CAB and you’ll be in business! The ThrottleLock Config app lets you add/remove rows and columns to your pattern and also has a few more little treats. The creator also has left ThrottleLock completely open for skins and you can download and share skins in their forums.