We submit for your perusal, a link to an eBay auction wherein the seller is auctioning his services in a long distance prank to be carried out over the holidays. The seller will be in Poland, from where he will instigate the pranks, confusing the recipient beyond all belief. The link will remain valid only for the time eBay continues to show the auction.

New data recovery software designed to assist with a variety of operations–including hard drive data recovery–can help when disaster strikes. Disk Doctors has launched Digital Media Recovery, software designed to retrieve deleted, or corrupted files from Memory Cards, USB Storage devices, and hard drives. This application comes packed with advanced features, an easy-to-use interface, and has support for RAW photographic files.

Features for this version include a fast thumbnail-viewer, enhanced support for RAW formats, as well as an option to burn recovered files directly onto CD/DVD media. For music and video files, the new application is equipped with a specially crafted retrieval engine that can identify each fragment of a lost or deleted mp3 or mpeg file; it creates a virtual map to determine the file size that results in a working file, whereas existing retrieval applications recoup only fragments or parts of music and video files. The currently launched version of the software reclaims lost or deleted pictures, music, and video files from Memory Sticks, Flash Cards, Sony Memory Stick, IBM Micro Drive, SD Cards, MMC Cards, XD Cards, Secure Digital Card, Zip Disks and Mini Disks. It comes specially designed with support for all major camera brands–Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Sony & Minolta, among others.

Advanced Media, manufacturer and marketer of the RIDATA brand of recordable CD and DVD media, electronic storage products, and digital media accessories, announced its RIDATA Yego Drive is now available in 8GB capacity. The hub drive allows users to securely store data and add on more USB powered devices.

A key concern with any flash storage device is security. For privacy and protection, the Yego Drive features advanced partition and security functions that make it possible for users to create password-protected sectors for the storage of personal or highly confidential material. A tie-style LED indicator shows usage status, assuring there is never any doubt as to which port is currently in use.

IntelliGolf announced the shipment of its new IntelliGolf version 8.5 software for Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0-based Pocket PCs and Palm OS-based handhelds. Version 8.5 adds support for Windows Mobile 6.0, embedded GPS, rotating/landscape-based screen displays, and wireless access to 24,000+ signature course scorecards. Version 8.5 is also shipping for the latest Palm OS-based smartphones.

DDH Software announced a major update to its HanDBase relational database application for Access OS (Palm OS/Treo), Windows Mobile Classic and Professional (Pocket PC), Windows Mobile Standard (Smartphone), BlackBerry, and Symbian S60 devices. Version 4.0 includes a host of new synchronization features, a deeper level of security, and a myriad of user interface and database design enhancements.

The new version includes a wide range of new enhancements, including the ability to synchronize databases stored on a memory card. HanDBase also now includes a “Smart Date” filter that enables users to view data in ranges such as “This Week,” and “Next x Days.” With data security risks such as identity theft and business intelligence loss, the security of mobile data is of utmost importance. In addition to 128 bit Safer-SK encryption, HanDBase 4.0 now offers an inactivity auto-close feature and encryption password caching, with HanDBase optionally remembering and recalling passwords for subsequent saves/closes of the database.

Microsoft isn’t offering up any dates or final product names, but it is breaking with Windows Mobile tradition and is talking about future features. It’s not hard to see why Microsoft’s Windows Mobile team is uncharacteristically willing to share its roadmap. The Apple iPhone has all the buzz and, according to at least one market researcher, more of the the Web-browsing market share than Windows Mobile does. Here’s what Microsoft has shown/told a select handful of bloggers, journalists and other sundry “influentials.”

AccuWeather.com announced the launch of the new AccuWeather.com netWeather Mobile, an easy new way to incorporate weather information into your business or personal mobile Web site. Building on the outstanding success of netWeather on the traditional Web, netWeather Mobile brings some of the same free weather information and the easy implementation to mobile web developers and site owners.

Spb Software House has published the results of its fourth annual Spb Windows Mobile Survey. The Spb Survey is a means of gathering feedback from the active members of the Windows Mobile community, measuring change in that segment of the mobile market, and sharing the observations with the public.

The number of participants in Spb Survey 2007 almost doubled in comparison with the last year’s results. This trend may be a natural side-effect of the impressive growth rate of the Windows Mobile market itself. Moreover, this year’s survey was extended to Smartphone users, and they chose not to remain silent to the offer.

Our own Editor-in-Chief David Gewirtz is back on the air Friday with a special pre-holiday broadcast. He’ll be joining host Carole Nelson on WMEL 920AM radio at 1:00 pm on Friday, sharing stories of White House Internet security with the Space Coast in Central Florida.

If you’re not lucky enough to enjoy the balmy weather of Central Florida in person, you can tune into David’s interview on email, national security, and Internet safety via the station’s Web player.

One note: listening to this over the Web will mean you need to install the Abacast plug-in. Although we don’t have a whole lot of experience with Abacast, it’s got a good reputation and we think it’s a safe install. Simply click on the red, white, and blue Listen Live button on the radio station’s home page and follow the installation instructions.

MotionApps has released an update to its mRing software. mRing is a ringtone, profile and call manager application for Treos and the Centro. It allows you to assign MP3, MIDI, WAV ring tones and custom full screen pictures to your contacts and contact categories, to define and schedule profiles (silent, meeting, loud etc.), filter incoming calls and define blacklists and much more. The latest update features support for the Centro and Treo 755p, adds a filter to browse by contacts, fixes a few bugs and minor UI updates.