Spb Software House - makers of the awesome GPRS Monitor 2.x for Pocket PC Phones - have announced the first beta of GPRS Monitor for Smartphone. Needless to say, I've been quick to register for it (especially since Emma's GPRS usage has been causing the odd high bill).

GPRS Monitor is an awesome utility which I'm sure has saved many Pocket PC Phone Edition owners quite some money, and to see it come to the Smartphone platform is very exciting indeed! I've not as yet found a GPRS Monitor-style program for Smartphone that I could run and be happy with - but rather than finding an equivalent, I'll now be able to run what should effectively be the same software!

Release notes for the beta:

"This version of Spb GPRS Monitor Smartphone is a time-limited version that allows you to run it for 15 days since installing it. As an appreciation for your participation in Spb GPRS Monitor Smartphone beta program we will present the most active beta testers who provide valuable feedback with a registered version of Spb GPRS Monitor Smartphone when it is released.

*** How to use the program ***
Spb GPRS Monitor Smartphone is very similar to its Pocket PC predecessor, Spb GPRS Monitor 2.0, and will provide you with detailed information about your online traffic amount and its costs.

Controls and features:
* Use left soft-button to switch between money/traffic chart.
* Use cursor button to change time period:
  * Up/Down - change between daily/monthly/annual view
  * Left/Right - navigate back and forward: days, months or years.
  * You can also set time periods through the menu.
* You can view detailed report in "Menu > Report" section, and save report data to the file.
* You can use profiles to switch between different payment plans and/or providers. This is also very helpful when in roaming.
* Customize your payment tariff in "Options > Tariff" section. Many predefined tariffs are available, and they can also be updated via the internet in real time.
* Daily and monthly notifications will warn you if your prepaid traffic is about to be exceeded. These notifications can be customized in "Options" dialog."

You can sign up for the beta here. Thanks to Arne Hess at PPCW.NET for the heads up!