Think your PC and your cell phone don't mix? Think again. Mobiledit, a $25 Windows application (free demo), bridges the gap between the two devices, allowing you to manage your phone and its contents from the big screen of your desktop.

Mobiledit lets manage almost any kind of cell phone, from basic handsets to iOS and Android smartphones. You connect your phone to your computer via USB, Bluetooth, IrDA,) and the software recognizes it automatically. I tested Mobiledit with an Android and an iPhone, and it recognized both of them automatically. Mobiledit can connect to some Android phones over Wi-Fi, but to do so, you need to install the Mobiledit Connector app on your handset.

Once your phone is connected, Mobiledit allows you to browse its contents using a Windows Explorer-like folder structure. While iPhone owners may balk at its $25 price tag when iTunes is free, Mobiledit frees you from the restrictions of iTunes, allowing you to view your iPhone's contents on a more granular level. The $25 fee includes a license for two phones and one PC. A $35 Family Edition ups that to 5 phones, while a $59 Professional Edition covers 10 phones. A free version, called Mobiledit Lite, allows you to view your phone's contents, but not write to it.

In addition to viewing the contents of your phone, Mobiledit lets you transfer photos and videos to and from your phone, send text messages from your keyboard, and install applications to your phone. It's similar in many ways to Wondershare's MobileGo, but that product only works with Android devices. Mobiledit works with a much wider variety of devices.

Mobiledit will appeal to anyone who's looking to manage their mobile phone—no matter how basic or advanced it is— from the comfort of their computer. It lets you examine your phone's contents thoroughly, and back everything up easily.

Note: The Download button on the Product Information page takes you to the vendor's site, where you can download the Lite (demo) version of the software to your system.