AT&T today provided a helping hand to some of its subscribers with Mobile Backup, a new online service meant to assuage cellphone users that may store valuable contact info only on their handsets. Downloading a special app to compatible phones lets users automatically save contacts to a remote server and restored should the device be damaged or lost. Web access to the contacts also gives an opportunity to edit or view contacts without having the phone itself; this can be immediately valuable if a phone is stolen and the contacts may be at risk, AT&T says.

Using the service adds $2 per month to a subscriber's normal phone plan. No data plans or extra bandwidth charges are required, AT&T says. The Mobile Backup app currently requires one of several Motorola phones, such as all RAZR V3 versions (including the V3xx) as well as the KRZR, SLVR, and V365. More phones from Motorola and other companies are expected to support the software and its service in the near future.