Sometimes the best things in life really are free. And CIO can help you find a few of those freebies. A recent article on the magazine's site details "Seven Fantastic Free Windows Mobile Apps" that it considers essential to getting the most out of a smartphone.

The seven apps are:

1. mDigger, a reader application that delivers text, images, video and podcasts from user-specified sources.

2. Skype for Windows Mobile, a VoIP app that helps beat roaming charges.

3. Opera Mini, a mobile browser that provides "a number of valuable options."

4. WorldMate mobile service, which automatically delivers travel-related content to the phone.

5. PIM Backup from Dotfred.net.

6. MSN Direct, a Microsoft app that provides all sorts of up-to-date content on the Windows Mobile home screen.

7. Pocket Digital Clock, provides an easy-to-read option to the tiny digital clock that comes with the Windows Mobile software.

For more details on each of the apps, you can read the entire article here.