Mobile phone software company Handmark has announced a new application for smartphones; what it calls a 24/7 phone 'concierge service'.

The Pocket Express software will be available in three versions. A free version will provide an interface for BBC News, sport news and scores, cinema listings and travel information.

Paying £4 a month expands the program to include live flight information, and paying £7 a month for the Elite edition will give access to the Mobilecierge service.

Mobilecierge allows the user to contact a telephone concierge by tapping an icon on screen. The concierge phone line is free to call from anywhere in the world, and available 24 hours a day.

Staff can help with travel arrangements, restaurant or theatre bookings, or even medical problems: Handmark has set up a dedicated department to help put users in touch with an English-speaking doctor, wherever they might be.

According to Handmark's Steve McGuigan, the service has even been used to set up a romantic location for a marriage proposal, complete with a band playing a selection of love songs.

Pocket Express will be available for Nokia E- and N-Series smartphones by the end of 2007. A version for Blackberry devices is currently available in the US, but Handmark has yet to announce a Blackberry edition for the UK.