MobileSyncBrowser Editor's Review

Everytime you synch your phone, iTunes keeps a local copy of the information contained in your iPhone's SMS and Notes applications as well as your recent call history. MSB allows you to refer to these files and copy the information for archive or reference purposes.

You do not have to jailbreak/hack your phone or even have it present/connected!
Since contacts and photos can and should be synched/displayed by other applications, MSB concentrates on SMS, Notes and Call Logs, which are not normally accessible/viewable on the host computer.