Online Backup and Syncing:
As I am sure many of you have experienced. Moving files from one computer to another while on the move can be a royal pain. Emailing files in inefficient and who wants a flash drive glued to their person anyways. We all understand the importance of backing up files and photos, but who really takes time to do it often enough to be effective?
That’s right, not many of us. Sure we could write a con job to do it for us, but that’s lame. You and I both want something that is efficient and automatic. Well here is our solution.
Enter SugarSync:
With SugarSyncyou won’t have to worry about editing out of date files like you do with email and you can now take that flash drive off your key chain. Best of all you know if your hard drive crashes you won’t lose you important files or family photos because they are backed up. I have peace of mind that my files are safe, you should too.
Pricing:
Right now SugarSync is offering a free one month trial on all accounts.
If you are thinking about trying out SugarSync I suggest that you try out their 30GB plan, which will be typically big enough for most of your “important” files and it runs $4.99 a month after the trial. They have larger plans, but most people don’t need their entire computer backed up. I mean really how many of those 40k songs on your hard drive do you really listen to 
.
If you are interested in other plans and prices they are listed below. (They too have a free trial).
Getting Started:
For all the people who have asked me how to get started or that I have referred to this page. Here is how you get started with SugarSync:
First off I suggest you try the 2GB free trial which will be free forever. This plan will help you get a feel for SugarSync and allow you to play around with its cool features. You can always upgrade later.
Step 1: Sign Up
Now go ahead and get signed up for the free plan. You will need to give your email and select an Account URL. This URL will be how you will access your account online.
Step 2: Download Software
Once you have completed the first step and download the software. It is available on both PC and Mac (along with a ton of mobile devices: Cough Blackberry and iPhone).
Step 3: Open SugarSync Manager
Once you’ve got it installed open up the file manager. When in the file manager click on “Manage Sync Folders” then “Add Folders from this Computer.” (Diagram Directly Below.)
Step 4: Add Folders
Once you are there select your files and press “OK.” These folders will begin to sync with the server. (Diagram Below and to the right.)
Step 5: Sit Back and Relax
SugarSync will now work in the background to upload your files to the server. Backing up your files with ease you never have to lift a finger.
Step 6: Add other Computers
To Sync other computers together simply download the client, install, and select the folders you want to be synced. It is super easy!
10 Things I Use SugarSync For: (No Particular Order)
If you are having trouble thinking of some uses for SugarSync here are my top 10 things I use it for.
- Safe & Secure Password Syncing with Roboform.
- File Versioning – If I overwrite a file, SugarSync keeps a copy of the old files.
- Keeping my Photos backed up and safe. I want my kids to see my digital photos of when I was a kid.
- Syncing Invoices across multiple computers for tax purposes. (My accountant loves me.)
- Sharing Large Files – Share massive files easily.
- On the Go, Mobile Living – I never worry if I my files will be on the right computer
- Listening to my music online via any computer.
- View my photos online via any computer.
- Peace of Mind – SugarSync is essentially my insurance policy. Hopefully I’ll never lose another file.
- Sharing Folders with friends. They add things to the folder and they get synced to my computer.
What SugarSync is Lacking and What it Excels at:
No review would be complete without pointing out the good points and the bad points. All software has its ups and downs. So here is a quick list of the features I love/hate.
Pros:
- File Versioning. Great in-case you accidentally overwrite a file, you can retrieve it.
- Automatic Syncing – I don’t have to think about it backing up. SugarSync just does it.
- Online Photo Album – I can check out my photos online without having to have them on my laptop.
- Digital MP3 Streaming – I can listen to my music without needing it on my laptop.
- Syncs with my Mobile Phone – Great for backing up photos of my receipts for accounting purposes.
- Easily Publish my Photos to Facebook.
Cons:
- Sometimes Sugarsync has an issue with locking up your files while it is uploading, causing a permissions error. Took me a long time to figure out what was causing this error. For some reason it happens a lot more on Vista x64 bit than it does on XP x64 bit. Minor nuisance, you just have to let the file finish uploading.
- Sometimes SugarSync’s intuitive upload feature isn’t so… well… intuitive. Once in a while it will hog your bandwidth out of no where. This has been improved upon in recent updates but sometimes I can be cumbersome.
- There isn’t an easy way to sync iTunes across multiple computers, but you can listen to your music online.
- Finally, my last little beef with SugarSync is that it doesn’t allow me to sync my firefox profiles or Outlook PST files across computers. This lack of functionality is what forced me to switch to Gmail and Xmarks. Who knew this issue would be such a blessing in disguise, more on that later.
Future Product Updates:
The items listed below are currently in SugarSync’s queue of items that they are working on.
- Outlook (*.pst) Syncing Support
- Mapped Drive (Network Share) Syncing Support
- External (Removable) Storage Syncing Support
- Group Plans
- End the Macintosh SugarSync Manager beta and release the production client
- Support Mac OS X “Bundles” and Resource Forks
- Ability to remove SugarSync icon from the Dock on Mac
- Ability to search for specific files
Of these updates I am most excited about the External Storage Syncing and Mapped Drive Syncing.
These two features will keep SugarSync way ahead of the pack which is just another reason why I love their product.
Resource Information:
To a few friends I have recommended the service to they have asked about the memory usage. On my end it isn’t too bad. For example as I am writing this I am uploading 8GB of photos and it is using 214mb of memory, which is less than what Firefox is using, and is uploading at 51kb a sec. My desktop rig has 6GB of memory so this may differ depending on your resources.
Additional Photos:
Below are photos of the SugarSync Online Music Player and SugarSync Online Photo Gallery.
Wrap Up:
All in all, I would recommend have recommended this product to all my friends who live a mobile lifestyle or work a lot online. It is perfect for Students, Teachers, Public Speakers, Internet Geeks, Web Entrepernuers, and the list goes on. SugarSync is a solution that will not only help make your life easier but one that will change the way you work across multiple computers.
So what are you waiting for, sign up for your free trial of SugarSync and learn how it can simplify your lifestyle.
{ 6 trackbacks }
{ 0 comments… add one now }