Cloud Storage Comparison Charts Released
Last Updated on Friday, 27 April 2012 01:06 Written by Alan Friday, 27 April 2012 01:06
Cloud storage has been all over the tech news for the past week with big announcements from SkyDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox. While it’s all good news for customers, it can also lead to a lot of confusion over which solution is right for each individual. There aren’t many major differences, but each service is different in some ways from all of the others.
Yesterday Casey Johnston, over at Ars Technica, published two charts to help users easily compare seven of the top cloud storage services available - SkyDrive, Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox, SugarSync, Box, and SpiderOak. Among the things shown are the amount of free storage, total storage amount, the cost per month, and more. In a separate chart Johnston illustrates which services are available on which different platforms, for instance SkyDrive is the only service to offer a Windows Phone app and only Dropbox and SpiderOak work with Linux.
You can check out one of the two charts below. To view the other, and read more about this, head over to Ars Technica. You can also read about the recent changes to SkyDrive and the release of Google Drive to get more in-depth about those services.
How To: Setup and Use Backup Folder Sync
Last Updated on Sunday, 8 April 2012 08:55 Written by Alan Monday, 9 April 2012 07:00
There is no shortage of both both free and paid programs you can use to backup files and folders , but there is always room for one more in the market, especially if it works well, doesn’t install other things like browser toolbars, and preferably is free. There are several that fit that bill nicely. The latest one I have taken a look at is called Backup Folder Sync.
Backup Folder Sync lets you save the backups to a local folder, external drive, USB stick, network share, or mapped drive, and restore them to any folder, including the original one. Once you have set up backup “jobs” they can be run easily at anytime, so you don’t have to worry about doing this setup each time.
Once you have downloaded and installed the app, you can begin creating your backups. The main screen has two panes – the left one displays the location of your existing files, while the right displays the backup and restore process. To choose a folder for backup you just right-click on it and if it has a sub-folder within it that you would like to exclude you can Ctrl-Right-click on it. NOTE: If you are planning to work with drives that are on a different PC on your network then you will need to make sure you first have them mapped because there is no Network browse in the left pane – there is a Network option when you choose your backup destination.
Once you have chosen the folder you want to backup then click the “Destination” button at the top of the screen and choose the location where you want your files backed up to.
Now that you selected your destination you can click the “Backup” button on the top menu bar. You will now be prompted to enter the job name. This will save everything you have just entered and make it easier to do future backups.
When you want to restore your data, just select the Destination where you saved your backups, click “Restore Open” and select the folders you want to restore by right-clicking on them. When all folders are selected, click “Restore”.
The only real limitation here is that it doesn’t have a scheduling feature to allow it to run automatically. But, the price of free still makes it one of the top solutions you should look at when you are in the market for this type of software.
Android, Box, and 50 GB of Free Storage!
Last Updated on Thursday, 23 February 2012 10:42 Written by Alan Thursday, 23 February 2012 10:42
Not long ago we brought you a how-to guide on setting up a Box account on both Windows and Android. Now, today, Box has announced a special offer for Android users. If you update your Android app and sign in between now and March 23rd you will get a free 50 GB of storage credited to your account for life!
Box, if you aren’t familiar, is a serious Dropbox contender that is really taking off in the market these days. They have mobile apps for all platforms and have been adopted by many major corporations. They do have tiered storage available for serious users, but with 50 GB, the average user won’t need to worry about any of that.
You can get started by visiting Box, and by reading our tutorials listed above. The service is compatible with all computer and mobile operating systems and lets you share, sync, and access files from everywhere.
