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Feature: 5 Tools To Keep Your Computers and Mobile Devices Synchronized

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Do you share files between your laptop, desktop at work, and your mobile device? Wouldn’t it be nice if all of the files shared between these devices were always synchronized? Luckily the file syncing and storage space is becoming very crowded and extremely competitive. There are products for every type user at a every price point. In the comparison below I will highlight some of the more popular and established file syncing/storage services along with a listing of some of the more prominent features and the devices supported.

Here’s a graphical summary of the five services compared.

(click image to enlarge)

5 file sharing sites compared 01 01 01 300x213 Feature: 5 Tools To Keep Your Computers and Mobile Devices Synchronized

ZumoDrive (Editor’s Choice)

The ability to work on files stored in ZumoDrive without having to actually store them on my computer makes this the ideal flash drive replacement for anyone with a ton of files and little space. I’ll give you an example, I have a netbook I use when away from home, with ZumoDrive I don’t have to worry about the 40GB hard drive filling up because I can stream my extensive music library using iTunes with ZumoDrive and I can also access gigabytes of data without having to store it on the netbook’s hard drive.

With ZumoDrive you get 1GB of free storage and additional free storage (up to 2GB) when you complete a series of tasks in the dojo. You can buy additional storage for $2.99/month for 10GB of storage space. The storage space can be used for the following:

  • Backup and recovery
  • Multi-Computer Sync
  • Remote Access to Files
  • Files and Folder Sharing (Facebook photo uploading)
  • Music Streaming to Browser and iPhone

ZumoDrive supports the following clients:

  • Windows based PC’s
  • Mac OS
  • iPhone
  • iPad
  • Android
  • Palm Pre

Get a free ZumoDrive Account.

MobileMe

With a MobileMe you can start with a 60day trial with 20GB of storage space or you can upgrade to a paid plan for $99/year ($8.25/month). Unlike the other services MobileMe synchronizes all of your email, calendars, and contacts. It also has the ability to locate your iPhone should you ever loose it. This storage space can be used for the following:

  • Backup and recovery
  • Multi-Computer Sync
  • Remote Access to Files
  • Files and Folder Sharing
  • Music Streaming to Browser and iPhone (Limited)
  • Email Synchronization (also email provider)
  • Contact Synchronization
  • Calendar Synchronization
  • iPhone Location (if you lose it)

MobileMe supports the following clients:

  • Windows based PC’s
  • Mac OS
  • iPhone
  • iPad (in iPhone supported mode)

Get a MobileMe Account.

SugarSync

SugarSync gives you a free 14 day trial of the service after which you can close the account or pay $4.99/month for 30GB of storage space. The storage space can be used for the following:

  • Backup and recovery
  • Multi-Computer Sync (Limited)
  • Remote Access to Files
  • Send Files Only
  • Music Streaming to iPhone

SugarSync supports the following clients:

  • Windows based PC’s
  • Mac OS
  • iPhone
  • BlackBerry
  • Windows Mobile

Get a 14 Day trial SugarSync Account.

DropBox

DropBox provides you with 2GB of free storage. You can upgrade to a paid plan that includes 50GB of storage space for $9.99/month. The storage space can be used for the following:

  • Backup and recovery
  • Multi-Computer Sync
  • Remote Access to Files
  • Files and Folder Sharing
  • Music Streaming to Client

DropBox supports the following clients:

  • Windows based PC’s
  • Mac OS
  • iPhone
  • iPad
  • Linux

Get a free DropBox Account.

Box.net

Box.net gives you 1GB of free storage and the option to upgrade to 10GB of paid storage for $9.95/month. This storage space can be used for the following:

  • Backup and recovery
  • Multi-Computer Sync
  • Remote Access to Files
  • Files and Folder Sharing
  • Music Streaming to Browser and iPhone (Limited)

Box.net supports the following clients:

  • iPhone
  • iPad
  • Android
  • Client using browser

Get a free Box.net Account.

Originally posted May 27, 2010

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  • http://topsy.com/trackback?utm_source=pingback&utm_campaign=L2&url=http://www.gilsmethod.com/5-tools-computers-mobile-devices-synchronized Tweets that mention Feature: 5 Tools To Keep Your Computers and Mobile Devices Synchronized | GilsMethod.com — Topsy.com

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Richard Hay, Gilberto J Perera. Gilberto J Perera said: Graphic Comparing Total Cost of File & Storage Syncing Services @sugarsync @zumodrive @mobileme @boxdotnet @dropbox – http://ow.ly/1QD5E [...]

  • http://www.tobacco-news.net/ Smoker

    Thanks man, it is very interesting, know I can do much more with my Iphone

  • http://www.tobacco-news.net/ Smoker

    Thanks man, it is very interesting, know I can do much more with my Iphone

  • http://www.blackfridayplanet.com/ William Hushburn

    this post is very informative. it really pays to backup your files because you’ll never know when some inevitable things happen and you’ll be losing all of them.

  • http://twitter.com/ph1rst Phil Hirst

    I’ve extensively used ZumoDrive, DropBox and several other similar free services including SugarSync.

    I prefer ZumoDrive for a few reasons:

    The computer app advantage:
    You can easily set any folder on your computer, including those on your network as a linked/synced ZumoDrive folder (rather than just having a Dropbox folder).

    The best iPhone app (to date):
    1. It had file caching right from the start, and you specify separate memory limits for storing docs, photos and music.
    2. Shared folders from other users appear in your ZumoDrive, and are cached on your iphone in the same way.
    3. Easy access to all photos or music in all your linked folders with in-built media player that indexes and lists your music from all folders by album/artist etc.
    4. Download several files at once, and see the download queue and progress

    They also have ZumoCast now, which provides unlimited access/streaming to your all your files, music & videos, inclduing those on your network, provided your computer is switched on (this also has file caching on the iPhone app).

  • http://mobi9.me/2010/12/23/que-servico-de-disco-virtual-e-sincronizacao-de-dados-escolher/ Que serviço de disco virtual e sincronização de dados escolher? « iPad is out: what now?

    [...] Feature: 5 Tools To Keep Your Computers and Mobile Devices Synchronized via @gilsmethod. [...]

  • Anonymous

    Really nice and helpful post. Dropbox is a great new tool to transfer, backup and file sharing. It became very popular very quickly tech circles, but if you do not keep up with the latest technologies and services, may not have heard of.

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