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

(click image to enlarge)

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.

In previous articles I detailed how I was able to move from Outlook 2007 to Google’s online services for all of my email and organizational functions. In this article I’ll cover how I am able to access my Gmail, Google Calendar, and other information on the go.

When I started using the Blackberry I relied solely on the built-in email application to pick up emails from my main inboxes. This worked great when I had one computer with Outlook housing all of my messages, however when I bought a desktop to complement my laptop I found myself with the problem of synchronizing two Outlook PST files, once I solved that, I needed a way to access my messages remotely.

After moving all of my emails from Outlook to Gmail I began to use the Gmail application instead of the BlackBerry email application. So far the experience has been great, some of the limitations found with the BlackBerry email client are also found in the Gmail client (no HTML signature, limited attachment compatibility, etc), however the main advantage and reason for the switch was to keep the mailboxes synchronized at all times.

Below I will highlight the applications and settings that enable me to keep my emails and calendar information synchronized online and on my BlackBerry as well as other mobile products offered by Google for mobile users. I wrote this article with the hope that it would increase awareness of Google’s many products and services that are available to BlackBerry users online. If you have anything to add or have any questions, please post them below.

Note: I use a Blackberry 8800 series from Sprint

To view the how-to describing the process for transferring appointments from Outlook to Google Calendar, follow this link.

Visit http://m.google.com with your mobile phone to access the applications pictured and listed below.

Gmail for BlackBerry - Use this to keep your emails synchronized between Gmail and your phone.

Use the following shortcut guide to help you with Gmail on your BlackBerry.

Google Sync for BlackBerry - Google Sync will keep your contacts and appointments synchronized between Google Calendar and Google Contacts.

Google Mobile App for BlackBerry - Keeps your other Google applications updated with alerts, provides quick access to Google search without having to wait for the browser to load, you can even use voice search to perform an online query.

Google Mobile Maps for BlackBerry - A great replacement or complimentary tool for the navigation application that is usually bundled with phones.

Google Talk for BlackBerry – Use Google Talk to chat with friends who do not have BlackBerry messenger.

You will also be able to access the online services below.

As more computer users flock to the cloud to store their information, the amount of personal information online is increasing at an exponential rate. Along with that growth is the increased risk associated with the exposure of private and sensitive information over the internet. When we upload personal data to services like Google Docs or transfer our emails to Gmail, we face an added level of risk exposing our personal and confidential information on the internet. I’ve been meaning to write this article for quite some time, but never got around to it. A recent comment by one my readers confirmed my reservations over the increased use of online services to save and work on potentially sensitive and private information.

In this article I will summarize some of the things that I do and that you too can repeat to reduce the likelihood of a breach to your personal information online. If you have a method you use and would like to share it or have other information that is useful please post it below. Browse safely.

1. Use Trusted Devices

Although elementary in nature, how many times have you signed on to your Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, or another account on a computer other than your own? If you know anything about keyloggers or other forms malware, you would think twice about signing on with any computer.

The bottom line is unless you trust the device that you are on, don’t use it. So how do you access you accounts if you have no choice? Please read #2 & 3.

2. Use Travel Accounts When Away from a Trusted Device

Travel accounts? What the heck is that? Like many people I have accumulated enough email addresses to warrant a spreadsheet that lists all of the user names and passwords…yes…that many. In reality there are 2 accounts that I use for sensitive information (bank statements, bills, receipts, personal information, etc) and those two use very strong passwords (see #3). The rest of the accounts use strong passwords as well, but contain information that is less sensitive (comment updates, subscriptions, etc). These accounts are normally setup to forward email to the sensitive accounts.

When I travel I disable the forwards to the sensitive account from the non-sensitive accounts and then enable fetching of emails on the sensitive account from the non-sensitive account. I then make sure that the leave emails on server option is enabled. This ensures that emails are fetched by the sensitive account, but remain in the non-sensitive account so that I can read the messages while traveling.

Refer to the diagram below for a visual explanation of this information.

3. Would the Strong Password Please Stand Up?

Your daughter’s birthday or sparky’s name are not very good candidates for passwords. Instead try something like 1b45Hd-45gO as a password – oh it’s too long? Well just so you have an idea of how weak sparky or someone’s birthday is, I have listed how different password types vary and the length of time it takes to crack them by a supercomputer.

*Denotes that the password is 5 characters in length

A Class F attack is an attack performed by a supercomputer which can generate 1,000,000,000 password combinations per second. Of course there aren’t supercomputers run by individuals for the sole purpose of cracking passwords, but considering that a fast dual processor computer can generate 100,000,000 password combinations per second one has to be aware of the simple fact that your password can be cracked. Luckily there are different controls in place that prevent passwords from being tried again and again. For instance there are several web portals that only allow 3 password tries, if you fail on the third try your account is either locked until verified or locked for a number of hours.

Yes, an eight character numeric password will be cracked instantly by almost any computer. A password using alphanumeric characters and symbols will take approximately 83.5 days to crack. Conclusion use a longer password when possible and make sure to use the a combination of numbers, upper/lower case letters, and finally symbols.

4. Tier Your Passwords

Another strategy that I use to help protect my password is password tiering. Password tiering is simply classifying certain websites, applications, and other password driven devices into tiers. I currently use 3 tiers for my passwords. The reason for password tiering is so that you don’t use the sensitive email account password to log onto say, Twitter or another website that does not support HTTPS. The same applies for online banking, you certainly don’t want your banking password to be the same as your Digg account do you?

Below you will find an example of the tiers that I use for my passwords, you are free to duplicate it or come up with your own.

5. Use HTTPS when Possible (otherwise follow #3)

Every time you sign on to Gmail you are transmitting your user name and password via an encrypted browser connection, which means that if intercepted the information could be used by someone else. You can tell Gmail to use HTTPS connections only.

To enable this feature go to Settings > General and select Always use https, click the Save Changes button. Next time you visit gmail type;

https://mail.google.com

You can confirm your secure connection by verifying the favicon located on the address bar (see #7) and by locating the small lock in the browser status bar (bottom right of the window – see below).

Note: The location of the lock icon varies by browser. I used Firefox 3.1 for the screen shot above.

6. Secure Your Mobile Phone

Until a recent scare I didn’t have a password to get into my BlackBerry, I considered it a nuisance and an additional step to use my phone. When I lost (caught misplaced) my phone a couple of weeks ago I had a panic attack. My browser was setup with all of my accounts for auto log in, Google Calendar Sync had access to my calendar, and the Gmail App had access to my sensitive email account. Luckily I found that the phone had fallen out of my pocket and was safely tucked under the driver seat of my car.

This scare prompted me to enable password protection to my BlackBerry. You can enable password protection by navigating to Options > Security Options > General Settings and enabling the password prompt. Note: You will be able to make emergency phone calls without the password.

The proliferation of mobile phones with internet access increases the chances of phone loss, but more importantly the loss of privacy and personal information. I urge all of my readers to learn from my experience and secure your mobile phones.

7. Backup Files from the Cloud

As we place more and more data on the cloud we need a way to ensure that we have a backup of that data locally. Since I mainly use Google Docs and Gmail on the cloud I will go over some of the steps you can take to safely backup those services locally. If you would like information on a specific service not mentioned here, please drop me a line in the comments below or via email and I’ll try my best to cover it in a future article.

I found that one of the easiest and surest ways to backup a Gmail account was to use Outlook Express or Outlook with the IMAP protocol to download your messages to a local store. I have covered this method in a previous article that can be found by following the link below.

Transfer Your Outlook Emails to Gmail

To backup your Google Docs files use the Google Documents backup utility which can be downloaded from the GDocBackup website.

I will include detailed instructions for using GDocBackup in a future article.

8. Use a Safe Browser with Extensions

I personally use Firefox because it can be customized to my needs using add-ons that can be downloaded for free. However one of the reasons I really like to use Firefox is because of its security and safety. Some of those features are highlighted below.

Anti Phishing/Malware – this is one of those features that are extremely useful. Ever get an email from a Paypal wannabe? How would you know? Firefox alerts you when you visit on of these phishing sites and it really does a good job of it.

website Identification

Aside from the lock designating a secure connection, as mentioned in #3 above, Firefox provides users with additional validation for the site that they are visiting. By clicking on a website’s favicon a pop-up window will appear with information about the identity of the website being viewed. When the More Information button is pushed the you will be able to look at the number of times you have visited the website and whether or not passwords are saved for that domain. So next time you are at a website and it seems fishy, click on the favicon and discover the site’s true identity.

Firefox Plug-ins I Use to Keep Me Browsing Safely

I use WOT (Web of Trust) which indicates, based on user feedback and other databases, whether or not the site being visited is safe or not.

Download WOT from the WOT website

I also use AVG’s Search-Shield plug in which alerts me of potential threats when I’m searching the web. The screen shot below illustrates the dialog box you will see if you attempt to access a website that is deemed unsafe by AVG.

Now that I’ve covered some of the steps that I take to secure my information in the cloud, do you have any tips to offer?

Password combination information obtained from lockdown.co.uk

When I was done with the poster I found it so useful that I decided to publish it here for everyone to use. In the mean time I’ll be working on similar shortcut posters for other Blackberry applications that I often use (Gtalk, Blackberry Messenger, Google Maps, Opera Browser, and others). If you have any suggestions for posters or tips to share, please post them below.

Note: I also included the original wallet sized shortcut list (see below).

Gmail Shortcut List (8.5X11 Poster)

To download the large print PDF click on the image below.

This how-to is a follow up to Monday’s post which described the process used to pair up your Bluetooth devices, if you haven’t done so already make sure to follow the instructions in How to Pair Bluetooth Devices in Windows Vista before proceeding with this tutorial. The ability to synchronize your BlackBerry wirelessly (via Bluetooth) is a plus, the only downsides to this feature is that you cannot synchronize media or install programs and that you must have a Bluetooth radio installed in the host machine. The guide below will walk you through the configuration settings necessary to synchronize your BlackBerry to your computer via Bluetooth. If you have any comments or questions, please post them below.

Note: I used BlackBerry Desktop Manager 4.3 (1107) on Windows Vista 64bit, BlackBerry 8830 Version 4.2.2 with Sprint, make sure to accept connections from your computer so that the sync process works, you will not be able to use Media Manager or Application loader via Bluetooth, you must be connected via USB to use these two features

Before proceeding make sure to follow the instructions provided in How to Pair Bluetooth Devices in Windows Vista

Configuring BlackBerry Device Manager to Connect Via Bluetooth

There are two ways that you can reach the BlackBerry Device Manager on your computer.

Method 1 Double-click on the small BlackBerry Device Manager icon located in the notification area to the right.

Method 2 Click on Orb > All Programs > BlackBerry > BlackBerry Device Manager

1. Click on the Device Connection tab and add a checkmark to the Enable Bluetooth Support checkbox, click on the Configure Bluetooth… button.

2. In the Bluetooth Configuration window, click on the Add… button

3. You will be prompted with the dialog box above, make sure that you meet all of those criteria. Click OK

4. Your device should be listed in the Add a Bluetooth enabled device prompt, select your device by clicking on it and click OK to proceed.

5. Click OK again.

6. Your phone should now be listed in the Connection Settings list, click OK to close window.

Note: If your device is not listed, allow some time (about 3 min) for the changes made to be reflected, if nothing occurs, repeat steps 1-4.

Syncing Your BlackBerry Phone with Desktop Manager

1. Click on Orb > All Programs > BlackBerry > Desktop Manager

2. Your phone’s PIN should appear next to the DEVICE CONNECTED (PIN): area, assuming it is listed click on the Synchronize button and you are done!

Note: If your phone is not listed, follow the instructions below

3. Click on the None link that appears where the PIN number should appear (see screenshot above)

4. The Connection Settings window should open, click on the Connection drop-down and select Bluetooth-PIN: YOURPIN#, click OK

5. Click OK to proceed

6. Your device should have been found, click OK to proceed.

Now you may Synchronize your BlackBerry with your computer via Bluetooth.

If you own a Bluetooth enabled device or BlackBerry as is my case, you have the ability of syncing your phone wirelessly via a Bluetooth connection, but before you can sync your phone or device, you must first pair that device with your computer. The how-to below will show you how to pair a Bluetooth enabled device to your computer, the guide will walk you through the pairing process for a BlackBerry 8830 and a Lenovo laptop. The pairing process is pretty much the same for any Bluetooth device, but it is a great reference for BlackBerry users as well. If you have any comments or questions, please post them below.

Note: I used BlackBerry Desktop Manager 4.3 (1107) on Windows Vista 64bit, BlackBerry 8830 Version 4.2.2 with Sprint. Make sure to accept connections from your computer so that the sync process works, you will not be able to use Media Manager or Application loader via Bluetooth, you must be connected via USB to use these two features. You must have a Bluetooth radio installed in your computer for this to work.

BlackBerry Setup (Pairing with Computer)

Unfortunately I don’t have the capability to take screenshots on BlackBerry (yet)

1. In the device Options , click Bluetooth

2. Press the Menu key

3. Click Options

4. Set the Discoverable field to Yes

5. Press the Menu key

6. Click Save

Computer Setup

There are two ways that you can reach the Bluetooth menu on your computer.

Method 1 Double-click on the small Bluetooth icon located in the notification area to the right.

Method 2.A Click on Orb > Control Panel

Method 2.B When the Control Panel window opens locate and double-click the Bluetooth Devices icon.

Either method will get you to the step below…

1. To add your device (phone) click on the Add… button.

2. The Add Bluetooth Device Wizard will open. Add a checkmark to the My device is set up and ready to be found checkbox, click Next

Note:Each Bluetooth device is different, follow the instructions provided by your device manufacturer. If you are pairing a BlackBerry make sure to follow the instructions located at the beginning of this guide.

3. The wizard will search for Bluetooth devices in your vicinity.

4. When the search is complete the wizard will prompt you to select the device you wish to add (in my case it was the BlackBerry 8830), click on the device and click Next.

Note: If your device does not appear, ensure that device is set to be discovered and click on the Search Again button.

5. Some devices require a Passkey in order to be connected to your computer, the Passkey prevents unauthorized users from accessing your devices and/or your computer. In my case Windows chose a Passkey so I entered the provided Passkey into my phone for validation.

Note: Some devices like mice or keyboards do not require a Passkey, however one can be automatically generated or specified.

6. Once Passkey has been validated your Bluetooth device will be installed.

7. If you have not installed the appropriate software prior to hardware installation you may be prompted for manufacturer drivers to your device. Insert the disc that was included with your device to install the drivers. Click on the Locate and install driver software button to proceed.

8. When installation is complete you should see the message above, click Finish to exit the wizard.

9. When you return to the Bluetooth Devices window you will notice that your device has been added.

BlackBerry Users

You can verify Bluetooth Connection by opening the BlackBerry Device Manager under the Device Connection Tab.

I absolutely love my BlackBerry, but I can’t help and love the eye candy whenever I see someone with an iPhone, the GUI is absolutely gorgeous. How would you like your BlackBerry to look like an iPhone? It can! It’s possible through the creation of a BlackBerry theme by Mathew Rogers. You have two options to install this download, you can either do it OTA (Over the Air) on your phone or via your desktop, it is entirely up to you.

A couple of warnings though;

8700 Series BB must have BlackBerry OS 4.2.1 or later, otherwise your BB may not work

The Pearl (8100) and the 8800 also need OS 4.2.1 or later

The Curve both the 8300 and the 8830 need OS 4.2.2 or later

"Inspired by the iPhone, bPhone for BlackBerry features icons straight from the iPhone in addition to custom-made icons that fit into the iPhone theme. The top banner is dark glass, the signal and battery indicators were created from scratch to mimic the iPhone’s, the “busy” indicator is the Mac OS X beachball, and there is liberal use of gray and blue (Mac and iPhone’s primary interface colors) throughout the theme. The fonts are set at a medium size."

I have successfully installed the theme over the air, I simply sent myself an email with the link to the application. Just make sure to turn off your phone, remove the battery, and start it up again for the theme to appear on your theme list. Enjoy!

Download to desktop

Download OTA (Over the Air)

Send a download link to your BlackBerry

Although not required for the download, please try and help Roger with a small donation

Via RogersMJ

I received my first BlackBerry about a month ago and have since then praised it for its simplicity and usability. I was very excited when I discovered that there is a slew of free programs for my BlackBerry. Since most of us don’t have the time to roam the internet in search of free software to make our lives simpler, I’ve decided to post the 7 free applications that you can download right now to your BlackBerry. Below you will find this wonderful list of free applications with a brief description. If you have know of any other free BlackBerry software don’t hesitate to comment on the post or send me an email.

I’ll update the page as new entries are made.

1. Google Mobile – Maps – Use your phone to find out where you are and how to get to your destinations.

Real-time traffic — See where the congestion is, and estimate delays in over 30 major US metropolitan areas.

Detailed directions — Whether you plan to walk or drive, your route is displayed on the map itself, together with step-by-step directions.

Integrated search results — Local business locations and contact information appear all in one place, integrated on your map.

Easily movable maps — Interactive maps let you zoom in or out, and move in all directions so you can orient yourself visually.

Satellite imagery — Get a bird’s eye view of your desired location. (It’s like you’re there, we swear.)

2. Gmail Mobile – Access your Gmail account anywhere your phone has service.

3. Google Sync – Synchronize your BlackBerry to your Google Calendar wirelessly. I highly recommend this program, it is excellent.

Get calendar alerts – Using your BlackBerry® smartphone’s native calendar, you can now access your Google calendar even when you don’t have network coverage and be alerted for upcoming appointments with sound or vibration.

Always in sync – Your Google Calendar stays synchronized whether you access it from your computer or your phone. You can add or edit entries right on your BlackBerry® smartphone or on your Google Calendar on the web.

4. Yahoo! for BlackBerry – This is an all in one package that allows you to check your stocks, mail, news, buy movie tickets, and more!

5. AIM for BlackBerry – AOL Instant Messenger all the time.

The rest of the applications can be found below…

Application list continued…

6. Windows Live Messenger for Blackberry – Allows you to use Windows Live Messenger on your BlackBerry

7. ICQ for Blackberry – Use the ICQ client on your BlackBerry..

Please note that all the applications above are data intensive so make sure that you have a data plan that will enable you to use these applications without penalty. Again if you have any suggestions for some good BlackBerry applications let me know.

Source: Google