Keeping things in Sync
I should write about this because I've been researching this a little. When it comes to syncing documents across computers and devices, it seems everyone is trying to develop the perfect solution. I'm just uncertain which way is the best. I hate to have multiple versions everywhere and trying to keep things up-to-date. Here are a few things I've been using (and I use it all as they all do something different.
Google Chrome. I've switched to this light weight browser a little while ago. Of course, I use Google products quite a bit and their tools sync nicely together. One nice feature is bookmark and extension sync. Enabling this allows me to use Chrome on my home PC and anywhere else with my portable version of Chrome (found here) and have all my bookmarks and plug-ins organized the same way every time I launch the browser. The portable version of Chrome is really nice as well. This allows it to be installed on a USB key. Just plugin the key and launch the app, no installation required on the PC that you plug into. I'll write something on the portable apps I use later.
There is an extension I use on Chrome right now that is called Linkpush (available for free on the Android market). Linkpush allows to send a link straight from Chrome to an Android powered device. This is great when looking for a location on Google Maps and you want to send it to your phone to open it there for example. When Froyo comes out (see previous post), There will be a native Google app that will work in a similar way called Chrome to Phone.
Dropbox. This service allows to have documents synced in the "cloud" (on the web). It acts as a folder that you can access anywhere. This is nice for documents that change often and that you need wherever you are. For example, I use KeePass to store my passwords. My password storage file is kept in my Dropbox folder and can be accessed from my phone, at work, at home, anywhere and I don't have to worry about keeping it up-to-date because when I change it, I change it in the cloud. The problem with Dropbox is that if you store music for example, or any other large document, then the documents are stored everywhere. Dropbox allows for 2 GB of storage. If you fill that up, then you'll be using 2 GB of bandwidth when you sync it up. At our current speeds, that's a lot of traffic for our small pipes.
AwesomeDrop. I've come across this little app for Android and it is quite the find. It is such a hassle to have to plugin your phone when you want to send files to your phone. AwesomeDrop allows to send a file quite simply. Just open a URL on a browser, open the app on your phone, enter the code given to you in the browser and you're set. You can drag and drop files from your computer to the browser window and that's it, the file is on your phone. This is actually very useful when you want someone else to send you a file.
Syncing is not quite there yet. Things are moving along, but there are too many options. What I suggest is find what you need to sync and where you need to sync it and then stay organized. It's really harder to do than it looks!!
Google Chrome. I've switched to this light weight browser a little while ago. Of course, I use Google products quite a bit and their tools sync nicely together. One nice feature is bookmark and extension sync. Enabling this allows me to use Chrome on my home PC and anywhere else with my portable version of Chrome (found here) and have all my bookmarks and plug-ins organized the same way every time I launch the browser. The portable version of Chrome is really nice as well. This allows it to be installed on a USB key. Just plugin the key and launch the app, no installation required on the PC that you plug into. I'll write something on the portable apps I use later.
There is an extension I use on Chrome right now that is called Linkpush (available for free on the Android market). Linkpush allows to send a link straight from Chrome to an Android powered device. This is great when looking for a location on Google Maps and you want to send it to your phone to open it there for example. When Froyo comes out (see previous post), There will be a native Google app that will work in a similar way called Chrome to Phone.
Dropbox. This service allows to have documents synced in the "cloud" (on the web). It acts as a folder that you can access anywhere. This is nice for documents that change often and that you need wherever you are. For example, I use KeePass to store my passwords. My password storage file is kept in my Dropbox folder and can be accessed from my phone, at work, at home, anywhere and I don't have to worry about keeping it up-to-date because when I change it, I change it in the cloud. The problem with Dropbox is that if you store music for example, or any other large document, then the documents are stored everywhere. Dropbox allows for 2 GB of storage. If you fill that up, then you'll be using 2 GB of bandwidth when you sync it up. At our current speeds, that's a lot of traffic for our small pipes.
AwesomeDrop. I've come across this little app for Android and it is quite the find. It is such a hassle to have to plugin your phone when you want to send files to your phone. AwesomeDrop allows to send a file quite simply. Just open a URL on a browser, open the app on your phone, enter the code given to you in the browser and you're set. You can drag and drop files from your computer to the browser window and that's it, the file is on your phone. This is actually very useful when you want someone else to send you a file.
Syncing is not quite there yet. Things are moving along, but there are too many options. What I suggest is find what you need to sync and where you need to sync it and then stay organized. It's really harder to do than it looks!!
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