SugarSync now with a 2GB Free Account

Now that Sugar Sync has offered a free 2GB account, I decided to take the product for a spin. I have to say the first thing I noticed is when you send a photo from the iPhone or iPod it will sync instantaneous with the desktop. As soon and you click on the photo the desktop version shows a pending upload. I have not tested the same with my blackberry Curve yet but I am sure the same will apply. What is great about this product is you have the option to pick the folders on any of your computers to sync. You are not limited to default folders. Though I still use the Magic Briefcase folder primarily since I am only going to use the free 2GB account. The great part is when down the road when I decide to opt for more storage, and I want to sync those thousands of pics I have, I don't have to copy them to another folder and make duplicate files on my PC. Another little tip is that when you delete something it is still archived so it can be restored. Great option if you removed something on accident. The trash can and at the bottom of the desktop version in each folder a deleted file was in you can show the hidden deleted items and permanently delete. The folder I will use to sync my files is the Magic Briefcase folder stored in Documents on my PC. All of these files are automatically synced across all of the devices and no additional folders need to be created. If there is a folder on a device that you think you need to sync then once you select that folder under Manage Sync Folders in the desktop app, it will show up under that device. For instance on my Drew-notebook as pictured above I have a folder that has some files that I may need, I check that folder in the manager and when I use another PC or device that folder I selected on Drew-notebook will appear when I click on the Drew-notebook icon.

Sharing! The share option lets you email or copy a link that points directly to a folder with in you account. Since all these folders and files are also stored in the cloud anyone can view these and not have access directly to your device. This is one of the options that really sets this service apart from the others I have looked into using [Dropbox]. If you read my previous post on having a calendar that incorporates these features then you will understand why this feature really stands out to me. I can copy the URL and post it within the description of say a calendar and the end user can be copy the URL into a browser and view the contents. This gives me an option to set up a folder for the meeting and send out a shared link to those who need to view the contents or add and edit content. I can also setup a password so the contents of that folder are secured. The reason that this is such a great option is that I have plenty of time to prepare all of the contents of that folder leading up to the meeting on any device so I'm not tied down to my desk the whole time.

All in all with the 2GB free account I think I have finally found the cloud storage platform I have been looking for. For the time being anyway.

Click the image above for the link to the free SugarSync iPhone app in iTunes.

Waiting for Great Products

In 2006 I opted for an invite from the scrybe team to test the beta organization product. Before Adobe Air and Google Gears were available this company had produced an online calendar product that was available for offline use. It got so much attention at the time that everyone was under the impression the product would be available in the near future and would change how the calendar would be used. Well all of us that got the invite are still awaiting the launch of this great product. In fact many including my self have actually stopped using the product because no news or updates have been added in over two years. So here is my opinion why in the next coming months or year this company will bring us a product the users have been waiting for.

One. The time is now. So many new tools have been produced to put this product in everyday lives of the public and the public not looking at the product as something that came out before its time. Users are more interested in offline use of web apps. As cloud computing is become a thing of the present and not the future this products prime time opportunity is to get back into the public eye and soon.

Two. The fan base that was created in 2006 have provided the scrybe community with suggestions that has given the company some great feed back to implement and be the complete product they are looking for. Scrybe has had almost three years to gather trends to but together something the public is looking for.

Three. Still to this day I have yet to see a calendaring product produced that gives me the functionality as scrybe did. Here is why. Microsoft Outlook has the worst calendar options I have seen. Sure it is a good productive tool but not as functional as today's life demands have become. Using the calendar on multiple devices requires tethering a device. Google calendars are just that. A Calendar, subscription options, and some basic task options. No one has produced a true calendar that you can fully integrates notes, tasks, reminders, web clips, photos, videos, contacts, and other file formats. I would like a calendar that I can add people to and completely share almost anything with. Set up a conference and post an image or document the will show on the calendar for all to see. So when I look at the calendar I know what the meeting is about, have a few items on there that I can share with whom ever and we are all on the same page with, and everybody already has the notes right on the calendar. Here is a scenario that I used to go through every day while serving our country. As these meetings were more intense than any job I have had to date. Here was what I had to carry. A planner either PDA or paper type, at least five to ten documents I created on the days meeting, a note pad to take extensive notes from all of the departments, a company printout calendar that include many extra pages of what the other departments were doing on each sheet since they could not fit on a daily or weekly printout view, and a manual or two about the classes I had to perform. There were more depending upon the meeting but these were the basics. So having all of these options on a multiple platform based product would have really made each meeting more endurable since backpacks were not a uniform option.

In conclusion It would be nice to see the scrybe teams idea of an organizational product finally be put into place. If not then I may just try and find some great coders and do this myself.

iPhone OS 3.0 + My Favs

After downloading my update this morning just a few minutes after 10:00 AM the very first thing I did was sync the bluetooth Motorola S805 DJ's. This and the copy and paste feature were the only features I was really looking for. All the other options are great but this made my day. I am only going to make a quick over view about the features. There are so many post online that give details right now that I not going to even worry the details.

1. SMS
2. iPod song scrub
3. YouTube account options
4. Voice Memo
5. More landscape mode in default apps
6. Copy/Cut/Paste
7. Spotlight search
8. Shake to undo
9. Sync notes
10. CalDAV and subscribed calendars
11. Bluetooth A2DP
12. Tethering
13. Updates to Mobile Safari
14. Parental Controls
15. Push Notifications with in apps
16. iPod shake to shuffle
17. iTunes Movies, TV Shows, and Videos
18. Better Calendars
19. Stocks update
20. Find My iPhone

TweetDeck for iPhone and Desktop now in the cloud.

TweetDeck has finally brought us the iPhone Twitter app [iTunes link] we have been looking for. I had posted a little while back about TweetStack. But I have to say that TweetDeck knows best about its own app. Having said that the new app has me even using my paid for premium apps alot less. Oh did I mention their app is free. The app and desktop version both sync in the cloud now. This is a great feature because if you check your tweets while away from your desktop you want have to worry about loading the desktop and seeing the same tweets not marked read. Which means no backtracking.

On the desktop version there are no more limits on the amount of columns you can create. So if you are the type of person who uses tags well these columns are just like tags. Plus you can filter each column to pin point the information you are looking for. If you want to view your Facebook updates then you can not only view those in a column you can also post from your Facebook account. Lots of great features. Must see for your self to enjoy the usability.

The iPhone app has most of the same features as the desktop version. All your desktop columns will be synced on the iPhone. Minus the Facebook, Recommended column, and column filtering. I'm sure there are a few others I will find as I use the app more, but for the most part gives you the full desktop feel. I have 10 columns, which is 2 more than TweetDecks recommendations, and have had only a few issues. One is that when the app crashes you lose all of your updates. This syncs back to the desktop also. The app has the option to set the update in seconds for each column so you can prioritize those 100 api requests. So for those columns you want to update often, like 60 seconds, will do so and the columns that are not the most important to you well just push the slider all the way to the end, 2000 seconds.

So over all some great news for the die hard tweet fans who like organization and mobility.

5 tips to wind down a productive week and still be productive.

With the week winding down and the mounds of news that has come about this week, it has a lot of us wondering what is coming up next. It would be nice to see a comparison chart of websites traffic last week in comparison to the beginning week of the last month. If your like most of us on the net you kind of spent so much time during the week on the net that you are catching up on life this week end. So here are a few tips on taking the wind down time and still be productive.

1. Get away from the desktop or notebook and use your smart phone for a little while. Most of the web will be slow paced this weekend so catch up on the reason you need the device. Look through emails, take some pics of what interest you, catch up with some friends and family, or browse the web.

2. Tweak your methods of productivity. Go through your planner and layout the next week in order. Look for gaps to throw in some free time. Organize files or bills and sift through old ones that can be archived or thrown out. Same can apply to your computer. If your are like me so much info was gathered this week such as images, snippets of text, and articles that I had to go through and keep what I wanted and toss what was not needed.

3. Recap your week in a journal or a personal blog. Write about what was interesting to you last week. Some people don't acknowledge that a journal can be just a few jots of thoughts. So if you don't have a journal look into starting one. Its a great tool to keep up with what interesting facts you come across.

4. Except your down time and use it to the fullest extent. Take this time to actually relax. Enjoy family or enjoy a quiet place you can kick back. Take a nap, go jogging, or anything the gets you in a state of mind of peace.

5. Use your evenings to mingle or party. Try to make a new acquaintance this weekend. Polish up your people skills. If your not the type of person that goes out then look for someone online the has common interests. Look through communities on social networks. See what others did during their week. If they are not the tech savvy type of person like yourself then you found someone who you can explain all the news you gathered this week and maybe get them interest in something they would have not know about or would have found out about much later. One thing I find is people come to me and ask about something they just heard about. Questions on what is all the hype about a product, how can they use it, or should they consider using a product over something they already have. Make all that hard work account for something.

So there you have it. Now go use the advice and enjoy yourself. Stop reading and get some rest. Now to practice what I preach....

Quick iUpdate on iPhone 3.0 OS + iPhone 3G S

Finally we get a release date on the much awaited 3.0 OS. June 17th is the official word from WWDC 2009. To top it off announced was the new iPhone 3G S. Much of the rumors in rumor ville have been proved false such as the front facing camera. What was said about the new iPhone was the new speed hence the S. Camera upgrade, video support, and voice command are the most appealing new features. The question that still remains is will the 3.0 OS unlock bluetooth for iPod touch users. Nothing has been confirmed on this matter. The price for the original iPhone 3G has dropped to $99 for the 8Gb model. So affordability is also another option for those holding out because of price. AT&T has put off MMS until later this summer. To sum up some of the key features in OS 3.0 are landscape keyboard options in email, notes, and messages. Spotlight search to search within calendars, email, notes, and messages. iTunes store will have the option to rent and buy Movies, TV shows, and Music videos. Parental controls are now an option. Tethering has been thrown in for those die hard mobile users. Safari upgrades include auto fill, media streaming, and big performance increase. The most valuable feature shown was the Find My iPhone app. This feature requires a MobileMe subscription but is certainly a great security feature. If you would like a great recap on today's WWDC 2009 Keynote follow the read to see what went down on Gizmodo's liveblog of the event.

[read]

R&R

Taking this weekend to get a little bit of rest and relaxation. Catching up on some movies (complete list of Star Wars with the boy) and getting the kids out to enjoy the fresh air. Feels good to get some quality family time in.

Mifi your mobile life...

It is so too often that there are times when traveling that you look for wifi connectivity. Sure if you own a smart phone and either tether or use the smart phones browser you have a little freedom from this problem. So what options do the rest of us have? Until recently our most popular options were to hunt for wifi or purchase a broadband adapter for each device. Enter the Mifi option. Now you can not only get the availability of the broadband adapter you will also have the option to use up to five other devices via Wifi. Where would this fit best. Your vehicle is one of the most fitting applications for a device like this. Have a mobile office or entertainment system tied directly into your needs. For the mobile office you can have a wireless printer, notebook, pda, smart phone, or any other wifi capable device right at your disposal. For the mobile entertainment you are now able to set up your console, in car computer, PSP's, Nintendo DS's, and ipods to access online content simultaniously. I think the wireless providers are starting to get what consumer demands are. Though I have to give Clear Wire props for this little gadget because when they came to the market on these needs it really was a revolution in the making. Lets just see if they can continue to compete.

Tired of RSS use Ohpan!

I was digging around on the web today when I happened to come across this site. I have not found a whole lot of information about the site because it seems to be still in beta. But I must say I like the direction it is taking. You have to filter your own content at start. As you do so the web app starts filtering in content that pertains to your needs. Strike content you don't want to see and star content you like. Though still a little buggy they have also put out an iPhone app. Follow the two links below to read a little more into it and click the image to test it out for you self.

ReadWriteWeb

March 5, 2009

atype studios

March 5, 2009

Blah..Blah..Blah..bing

Lets face it; Microsoft is not going away. Can they really steal the search spotlight? I think not. After 15 minutes with the search app I quickly abandoned it. Why? Well one thing Microsoft does well is candy coat crap. I don't feel they have brought enough to the table with bing. Sure it shows a few features that some would like from Google. More so in images and video. But there is just not enough there to convert me. Microsoft does not understand that what Google does so well is simplicity. Ever since Microsoft released Office 2007, Vista, and Server 2008 I have been turned off from their products. Which is sad since I have been an avid user since the release of Windows 95. Mainly due to the fact that they are pulling away from what people really want. Microsoft does not understand the public. Business yes but not the masses. Back to bing. To be honest I don't think bing will even hurt Yahoo stocks. Once the dust settles I am sure that users will go right back to their previous search engine habits. My opinion is there is nothing new here worth talking about. Which is where Microsoft has been heading with the majority of the products they are putting out. I mean they bring in the designer of Office for their search. Out side of business people who really pays for office anymore. So what is your opinion?