My father was a professional photographer. Like many self-absorbed teenagers, I paid little attention to his livelihood, as long as my allowance was uninterrupted. But one day, at his studio, I emerged long enough from my inner world to notice all the cameras he owned.
"Why do you have so many?" I asked.
"The camera that does everything I need? It hasn't been invented," was his reply.
I think about my father's response when I look around my office and count the computers--currently, three PCs and one Mac. Many of us, in fact, use multiple computers: a notebook for the road, a desktop at home, a desktop at the office. Each serves its purpose.
But the challenge is keeping your files synchronized between various computers. For example, how do you ensure the Microsoft Outlook e-mails on your notebook are as up-to-date as those on your desktop?
I posed this question in my column a while back and received over a dozen suggestions from readers. Here are your recommendations (and mine) for keeping your notebook in sync with another PC.
Keeping Microsoft Outlook e-mail, appointments, and other items synchronized between multiple computers is a challenge. Outlook stores everything in one huge file, which makes incrementally updating that file between multiple PCs difficult.
A number of readers work around this by keeping their Outlook .pst file stored on a USB drive. When switching PCs, they take the USB drive with them and open the Outlook file on the other computer. Using the same Outlook file on multiple computers eliminates the need to synchronize them.
For instance, Lexar's JumpDrive Traveler, recommended by Andrea Booth of San Diego, is a USB flash drive that includes software that synchronizes e-mail, Microsoft Internet Explorer favorites, and files between multiple computers. It's available in versions ranging from 128MB ($45) to 1GB ($130) at Lexar's site. In addition, the
PowerHouse Technology's Migo software, which you can install on the USB drive of your choice, lets you easily carry Outlook e-mail, Internet Explorer favorites, desktop wallpaper, and other documents from one PC to another, the company says. When you return to your primary computer, Migo synchronizes the file changes. The software is available in Personal ($40) and Professional ($60) versions; Migo Professional is designed for use with Microsoft Exchange. Both are available as free trials, downloadable from the company's Web site.
John J.B. Allen of Tucson, Arizona, uses a notebook at home and a desktop PC at the office. To synchronize files between the two, he uses Cordes Development's Backer 6.0 ($39) with an Apple IPod as the go-between. John calls Backer "a great little program" for backup and file synchronization, but I've not tested the app.
At home, John synchronizes his notebook's documents with his IPod, which can be used as a portable hard drive as well as a music player. He takes his IPod to the office, connects it to his desktop, and runs Backer to synchronize the two. At day's end, he reverses the process. "Not only is this a great way to sync files, it's also a regular backup routine," John writes.
Microsoft's Windows XP Briefcase feature is designed to automatically synchronize files between two computers. It's not the simplest or most elegant method, but it's free and it works. Here's how to use it.
First, create a new Briefcase on Computer A (say, your desktop PC): Open My Documents, select the location where you want to create the Briefcase folder, and select
Drag the Briefcase folder onto a flash memory card, portable hard drive, or other removable media. (Microsoft's online help page for Briefcase says to use a floppy disk. Hello?) Connect the media or drive to Computer B (your notebook, for example). Double-click the Briefcase folder to open it. Open any files required, make your changes, and save them. When you're done, remove the memory card or portable drive from your notebook and reconnect it to Computer A. On that computer, double-click to open the Briefcase folder on the memory card or portable drive. To update all files, click Update All on the Briefcase menu. To update only a few files, select them, then click Update Selection on the Briefcase menu.
You can also transfer files via Briefcase between computers on a network. For details on this, and other Briefcase tips, read "How to Use the Briefcase Feature in Windows XP."
Synchronizing files inevitably leads to the topic of backing up your data. One way to protect files is to use an online backup service. Jon L. Jacobi tested five that provided the most compelling prices for average users: Acpana Data Deposit Box, Connected Data Protector, FirstBackup, Pro-Softnet's IBackup, and Xdrive.
Notebook users need to be even more concerned with backups than desktop people. Since we're on a roll with this backup thing, here's another one for you: In our ranking of the best backup software, we gave the nod to EMC Dantz Retrospect Professional 7 ($95). The software is full-featured, backs up over a network easily, and includes licenses for two computers. Read our comparison chart for specs on our Best Buy and the other packages we tested.
And we're back again, beating the backup drum.
Now that Lenovo has taken over IBM's ThinkPad line, how is the popular notebook faring? Judging from
Need to add Wi-Fi to your Windows Mobile 2003 device? Socket Communications' new Go Wi-Fi E300 ($89) is a Secure Digital card with a wireless antenna. The company says the device is the smallest, fastest, most secure 802.11b SD card available. You also get Socket's Wi-Fi Companion, graphical software for managing Wi-Fi connections.
Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it. However, I regret that I'm unable to respond to tech-support questions, due to the volume of e-mail I receive.
James A. Martin
