The words ‘backup’ and ‘synchronization’ are synonymous as both functionality must be achieved at the same time in order to protect your files. The two main reasons why people lose data are that they try to back up everything with all-in-one solution and forget to backup files like Favorites and ID & Password. Here I will introduce three integrable software that will help you easily backup your files.

Backup & Synchronization Tools

For frequently used files

If you need to access and update certain files on a daily basis, it is wiser to backup and synchronize your files through Dropbox. Once you install Dropbox and login with your account, it creates a special folder on your computer and any files dropped inside will be automatically copied to the server whenever the computer is connected to internet. If you install Dropbox on another computer and login with same account, it will automatically download files that are already copied to server, and it will keep synchronizing your files between two computers. In this case, you have backup of your files on physical hard drive of two computers and on Dropbox server. The best part is that you don’t need to worry about Dropbox stopping its service because you always have physical backup, and you can also retrieve all your files from Dropbox website even if your computer dies. Dropbox is free up to 5GB with referral (gives you 250MB to you and to your friend each time you refer the service), and you can also pay $9.99/month to get storage upto 50GB.

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Extra Features

-          You can choose and share your folder with other friends who have Dropbox installed as a collaboration tool.

-          You can put your files in ‘Public’ folder and get URL of the file to easily send your file to your friends without having to attach files to email.

-          It keeps copy of old versions of each file up to 7 revisions and you can retrieve them within 30 days.

For ID & Passwords

I know it is a common practice to keep track of ID and password of various accounts you create for web services on unsecure text file, or let your browser remember them only to lose all data when your computer crashes. For those of you, I highly recommend you to use RoboForm to manage your ID and password. It records your ID and password as you login to your accounts on web services, and then automatically fills information next time you open the website. You can also create your profile and the RoboForm will automatically fill forms like registration from to new account and save you time and save you from making errors filling your name, address, credit card number, preferred ID and password, etc. Because RoboForm saves ID & Password for each website on individual files, you can password protect them and even backup those files using services like Dropbox that I just introduced above. RoboForm is free up to 10 ID & Passwords, but I highly recommend you to get Pro version for $29.95 to unlock all features. Use promo code NEVR1 or STRV4 to save you 20%.

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Extra Features

-          You can save multiple accounts for same web service such as online email and choose which one to login.

-          You can create a ‘SafeNotes’ and record complex information and it will be password protected like ID & Password file.

-          There are portable versions which you can install RoboForm on your USB or mobile phone, and they are in beta with online version for more simplicity and ubiquitous access.

For large files

You are most likely going to backup and synchronize large files between your computers and external hard drives. While there are free software that let you synchronize files, I recommend you use GoodSync for simplicity and attractive extra features for advanced users. Because it is made by the same company that makes RoboForm, it natively detects and synchronizes information saved on RoboForm between two computers. You can also easily select which folders and files to synchronize and switch each setting with tabs. You can use GoodSync for trial and buy the full-version for $29.95 or $19.95 if you buy with RoboForm.

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Conclusion

The tools I introduce here are not free and some of you may not use them because of it. However, losing all of your data without backup can easily cost you a lot of money in terms of hours in labor to rebuild all files you’ve created. While there are free or more premium solutions, I do not find them either satisfactory or necessary to pay more. My advice is to first try the tools I recommend and then compare it with other solutions out there once you gain more knowledge.

I’m sure many of you are aware of a new CPU for netbook called Pinetrail (N450) recently released from Intel. This is supposedly better than previous models (N260/N270). Unfortunately, the new CPU does not perform much better than the previous models, and it does not make sense to rush to get a netbook that comes with Pinetrail.

My friend who is looking to buy a netbook recently asked me if ASUS 1005PE that comes with Pinetrail CPU is a great netbook to purchase. I said no, because of the following reasons:

1. The webcam resolution is 0.3 MP as oppose to 1.3 MP which you can get from competitors. This doesn’t matter most of the time because the webcam runs slow in netbook in general anyway.
2. It comes with 1GB RAM and you need to upgrade it to 2GB RAM to run Windows 7 smoothly. It costs around $50 to get one of them.
3. It comes with Windows 7 Starter which most of you will find it unsatisfactory compared to Windows 7 Home Premium. It basically stripped down too much!
4. I personally found 10.1 inch screens too small to work with sometimes, and some applications require larger resolution to run.
5. Current model of Pinetrail (N450) is actually not so much better than the traditional CPU for netbook, unfortunately. Read more about this at the following site:

Considering the cost to upgrade RAM and OS, and the fact that you get a larger resolution, I recommend Acer Aspire AS1410-2039 over ASUS 1005PE. Unless you really need a 14 hours battery life on ASUS 1005PE, 6 hours of battery on Acer Aspire AS1410-2039 should be satisfactory.

With a release of Windows 7 on Oct 22nd, companies are preparing it’s shipment of new lines of laptop. Among them, Acer is ahead of the game, and now you can pre-order your laptop that’s most likely going to be available tomorrow.

You can see the list of laptops preloaded with Windows 7 here at Amazon.

Now that I’ve been using my 10 inch netbook for about an year, I found it unsatisfactory both in terms of the performance and the narrow resolution which affects operations on some  applications. If you still want to get a portable laptop, I suggest you to get 11.6 inch which solves the narrow resolution and little bit of performance issue. My personal ideal laptop size is 13.3 inch but it happens to be the most expensive option. So you should go for 15.4 inch if the price is an issue. You can also go for 14 inch size but the benefit of this new screen size is unclear. Note that all these sizes are widescreen, and you should remember that laptop with 14 inch or bigger comes with optical drive which adds some extra weight.

If you have hard time selecting which laptops you want, I would suggest you pick the size of screen first. Once you do that, the only difference that often matters is battery life and the speed of the CPU.