Dropbox
- Image via CrunchBase
In the past we have looked at SugarSync as a tool for online backup and file.
Lately though I have made a switch to another service called Dropbox. Whilst it is similar, there are many features of Dropbox that make it more useful for offsite backup and collaboration.
Setting up Dropbox is pretty easy. Sign up for an account – free for a 2Gb starter plan – and then download and install the required software. The software is available for Windows, Mac, Linux and even iPhone – so there are no limitations by platform.
Once installed you will have a Dropbox folder and anything saved into this folder will be automatically uploaded and saved into your online, secure, space. The way I set this up was to move my entire documents folder into the Dropbox. It took a bit of fiddling to get everything pointing to the right place – but once done all of my work documents are transparently saved online.
If you have several machines you can install Dropbox on all of them and your files will be kept magically in sync. It is worth noting that somehow the software is clever enough to only sync the parts of the file that changes – reducing file transfer times and data usage. Also – it knows if the computers are on the same network and sends the files direct, rather than up to the Internet site and back down again.
There are a couple of elements to file sharing. First, if you have a large file you need to send as a one-off you can drop it into your Public folder and grab a download link which can be easily emailed. Secondly – and this is the exciting bit! If you are collaborating with a colleague you can share to them a whole folder of files – although to do this you must both be Dropbox members. The folder will be available locally on both computers and any changes made by either party are automatically synchronized to the other user.
If you make a mistake the default Dropbox plans come with 30 days of version control – ie every version created by any small change is kept for 30 days. There is an option to extend this out to unlimited.
In terms of pricing – for many users 2Gb will be enough and is free. The smallest paid account is 50Gb and comes in at US$99 per year. The option to add unlimited versioning is called ‘Pack-Rat’ and is an extra US$39.95 a year. In summary this is a very good service offering peace of mind and easy collaboration.
With luck next month will see an iPad for review!
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Pogo Sketch
- Image by Richard Clement via Flickr
The Pogo Sketch is a stylus designed to work with todays capacitive touch screen devices. The tip (described well by Leo Laporte as a ‘puffball’) is a spongy material that mimics the action of the finger tips on the screen. It is very effective when gloves – such as surgical gloves – have to be worn so the touch interface would not otherwise work.
The Pogo Sketch also works well with the Touch Trackpad of the latest generation MacBook and MacBook Pro computers, In fact the company that makes the stylus, Ten One Design, also make a piece of software called Autograph which allows you to sign documents on your Mac.
Similar to Autograph is the iPhone application Zosh. You can email PDF documents to yourself at your Zosh account (account is free, app is AU$3.99) which can then be downloaded to your iPhone, signed and emailed on. If you have been keeping a fax machine just to send on signed documents you can finally lay it to rest.
In summary, whilst you might not need the Pogo Sketch on every occasion it is handy when working in a clinical environment – or to help sign electronica documents using Zosh service.
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Apple – Great Products, But Pray They Don’t Go Wrong…
- Image via Wikipedia
SEE UPDATE BELOW…
As those of you that read Dr Gadget just may have picked up by now I’m something of an Apple fanboy. I switched to Mac November 2004 and since then we have had 3 iMac’s, an iBook, 2 white MacBooks and a MacBook Pro. This is not to mention the umpteen iPods, the three iPhones and the AppleTV. Our house is a veritable shrine to Apple. In addition I have been a keen evangelist for Apple and have converted many friends and family resulting in tens of thousands of dollars more sales.
Early in 2005 the logic board (Mac’s name for the motherboard) failed on my home iMac and it took a month to get repaired. Whilst this was a nuisance, I had an iBook for work and so it did not impact me there. Last year, however, as laptop performance converged with desktop I decided to consolidate on to one machine and for the first time invested heavily in a MacBook Pro. The machine cost nearly $5000 – and I took out the Applecare warranty for an additional sum in excess of $500 – to me a small fortune. My belief was that this is a business level machine and that the Applecare plan would ensure prompt service if I had any issues.
On Monday night my Mac died – refusing to boot at all. I was not unduly concerned having a Time Machine backup with all of my data for the last three months. Additionally we have some family friends who run an Apple Certified service business and who I knew would do their best to speed up any fix.
I was mortified today to receive a phone call from them to let me know that problem was again the logic board and that Apple were out of stock and would not be receiving new stock until the 10th of October. This meant that with the best will in the world I would not be getting back my machine until somewhere near the 15th… three more weeks of running the Aspen IT and web infrastructure with a Lenovo netbook – ouch.
Aghast I called Apple Customer Support and after being transferred around the world three times a very nice young man assured me he would try and speed things up and would call me back in a day or two. I do feel a bit sorry for these call centre folks – he copped a real tongue lashing from me. I put my case that when paying through the nose for a professional machine – and extra for the warranty – Apple had a responsibility to hold stock of spare parts. Do they anticipate that customer’s can keep a spare $5000 computer in case their main machine breaks down?
So I don’t know what will happen next. I have ordered a Dell laptop with better specifications that my Mac for about a quarter of the price. It even includes a free upgrade to Windows 7!! Perhaps the time has come to switch back?
UPDATE: Well I guess I had better stop complaining about Apple now. I received a call from Apple Customer Service and they are replacing my Macbook Pro with a brand new machine. They took on board my comments and accepted my position and did the right thing. Way to go Apple!
iPhone 3GS and Snow Leopard Announced
- Image via CrunchBase
This week has seen a swag of new goodies coming from Apple announced at the World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco.
The one that will undoubtedly get the most attention is the new iPhone- the 3GS.
It is identical in appearance to the current model which means that current peripherals will still work. Inside there are some significant additions though – a faster processor, more memory, a better camera, voice control and a compass to aid GPS navigation. It will come with the new iPhone OS 3.0 which will also be available to existing iPhone users from June 17th as a no cost upgrade.
If you’re a MobileMe subscriber, one excellent new feature allows you to locate your phone on a map if lost, send a message with your contact details, or if unrecoverable, you can remotely wipe all of your valuable data.
Apple have also refreshed the entire range of MacBook Pro laptops with 7 hour batteries and announced that the next version of the OSX operating system, Snow Leopard, will be available from September. It will focus on optimizing and refining the existing features and promises significant speed increases across the board. Upgrading from Leopard is a quite reasonable US$29.95.
iPhone 3G First Impressions
- Image via Wikipedia
Okay, I admit it, I’m a geek and an early adopter! Usually this simply means I end up paying more to access technology early. With the iPhone 3G, I am beginning to long for a return to my Nokia N95… Now don’t get me wrong. As a gadget, the iPhone isn’t so bad. I am enjoying playing with the applications from the iTunes App Store, and as long as I am on a Wi-Fi network at home or in the office, I get good results. Leave the office and rely on 3G and the problems start – poor signal, sometimes no service and slow download speeds.
Recent head-to-head studies have suggested that the problem is more with the networks than the device itself, with the worst carrier in the world having been identified as Optus. No prizes for guessing which carrier I am with!
My theory is that because Optus offered the best data plans in Australia they have garnered the lions share of the iPhone 3G business, putting undue (and I hope temporary!) stress on their network. Few complaints seem to have been received from Telstra customers. This could be because they have so few customers due to initially high data prices, or related to their operating on a different frequency.
In summary I would recommend holding off on the purchase of an iPhone until the dust settles a bit more. Apple has some imminent updates at the time of writing that may help with signal strength issues as well as rumoured iPod updates. Next month we will take a look at some of the potential benefits of QR codes
MobileMe
- Image via Wikipedia
MobileMe is the new service from Apple to replace their .Mac online service for Macintosh users. Launched with the new iPhone to much fanfare, it may well represent Apple’s most painful product introduction. It seems Apple underestimated the demand on the service when the new iPhone was launched, and existing .Mac users were switched across. For some users this caused a 2 week period of intermittent outages. Personally, I found that things were working within about 48 hours, and given the scale of the transition, I felt this was acceptable. Apple has given all users an extra month free as compensation.
So what is MobileMe? It was initially promoted as ‘exchange for the rest of us’ offering Push – or instantly delivered – email to your iPhone. It also transparently synchronises contacts and calendar entries between multiple computers and iPhones on an account (Mac or PC Outlook). Make a change on one and it is rapidly reflected across to the others. At this stage, the desktop sync is every 15 minutes, so Apple has temporarily withdrawn the term Push.
Additionally, you get a beautiful suite of web applications mirroring the Mac desktop mail, contacts and calendar experience. These are so well executed it is hard to remember they are running in a browser. You also have access to a 20Gb online hard disk to allow offsite backup and file access, plus beautiful web galleries to store your photos and videos.
Is it worth it? Yes, if you have a Mac, although it is expensive. It integrates so well into the system and iLife applications that it is worth the $119 a year. On a PC, I’m not so sure. There are other less expensive options available. If there are a few of you, it may be worth considering a family pack for $180. This gives one master account and four sub accounts with 5Gb of storage.
More information on MobileMe can be found at www.me.com.
iPhone 3G
- Image via CrunchBase
On 10 June 2007, we had a glimpse into the future of computing when the new 3G iPhone was launched at the Apple World Wide Developers Conference.
By Christmas, iPhone 3G is likely to be THE ‘must have’ gadget for the cafe crowd everywhere – but the real excitment should be for what is happening behind the scenes – third party applications and Apple’s new MobileMe service.
Several medical applications were demonstrated during the launch presentations, including anatomy training and scan viewing. The iPhone also has a built in GPS which works with WiFi to accurately triangulate location opening up potential for location based services that we cannot even imagine at this stage.
One of the obvious areas of use for the iPhone is in the hospital environment. With integrated WiFi and a fantastic interface for image/video and document browsing, the iPhone lends itself to accessing patient records, X-rays and scans. Add to this, MS Exchange compatible email, web browsing, training via podcast (audio or video) – PLUS music for downtime – and you have a device that will be hard to leave in the store.
See you next month for a review of MobileMe.
The iPhone will be available from 11 July via Vodafone or Optus
