I just received an email this morning from ZumoDrive stating that they are shutting down. The email had information on how to save your files and also talked about Motorola moving the service to MotoCast in the future. For more information on the shut down: http://support.zumodrive.com/kb/general/zumodrive-shutdown-faq. 

I have already moved all of my files out of ZumoDrive and will be just using Dropbox and Sugarsync as my main backup and sync services.

Here are some other cloud file sync and backup services:

Box.net, an online data storage service, is offering 50GB of free online storage for iOS users in an effort to compete against iCloud. If you sign up using your iOS device before December 2nd, you'll get the 50GB account for free.

Box also gave out free 50GB accounts to all owners of HP TouchPad webOS tablets. I found it to be a bit cumbersome to use. It doesn't sync files like Dropbox or Sugarsync and it is a pain to upload files. However, 50GB of free online storage is pretty cool.





Amazon Cloud Drive is Amazon's version of online file storage. It comes with 5GB of free storage and you can upgrade to 20GB of storage by purchasing an Amazon MP3 album. There are also other levels of storage that you can pay for (up to 1000GB for $1000/yr).

The service does not mention anything about file syncing, just that you upload your files to their servers and then you can access the files from any computer. You can upload documents, musics, photos and video and download and preview them from any computer.

You can stream your music files from the service and any music you purchase from Amazon are stored on the Cloud Drive for free and don't affect your storage capacity.



CX is a new file sync, share and backup service, similar to Dropbox or Sugarsync that I just learned about from the Education Technology Blog.

CX allows you to backup your files, sync them across multiple devices, share your files and collaborate on them with others, and even discover new ideas and friends.

A free account starts off at 10GB of storage, which is more that the other services offer. Like the other services, you can earn more storage for referring others to sign up (to a maximum of 16GB). There are also paid plans with more storage (50GB, 100GB and custom amounts).

It is currently available for iOS and Android is coming soon. No mention of other mobile OS's.

What is unique is that every file you share has a comment system so you can share it and collaborate with others on it.




Pogoplug, a company that already has streaming and sharing devices, announced a new service: Pogoplug Cloud.

The Pogoplug Cloud service provides 5GB of free storage and allows users to store their files online. They can then access, share, or stream the content from their mobile device. You sign up directly from any mobile phone, web browser, or tablet. You can purchase additional online storage also. 50GB is $9.95 per month and 100GB is $19.95 per month. Pricing is similar to many other cloud storage systems.

One thing that is different is that you can host a private, unlimited cloud for no monthly fees by purchasing a Pogoplug box ($99) and connecting it to your network.

Pogoplug will automatically upload photos and videos from your mobile phone to your Pogoplug cloud with no syncing required. (I have Sugarsync set up to do this on my Android phone). You can share anything in your cloud through email, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ and even create shared folders. You can also stream videos, photos, and musics to your phone.

There are free apps for iOS and Android.







SpiderOak is another free backup, sync, sharing and storage system. It works on Windows, Mac OS and Linux.

There is a free 2GB account and you can earn up to 50GB of free storage by referring friends.

It's another great way to make sure that your files are backed up and available to you any where.






How do you backup, sync, and store your data?

This week I've had two colleagues and three or 4 students ask me what technology apps and services I use the most or can't live without. The reason was that they were looking to get started using some new things and wanted to pick a couple that they could learn and use for a majority of their needs instead of learning and using lots of different apps. So, here are my 3 apps/services that I can not live without:



1. Evernote - Evernote, an electronic notebook with lots of great features, is my main tool. I have lesson plans, lesson notes, lesson resources, research, travel info, recipes, lesson schedule, meeting notes, attached files, clippings from web sites, to do lists, personal references, tech resources and instructions and so much more. It is the main app I use for almost everything.



2. Dropbox - Dropbox is a great file sync, backup, and sharing service that you can use for free. The rest of the files I need to use that are not in Evernote are setup in my Dropbox so that they are synced on my home and school computers and my smartphone. I can access my files from any web browser also. I never have to worry about losing a flash drive or forgetting to copy or email myself a file.



3. Google - I know this is kind of vague because Google has so many services, but I use a lot of them. Blogger for this blog and my class blogs, Sites for my class website, Gmail, Google+, Calendar, iGoogle, Docs, search and so much more.


With these three apps/services, I am organized and have all my data and materials available at any time. All three have great apps for my Android SmartPhone also.

When I help get people started using web 2.0 apps like these, I always want to start them with just one or two at a time. These three can do most of what people need. They are easy to use, yet powerful, and there is a lot of resources and support for using them.


What are the three apps or services you can't live without?

Runner-Up:


I use Tweetdeck in Chrome browser to access my PLN on Twitter. So, I guess I really have 4 I can't live without.





Related:

Why I use Google Resources and Tools as an Educator

Android Smartphone and Apps I use as an Educator

CX is a new file sync, share and backup service, similar to Dropbox or Sugarsync that I just learned about from the Education Technology Blog.

CX allows you to backup your files, sync them across multiple devices, share your files and collaborate on them with others, and even discover new ideas and friends.

A free account starts off at 10GB of storage, which is more that the other services offer. Like the other services, you can earn more storage for referring others to sign up (to a maximum of 16GB). There are also paid plans with more storage (50GB, 100GB and custom amounts).

It is currently available for iOS and Android is coming soon. No mention of other mobile OS's.

What is unique is that every file you share has a comment system so you can share it and collaborate with others on it.

I think everyone needs to use some sort of file backup and sync service. Try CX out.

Pogoplug, a company that already has streaming and sharing devices, announced a new service: Pogoplug Cloud.

The Pogoplug Cloud service provides 5GB of free storage and allows users to store their files online. They can then access, share, or stream the content from their mobile device. You sign up directly from any mobile phone, web browser, or tablet. You can purchase additional online storage also. 50GB is $9.95 per month and 100GB is $19.95 per month. Pricing is similar to many other cloud storage systems.

One thing that is different is that you can host a private, unlimited cloud for no monthly fees by purchasing a Pogoplug box ($99) and connecting it to your network.

Pogoplug will automatically upload photos and videos from your mobile phone to your Pogoplug cloud with no syncing required. (I have Sugarsync set up to do this on my Android phone). You can share anything in your cloud through email, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ and even create shared folders. You can also stream videos, photos, and musics to your phone.

There are free apps for iOS and Android.

This is one more of a growing number of cloud file storage systems. You should review each one and all of it's features and limitations before deciding on one.

Note:
Currently, Pogoplug is being blocked in my district under "generic remote sharing access". It's funny since SugarSync, Dropbox, Box, and Zumodrive are all available and unblocked.


What's your favorite cloud file storage system?




Related:
Cloud File Storage, Sync, and Sharing systems - list, description, and review of multiple systems

Sugarsync - store, sync and share (multiple computers can sync to same account)

Dropbox - store, sync and share (multiple computers can sync to same account)

Zumodrive

SpiderOak

Box.net (no syncing option with free account)

SugarSync saved me again today. I thought I had some files on my school computer, but it turns out I didn't. I went to my SugarSync account and there they were, automatically uploaded from my home computer. It also saved my wife a few years ago when her hard drive failed. No worries because all her files were backed up.

SugarSync is one of many cloud file sync, backup, and sharing services that are out there. They offer free accounts (5GB) and you can always upgrade if you need more storage space.

One of the features that I love about SugarSync is "edit with WebSync." If you have a file on SugarSync that you need to edit, but you don't want to download it on the computer you are using, just to have to re-upload it, you can use WebSync. It creates a temp copy of the file on the computer for you to work with and edit, then automatically syncs it to SugarSync and then erases the temp copy on the computer. It's a great feature.

You can also backup any folder on your computer as well as using the "Magic Briefcase." Any file in the Magic Briefcase is automatically synced across all of your devices. You can even upload files via email.

I even have SugarSync on my Android smartphone and I have it automatically back up all of the photos I take on my phone so I don't have to worry about losing them and can easily view them on my other devices. You can even sync folders to your Android phone or iPhone/iPad.

SugarSync is very powerful and if you don't have your files backed up yet, you need to get going!

SpiderOak is another free backup, sync, sharing and storage system. It works on Windows, Mac OS and Linux.

There is a free 2GB account and you can earn up to 50GB of free storage by referring friends.

It's another great way to make sure that your files are backed up and available to you any where.



Related:

Cloud File Storage, Sync, Backup

Ubuntu One available for Windows - offers 5GB of free cloud storage

Box.net, an online data storage service, is offering 50GB of free online storage for iOS users in an effort to compete against iCloud. If you sign up using your iOS device before December 2nd, you'll get the 50GB account for free.

Box also gave out free 50GB accounts to all owners of HP TouchPad webOS tablets. I found it to be a bit cumbersome to use. It doesn't sync files like Dropbox or Sugarsync and it is a pain to upload files. However, 50GB of free online storage is pretty cool.

My favorite backup and sync services are:












Amazon has officially announced their Cloud Drive this week. Amazon Cloud Drive is Amazon's version of online file storage. It comes with 5GB of free storage and you can upgrade to 20GB of storage by purchasing an Amazon MP3 album. There are also other levels of storage that you can pay for (up to 1000GB for $1000/yr).

The service does not mention anything about file syncing, just that you upload your files to their servers and then you can access the files from any computer. You can upload documents, musics, photos and video and download and preview them from any computer.

You can stream your music files from the service and any music you purchase from Amazon are stored on the Cloud Drive for free and don't affect your storage capacity.



How do you backup, sync, and store your data?

Cloud Storage and Syncing of files is one of the tools I can't live without. I use a variety of services and now there is another one available. Ubuntu One, a service that was for the Ubuntu Linux OS, is now available for Windows. It offers 5GB of free storage and can sync your files across multiple machines and there are Android and iOS apps available.  You can also purchase more storage.

With everything being on our computers, it is essential that we have backups of our data, and it's very helpful to be able to access that data anywhere.

Via Engadget - http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/03/humanity-toward-others-extended-to-windows-with-ubuntu-one-clo/

AVG, the company that brings us free Antivirus software, has just announced the release of their own file sync, backup, and sharing service called LiveKive.

LiveKive is similar to other services like Dropbox, Sugarsync, and Zumodrive. It allows you to store, sync, and share files through their cloud service and is accessible from Windows, Mac, and mobile browsers. Automatic file sync is available for Windows and Mac platforms.

The free account gives you 5GB of storage and you can upgrade to 25GB for $49.99 per year or unlimited storage (with some restrictions) for $79.99 per year.

Like the Dropbox, Sugarsync, and Zumodrive, LiveKive is another great resource for teachers and students, providing file backup, syncing across multiple computers, and the ability to share files with others.


Related Articles:

Cloud file storage, sync, and backup 

World Backup Day - back up your files with these tips and resources

Living in the Cloud

Yesterday was World Backup Day, but I didn't get a chance to post this so I'm doing it today.

Everyone needs to have their files backed up. It is very easy to have your flash drive, hard drive, or computer crash, get damaged, or have your flash drive or laptop get lost or stolen. And it always happens at the worst possible time.

There are many different ways to backup your files. You can use an external hard drive, backup to a flash drive, or backup your files to the cloud. I use a mixture of both.

1. External Hard Drive - an external hard drive is a great way to back up your files locally. This proves very useful if your computer goes down and you have no internet. Many of them come with software build in to set up automatic backups and Windows and Mac have automatic backup apps. You can even make an image of your hard drive so that you don't have to reinstall software if you need to start from scratch.

2. Flash Drive - a flash drive can also be used for backup, but they are more expensive than hard drives for similar storage capacities. I do use a flash drive as a backup at school of my main files.

3. Cloud based backup - this is my favorite way to backup my files because it is automatic, free, and I can sync my files to multiple computers which means I have access to them locally. They also allow me to access my files from any computer, or even smartphone, via the web (and smartphone apps).There are many different ones available. They all have some sort of free plan and many allow you to get extra free memory through referrals. Here are a few of my favorites:










I do a lot of work online and in the cloud and find it very convenient and useful to do so. But, I also know that there can be internet connection issues and those cloud services can crash or have problems so I backup all of my cloud based data to my computer too.

Amazon has officially announced their Cloud Drive this week. Amazon Cloud Drive is Amazon's version of online file storage. It comes with 5GB of free storage and you can upgrade to 20GB of storage by purchasing an Amazon MP3 album. There are also other levels of storage that you can pay for (up to 1000GB for $1000/yr).

The service does not mention anything about file syncing, just that you upload your files to their servers and then you can access the files from any computer. You can upload documents, musics, photos and video and download and preview them from any computer.

You can stream your music files from the service and any music you purchase from Amazon are stored on the Cloud Drive for free and don't affect your storage capacity.

It's another option for cloud file storage. I don't think it is as useful as Dropbox, Sugarsync, Zumodrive, Box.net and others because it does not sync your files. You have to manually upload them and then if you download and make changes, you'll have to re upload them. You can only download 1 file at a time.

There is no support for Apple devices yet. There is an app for Android though.

Another issue is that many schools block Amazon as a "shopping" site so you won't be able to access your files. However, if you purchase music from Amazon, this is a great idea because you can stream your music from anywhere.

Joukuu is a free download for Windows that allows you to manage your cloud based files in one file manager. It will manage Google Docs, Dropbox, and Box.net files all in one window on your desktop.

It syncs Google Docs and Box.net files to your desktop and allows you to even edit them using Office or OpenOffice. It gives you a nicer interface for managing your Dropbox files.

You can even manage folders for each account through the desktop interface.

It is currently in Beta, but appears pretty solid so far. If you use those services and Windows, this is a nice app to use. The site mentions that Sugarsync is coming, so maybe we'll see even more services supported. That would be nice, to be able to manage all the different cloud services from one app.

Uploadingit is another file sharing and syncing service that I found. It has free and fee-based plans, allowing you to upload, sync, and share files.

The file manager works like a desktop app and is simple to use. You can upload multiple files at once, drag and drop, move, rename, and organize files and folders.

The free plan offers 10GB of space and 10GB of daily bandwidth. It does have a 200MB max file size limit and advertisements, but it's free. You can upgrade to paid plans to increase disk space, bandwidth, get rid of ads, ability to hotlink files, and also increase your priority download.

It is another, free file syncing and sharing service that is very useful for teachers and students.

Chrome OS is all the rage right now in the tech circles. Google has released a very early version to certain people installed on their CR-48 laptop. Chrome OS basically takes everything to the web and, for all intents and purposes, turns an OS into a browser, and doesn't do much on the actual device. To be able to take advantage of this, you have to have a lot of your resources as web apps or web sites.


I'm hoping to be one of the lucky ones to get a CR-48 to test out and evaluate. I'm pretty well set in the cloud as it is now. The only thing I'm still using on the computer is PowerPoint. But, I'm moving most of my presentations to either Google Docs or Prezi.

Chrome Web Browser (currently running 9.0.597.19 beta)

1. Home email - my home email, through my cable internet service is web mail.
2. School email - web mail, through Microsoft Exchange
3. Gmail - secondary email and used for my Google accounts - love the fact that it keeps multiple email replies together in a conversation.
4. School student data system - attendance, information, gradebook - all web based (PowerSchool)
5. Evernote - notes, lesson plans, and so much more - web based
6. Blogger - web based blogging platform - this blog and my class blogs
7. Google Sites - class website and reference web site with links, resources, and files
8. iGoogle with Google Reader, Google Bookmarks, Google Notebook, Google Calendar, Google Tasks, Google Contacts...all web based.
9. Picasa - online photo storage
10. Google Chrome extensions and web apps:

1. Tweetdeck web app
2. Clip to Evernote
3. Aviary screen capture and edit
4. Google URL shortner
5. Bookmark to Diigo
6. Chromey calculator

Related Links and Posts
Technology I use on a daily Basis
Chrome OS homepage
Cloud File Storage, Backup and Sync
Backing up your Cloud/Web based Data
Operating Systems and Web Based Apps