It’s a common situation.  You have a desktop computer, the workhorse of the household.  It’s probably shared by several members of the family.  It does everything for everyone… including you.  You also have a laptop for work or maybe one for home use, to ease the demand for the desktop machine.

But you still use the desktop computer sometimes, and a lot of what you do on it is also relevant to your work on the laptop.  So you need to keep your files sync’d, but what do you do?

• Email attachments to yourself, via a web email account such as Gmail.
• Share folders between computers and copy stuff in and out of these.
• Use a NAS server as a master store for the common files, copying to it and retrieving from it, depending on which computer you last got the latest version of XYZ software.
• Use a USB flash drive.
• Other variations on this pattern.

I’ve used all of the above.  They all work, but it gets messy.  Directory structures on laptop and PC don’t quite match.  Sometimes I don’t remember (or have time) to copy the latest stuff to the NAS server.  Sometimes I don’t check if the version of XYZ software I have is the latest.  It’s all down to how much you are prepared to interrupt your thought process to do the copying of files to or from the computer.

There is a better way

Dropbox could be the answer to your file sync’ing dreams.

Before getting into any details, let’s ask the number one question: What platforms does it run on?  Answer: Windows, Mac and Linux.  Big tick in that box.

In fact, Dropbox will sync your files between multiple computers running any combination of the supported operating systems.

To use Dropbox, you must create an account.  The file sync goes via a cloud-based storage area.  It’s free for up to 2GB of storage.

The Dropbox web site has full details, but here are some of the good things it does for you:

• When installed, a “Dropbox” folder is created for your user account.
• Anything you put in this folder is automatically sync’d to your Dropbox account in the cloud.
• Other computers on which you have installed Dropbox will automatically sync with your files in the cloud.
• Lan Sync for computers on the same local network.  This still uses the cloud for notification, but actual sync’ing is peer-to-peer via the faster LAN.
• You can access your data via a web browser.  For example, you could open one of your files on a computer that does not have Dropbox installed.  Web access includes upload, too.
• Mobile access.  There’s an iPhone app and, I’m told, an Android version is in the works.  Failing that, the Dropbox web site recognises mobile phone web browsers and provides a nice mobile-friendly version.
• Version history up to 30 days.  Via the web interface, you can undelete a file or go back to a previous version.
• The web interface also provides information on the status of your Dropbox account, such as the amount of storage used, and a handy “recent events” list showing additions, deletions, edits and shares.
• Supports multiple users on a single computer.  I have done this for Windows XP, only, so I can’t vouch for Mac and Linux but have no reason to think it doesn’t work.
• File and folder sharing with other Dropbox users.  This includes a photo gallery feature.

There’s an active support forum and feature suggestion site, should you feel the urge.

The only down side is the 2GB limit for free usage.  That said, if you can persuade some friends to sign-up and install Dropbox, you can increase your free quota by a further 3GB to a total of 5GB.  You both get 0.25GB per signed-up referral.

Depending on your budget, this may not be a concern.  Current paid monthly usage is $10 for 50GB and $20 for 100GB, but do check the Dropbox web site for current pricing.

How about Google Docs file sharing?

I’ve been a Google Docs user for some time, and the relatively recent feature for upload and sharing any type of file is welcome.  However, sync’ing is not automatic and there’s no concept of a folder structure that is replicated between Google Docs and your computer.

I’ll continue to use Google Docs for the things it’s good at.  Dropbox meets a different need.

Conclusion

So far, I’m really liking Dropbox.

If you can see the possible value of Dropbox for the way you use the computers (and smartphones) in your life, give Dropbox a try.

Take the tour.  Watch the screencast.  Sign up for a free Dropbox account (using this link adds a bonus 250MB to your storage allowance)

You may find yourself wondering how you managed without it.

I’d like to hear from you if you have any thoughts on this topic.  Leave a comment.

Thanks for reading.

That Swype beta, on my Nexus One at least, expired a couple of days ago, with a message to update to the latest [beta] version.  I’d been meaning to check for an update anyway, so I sought out the latest version.

It turns out that an Android beta registration process is now in operation, which is good, since it should include notifications of Swype updates.

The page to head for is https://beta.swype.com/

Some details from the Swype registration page:

Swype is pleased to offer an Android Beta!

Here are the details:

• Initially we will have a limited number of participants – we’ll expand it soon
• In English and Spanish – more languages to come
• Limited Features – some key features of Swype require OEM integration
• HVGA and WVGA Resolutions – don’t worry we’ll detect this automatically
• Limited End User Support – mostly via our forum
• If your phone came pre-installed with Swype DO NOT download this beta (it won’t work)

How will this work?

You register with an email address you can access via your mobile and we send you a link to download Swype. That’s it!

On my N1 the download (using WiFi) and install process went very smoothly.  There was a friendly message asking me to uninstall the earlier [unofficial] beta app first: I had to do this manually (using Astro) which is fair enough, since it was a manual install in the first place.

I’ve been using the updated beta for a couple of days now and it is an improvement over the earlier one.  It seems more responsive.  The previously learned words are still there, which is nice.  Significantly, I no longer get Swype warning me of a screen size problem.

If you haven’t tried Swype yet, and you have a compatible phone, I really do recommend it.  Text entry is a pleasure.

If your phone isn’t supported in the current beta version, take a look at SlideIT, a similar product.  Personally, I prefer Swype because it has a better keyboard format and offers greater control over punctuation and capitalization; Swype is much better at entering oddly spelled user IDs and passwords with mixed letters and digits, for example.

I look forward to Swype coming out of beta and being available for purchase in the Market.

On my Android phone (formerly a Hero and now a Nexus One) I have likewise settled on Twidroid as the ultimate Twitter app.  That may be about to change…

HootSuite for Android is here.  They’re not calling it Hootdroid, though the HootSuite guys do now have a Twitter account by that name, @Hootdroid, with a clever twist on the Android robot.

The Android app has been on the Market since 1pm UK, so as I write this I’ve had all of 30 minutes to explore.  On this basis, I am impressed.  The UI is rich and the familiar HS tabs and stats are all there.  The implementation on Android is very slick, learning some tricks from the iPhone app, no doubt.  For a new Android Market app, it is excellent quality.

If you’re a HootSuite user, or even if you’re not, give this new Android app a whirl… you may like it.  A lot of thought has gone into the app.  This is bound to pay off for the HootSuite guys, since it could attract a lot of new users to their Twitter platform.

I’ll be using HootSuite for Android instead of Twidroid for a few days at least.  Who knows, I may stick with it.

Today, my thanks go to @thheinen for letting me know of a similar app, SlideIT, which is available on the Android Market for any Android phone.  This is similar to Swype but goes further in providing a Palm-like “graffiti” mode and, importantly for the European market,  separately installable language packs for many languages.

I’ve now installed SlideIt on my dear old Hero (which had languished somewhat, of late, serving as an eReader by my bedside) and I’m impressed.  Given the Hero’s slower processor, SlideIT’s word prediction and recognition is excellent.  Swype wins on good looks and in some aspects of punctuation control.  That said, I really need to use these two keyboard apps for a while before arriving at any firm conclusions.

Since my Nexus One is my main phone, I’m going to install SlideIT on the N1, alongside Swype, so I can try them both.  It’ll be interesting.

Either way, these two apps make on-screen text entry a real pleasure.  I reckon I can get words into the phone about three times quicker than using a tap-entry keyboard.

If you haven’t tried SlideIT, I recommend giving it a go.  It’s FREE, by the way   (as are the language packs)

It’s amazing.  Watch the video.

So much nicer than tapping the screen.  I’ve used other keyboards from the Android Market, but Swype has the edge over them for ease of use and quality, even in its beta release.

Sadly for anyone without a Droid or Nexus One, the Swype beta is not for you at present.  Apparently, it’s a screen size issue, although even on my N1 I get the occasional warning from Swype saying that the screen is not of the required dimensions.  On that basis, I guess you could try Swype on other phones… ?

The Android Swype beta is not available on the Market… you need to download it and transfer it to your phone.

Here’s how to do it:

http://www.androidcentral.com/download-beta-version-swype-android

It’s very easy to enter text using Swype; you just need to know a few things about how to use it.  Be sure to watch the tutorial videos at http://www.swypeinc.com/tips-tricks.html They are all very short and to the point.  Recommended viewing.

Enjoy the non-tapping’ness.  :)

In this context, tethering a smartphone to a computer allows that computer to get onto the Internet using the phone’s data service.  It’s a bit like using a mobile phone as a modem, something I remember doing before broadband took off.  The connection between computer and phone may be USB or Bluetooth, depending on the solution you opt for.

Why tether your phone?

For me, the main reason is to have a fall-back option in the event of my usual broadband access going off-line.

In other situations tethering can get a laptop computer online where there is no WiFi but there is a 3G (2G, even) signal.

Options for Android

Tethering is not just available for Android but that’s the platform I am interested in.  In fact, the solution I have opted for is also available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and Palm.  It also works for Windows and Mac.

Doing a web search I came up with three ways to achieve a tethered phone:

1. Root the phone and run a few command line commands on the PC.  I’ve never been keen on the idea of rooting my phone, so this option is out.
2. Proxoid.  As you’ll see if you follow the link to the Proxoid web site, this does not need a rooted Android phone.  Proxoid makes the phone act as a proxy server for the client computer.  There is, however, quite a lot of messing around with Windows network setting, and this put me off this solution.  It is FREE, though, and this is a good reason to give it a try if your budget is limited.
3. PdaNet. This software is not free; the Android version is currently US$ 23.95 on the Market.  As mentioned, there are other versions for other mobile platforms.  The nice thing about PdaNet is that no manual changes are required on the client computer.  This is achieved by installing a piece of Windows (or Mac) software to provide a device driver to make the USB connected phone appear as a dial-up modem.

Getting the software

The Android software for PdaNet is available from the Market, in the usual way.  There is just one version and it is free… after one month it restricts access to non-HTTPS sites only.  When you buy a license this unlocks the full functionality of the software… there is no new version to install.

The Windows or Mac software is available from the PdaNet (June Fabrics Technology) web site.

Installing PdaNet

My first Android phone was an HTC Hero (I still have it) and I had installed HTC Sync on my laptop because, well, it seemed a good idea at the time.  In fact, I never really found Ineeded HTC Sync, since I use Google Mail, Google Contacts and Google Calendar, but I’d left the software there just in case it is needed when HTC finally roll out Eclair for the Hero (expected in March).

“What has this to do with PdaNet?”, you ask.  Well, during the install of the Windows software (I’m running WinXP SP3) a message popped up saying that HTC Sync had been detected and that the software would try to coexist, but that there may be connection issues, in which case I should uninstall HTC Sync.

In retrospect I should have known better, but I left my phone (a Nexus One) connected by USB to my laptop (from an earlier unrelated activity) when I ran the install of the PdaNet Windows software.  The upshot of this was that the Windows “New Hardware” wizard failed to install the new USB device driver.

Deciding to play safe, and because I’d been meaning to get rid of HTC Sync anyway, I uninstalled it now and then reinstalled PdaNet, this time ensuring that the phone was not connected to the laptop.  Strangely, this time around there was a message dialog warning against having the phone connected… something I did not see the first time… perhaps a bug in the HTC Sync detection routine?

During the installation process, the software asks you to enable USB Debugging on the Android phone.  This is required for PdaNet to function and is easily done.  Once enabled, you’ll see a new item in the notification bar of the phone, from which you can disable USB debugging if need be.

Anyway, it all went smoothly the second time around, ending with brief instructions on how to start using the tethering software.

PdaNet in action

The software is simplicity itself to use.  First start the Android software and tap the button to “Enable USB Tether”.  Then, on the computer, right-click the PdaNet icon in the Windows System Tray and select “Connect”.  The connection is established within one or two seconds.

Windows sees the connection as a dial-up service:

After disabling the laptop’s usual network connections I tried the tethered link.

With my phone connected to WiFi, I found web browsing on the laptop as quick as it normally is over WiFi.  I guess this is to be expected.

After turning the phone’s WiFi off, so it switched to 3G, the laptop was still very usable.  I wouldn’t use it to watch videos, though, but then, who would?

If you have the PdaNet software visible on the phone, you can see network traffic counts, in and out.

Conclusion

In the short time that I have used the software, I found the PdaNet tethering solution extremely usable and have no hesitation in recommending it.

In fact, I decided to skip the 30-day free trial and have purchased my license.  For the functionality provided and the security it gives for something as important as web access, I’d say it’s money well-spent.

If you’ve used PdaNet, I’d be interested in hearing your views.

There’s a convenient Twitter hash-tag for this movement: #BuzzOff…  it could even start trending.

Intrusive and Noisy

Rather than offer an opt-in, Google have assumed Gmail users will want Buzz.  For those that choose not to partake, there is no simple opt-out button in the Gmail settings.  It can be turned off via a link at the foot of the Gmail page, but this does not get rid of any Buzzes automatically generated from your Picasa and Reader activities.  Nor does it remove you from the follow lists of other Buzzers or remove others from your following list (kindly generated by Google on your behalf).

Mistakes

It’s amazing that Google did not exercise their usual caution by rolling Buzz out initially to a smaller set of Gmail users.  This would surely have generated a lot of useful and less public feedback.  Perhaps Google had its reasons to act in haste, but it seems to have been handled quite poorly.

Google are taking note of the [mainly] negative feedback, and I’m sure there is a huge effort now to improve the way Buzz works and undo the bad publicity.

Don’t want Buzz?

Here’s a link to instructions to comprehensively turn off Buzz for your Google account:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10451703-2.html

Nice try, Google.  Better luck next time.

The new one is called “Steira” and is the work of Made By Elephant.

How do you like the new look?

At the time of writing this, I’ve had my Nexus One for five short days.  I find myself slightly troubled: while the Nexus One is a truly beautiful device, I don’t have the same emotional attachment to it as I have to my Hero.  This may be because it’s too soon… the Hero is still there on my desk, as a WiFi device… it’s hard to let go.

The GoogleNexusOne channel on YouTube has some vidoes (embedded below) that may encourage that emotional attachment.  They’re certainly nice to watch.

Episode 1, Concept & Design

Episode 2, Display & 3D Framework

Episode 3, Testing

Episode 4, Manufacturing

Added, 8 Feb 2010…

Episode 5, Day One