Free file & folder syncronization software

The most popular file and folder syncronization toolof the last few years is Microsoft’s SyncToy to syncronize folders between two separate locations, such as laptop or thumb drive, and the desktop computer. This is a good tooland works well,but we came across another free tool that does a similar job that is very easy to use, has a clean minimalist interface,and shows file and folder activity during the syncronization process.

It comes from Budosoft, a company situated in Malaysia, who offer other free software which requires no registration or trial offers. This includes a free (non-trial) version of its software for internet cafes with a range of features such as billing, expenditure, lock screen, and password management.  Tested in Windows 7 and services 11 PC’s and an admin computer.

We’ve been struggling for years with large file transfers and backups over the USB 2.0 protocol and it felt like USB 3.0 would never get here. At 10 times the speed of USB 2.0 it really is a milestone in technology. Backups and file transfers will be 10X the speed of current USB 2 specs. You can see on the comparison chart that you can transfer a 2GB HD movie in around 2-3 mins, compared to 12-13 mins on USB 2.0.

USB 3 performance chart

So, what’s available?

The new Gigabyte motherboards with P55 chipset have a USB 3.0 interface. At this time there are only two USB 3.0 ports because most plug and play devices are USB 2.0.

Western Digital have released two hard drives which support the new interface 3 series. One is the Caviar Black series available in 1TB and 2TB. This is a SATA-3 hard drives which will double the speed of SATA-II in current specifications. WD have also released the My Book external USB 3 drive. Prices are surprisingly reasonable at  $249 for the 1TB model at time of writing.

Order a WD USB 3.0 with your new computer in Perth. For more specs visit Western Digital’s mini site.

Like many others I had some reservations about the ipad. There’s no USB port, no DVD draw, no direct external monitor support (vga adaptors are available). The keyboard is not designed for speed typing and your other hand might be busy keeping the device steady on your lap. It can only open one app at a time so you can forget about multitasking. How useful can it be for small business?

To answer my insatiable curiousity about a new type of mobile device people queue up to buy I went online to Apple and bought the ipad wifi model. I’ve now had the benefit of using the ipad for a couple of weeks and the ipad and I have become inseparable.

First, a couple of things out of the way. The ipad is not a computer, a notebook or a netbook – it’s an ipad? Unlike a notebook or a netbook the creativity of the every growing libraries of apps for ipad is surprising. The ipad is optimized for one app at a time because this is an ipad not a computer. Do you really need to read an online newspaper and prepare a spreadsheet at the same time? Once we get over that we don’t need to ask why it doesn’t have USB ports or a DVD drawer. If you want to read a PDF or view photos you can transfer them with itunes, download them off the internet, or use some of the apps below to transfer folders and files over the air.

Some apps come standard on the ipad. I use my ipad to view my daily calendar from Outlook. I get an appointment prompt just like Outlook and a big viewing area compared to my mobile phone calendar and contacts. Like most laptop computers in small, micro and home based business, the ipad will be used for more than business. This is a great chance to catch up on reading anything from online newspapers and your favourite magazines, to business PDF’s and charts. The ipad high resolution LED backlit display makes this an excellent reader and viewer and this is among my primary reasons for owning one.

There are over 150,000 apps, free and paid. Many are entertainment based but there are many categories with apps being added to all the time.

Some apps I found of interest to small business are:

Billings Touch
This is an app based on the Apple Design award winning time and tracking application. For mobile users you can track and create billing data on the go.

iwork for Ipad
well known to Mac users, iwork creates presentations, documents and spreadsheets. If you travel this could be very useful.

DropBox for ipad – Free
Install Dropbox on your desktop PC(s), then install the ipad Dropbox app. This is a great tool for sharing documents for example. Just drop the document (Word, PDF, etc) into the Dropbox folder on your Windows based desktop PC and it appear in an instant on your ipad.

Jumsoft Money – Free
The app for personal finances, reminders to pay your bills on time, and password protected.

Documents to go
DocsToGo lets you create, edit and view Word 2007, 2010, Excel, Powerpoint, iwork and other files in Dropbox (Premium edition) or direct viewing, creating and editing.

My favourites links keeps growing with every new must-have-in-my-favourites websites folder in Internet Explorer. Password rules vary from one site to another. There’s no standardising and some webmasters love dreaming up new ways to complicate my life and ensure I can never have a standard across the board all purpose catch-all password.

So then I found Roboform and have been pretty content with this program and never have to reach for that index notebook with passwords anymore. Eikon have gone one better to take the password manager out of the browser in the form of a USB stick with a fingerprint reader.

EIKON-To-Go Portable Digital Privacy Manager is made for notebook users. It uses your fingerprint to authenticate Windows logon, launch your favourite software applications by swiping a particular finger, password bank feature to remember all your online usernames and passwords on the web, simplify Vista UAC tasks, and switch user accounts easily and securely. Includes fingerprint reader and Protector Suite QL software.

Cost $66 RRP.

Among the biggest gripes for notebook users is time limitations on a single battery charge, and how easy it is to destroy a notebook with one careless slip of the wine glass or coffee mug on the keyboard.

The new HP Elitebook 6930p series will be the answer to these gripes and much more.

It’s built to military standards of toughness, has a spill resistant keyboard, and with the optional long life battery offers up to 24hrs battery time on a single charge. The specs are also impressive in this model from under $2000.

Visit HP for more info.