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your Windows® embedded community
Now, according to Sharpcast, SugarSync users can also upload data to the cloud simply by sending email attachments to an assigned email address (such as johndoe.123@e2f.sugarsync.com). It's said such attachments are automatically extracted, then placed in an "Uploaded by Email" folder within the automatically synchronized "Magic Briefcase." This folder, pictured at right in Sharpcast's Windows Mobile client, is then accessible from all of a user's devices.
Another touted improvement to SugarSync is the availability of up to 500GB of storage, allowing users to synchronize and backup their entire hard disk drives, for example. Previously, the service was available only in a 2GB free version, plus paid tiers of 60GB, 100GB, and 250GB.
Laura Yecies, chief executive officer at SugarSync, stated, "Upload by email eliminates the need to download attachments and re-save them. Were happy to add another way to make sync your most important files easier and more transparent."
Yecies added, "The rate with which we consume gigabits is only increasing. Smartphones, with picture and video-taking capabilities, and streaming media services are only adding to this data explosion. As a result, we've had many requests for higher-storage accounts."
Background
SugarSync's automatic synchronization capabilities, however, come into force when dedicated SugarSync Manager client software -- desktop versions are available for Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Mobile, and Macintosh OS X -- is installed on one or more devices. From that point, the SugarSync Manager software will automatically upload files to the SugarSync website from designated folders.
If disk space or bandwidth are of concern, SugarSync can be configured so that new files are not pushed to every device, but merely made available from the website on demand. Also, if any of the devices being synchronized is temporarily offline, it will receive updates as soon as it reconnects, Sharpcast claims.
Another advantage of SugarSync is said to be the fact that all data is located in "geo-redundant, world-class data centers," and stored using 128-bit AES encryption. Further, Sharpcast touts special handling for photos, which are "automatically organized into gorgeous online albums." Thus, the company says, a single service can now provide for both photo sharing and backup.
Limitations
When we tried it in 2008, the Windows Mobile SugarSync client (shown below left) allowed photos taken with the phone's camera to be automatically synchronized to other devices. Alternatively, photos could be automatically downloaded to the phone and reformatted for its screen size.
Sharpcast's current Windows Mobile client, still described as a beta, appears to make downloading files much simpler. In our brief testing, however, we were not able to determine the extent of its uploading capabilities.
Further information
SugarSync is available in a free version with a 2GB limit, plus 60GB, 100GB, 250GB, and 500B tiers priced at approximately $10, $15, $25, and $40 per month, respectively. More information is available from the company's website, here.
