Cloud sync and backup

I have been using http://wuala.com for couple of years to keep ca 80GB in safely synced and backed up in the cloud, for free. But they changed from p2p storage to commercial centralized server model, as a result, I am going to loose that  free storage. What are my options at the moment?

I took a look at

- Windows Live Mesh (will become Windows SkyDrive and loose p2p sync ability). Storage limit is good though at 25GB.

- I have beta invite from Cubby (by LogMeIn) – only 5GB in the cloud, but promise of free and unlimited p2p sync

- Google Drive – only 5GB, but good gmail/gdocs integration, no p2p sync

- Dropbox – up to 16GB storage after referrals, hmm. Plenty of mobile clients, but nothing else going for it, other than ability to game it easily to grow storage.

- Ubuntu One, SugarSync, Megacloud – 5GB free cloud, some mobile clients

- Bitcasa – speaks about unlimited cloud storage for $10/month, using p2p similar to wuala?

I am sorry, to see wuala go nuts like this. Theirs was the best option for owners of 24x7 servers (e.g. home NAS + torrent server + wuala cloud peer). After fallout, not many options are left, most of them are good for usual users, who do not have own server and fully depend on the cloud for sync. However, I see opportunity to achieve most of what wuala did for free by combining various parts of different services.

Here is what I’m going to try

1) for unlimited p2p sync (which provides backup too) between my server and several laptops

2) to raise protection bar – e.g. unlikely event that both laptops and server are destroyed by fire at the same time – p2p sync to my parents PC – this is good for anything, bar nuclear strike :(

3) Google Drive for my working docs (5GB)

4) Dropbox/SkyDrive for my music/photos files (16+25GB)

Other services, like UbuntuOne, SugarSync, MegaCloud, Bitcasa – I do not see much use for, with current pricing. I will however, try them to see if I missed anything.

#Nostalgy

Borland Turbo C. Install size 3 MB. School days in early 90-s.

Motorola XT720 photo quality vs Samsung i8910

I use both phones in parallel during the trip to Crimea, Ukraine, and even took some comparative shots.

Only XT720 photos

Notice in the left side of the photos below, this is my finger. Happens to often with XT720, due to placement of the camera on the very edge of the phone, too close to the point, where you naturally keep your fingers.

Using flash in the poorly lit museum, during daytime. No nighttime pics yet.

Motorola XT720 on the left, Samsung Omnia i8910 on the right

My overall verdict stays the same, photo quality of XT720 is quite average, hopefully this will change in the next firmwares.

Just bought Motorola XT720 from Expansys

Just received by DHL. Bought at Expansys.lv (Latvian version of expansys.co.uk). Phone was delivered from warehouse in Marseille, France.

Some notes – very nice build quality, rubberised metal on the backside, nice display, TFT with mirror underneath, so it looks ok in the direct sunlight. Strange, you cannot work with this phone without SIM, only emergency calls allowed. Another negative, about body construction – the blue border around lense (2nd picture here) is very razor sharp and collects particles of my pocket cloth. Finally, a nice touch, 8GB SD card is included.

I did not check processor speed, but it is slower than Samsung Galaxy S that I used previously, so maybe it really is 550MHz, but Motorola promised to up that to 720MHz in the new firmware and to upgrade OS to Android 2.2.

re: last photo here – in the top right corner you can see indicator of filming mode (camera in this case). I expected that it is sensitive button, but, alas, I cannot make it switch modes by touching any of those indicators. You need to go to on-screen menu to change modes.

Hack your way into Google Buzz

If your mobile phone is not Android or iPhone… or your gmail still does not have Google buzz folder, you still can get into buzz, albeit only mobile version. Use Firefox extension – UserAgentSwitcher. Choose iPhone3.0 profile, go to buzz.google.com.

You can also buzz from symbian (and I presume winmo, although I haven’t tested it) goole maps (v.4.0) which was updated yesterday on google servers. Works on Symbian s60v5.

iPad love story

:)

Windows Mobile 7 device specifications

Believe or not believe? I tend to believe, seeing that HTC HD2 is made to satisfy these specifications and that it was promised that HD2 will get upgrade to WM7. And just to put those specs into perspective, my Raon Everun UMPC ran Windows XP with just 6GB SSD and 600MHz CPU. Just asked Eldar if so high requirements may mean that Windows Mobile 7 is a some kind of light weight rehash of Windows XP, and he replied that it really looks so.

So will we get XP compatibility in new Windows Mobile 7 phones? Not 100% I think, but with some UI adjustments, recompiling existing XP code might be an option.

Intel SSD Gen.2, continued

So, I got 2 80GB units from cartft.com (via ebay). Price was fair (194 EUR/piece) and shipping was only 16 EUR for UPS ground (4 days) delivery. I have to say that these babies delivered on all the hype that surrounds them, and that’s why their price still exceeds MSRP without any signs of decline.

Boot time in laptop (Windows 7, Core 2 Duo, 2.1GHz) went down from 40 seconds to 15. Desktop (Core 2 Quad 4GHz) boots in mere 6 seconds (without motherboard POST time, which begins to look too long at 5 sec). Overall, system responsiveness is butter smooth. Level loading (MW2, L4D) are a breeze at around 4-5 seconds. I am satisfied. Very satisfied.

Sony VAIO Z 2010. What a disappointment?

Core i5, switchable graphics with Nvidia GT 330M, 128 GB SSD, VGA/HDMI out. Nice display and keayboard in the slick 1.4 kg package.

Congrats on removing modem and firewire. But what the heck, Sony? You still keep DVD in this “ultra-portable”? Please, its 2010, you can use this space for better battery and some port that can do 2560x1600, because frankly, this is the display resolution (with some 27-30” screen) that will be standing on the tables of prospective Z customers in the coming year.

That means, Dual DVI or Displayport. Unless that HDMI port that you put there is HDMI 1.3, huh? Anyway, Apple uses Displayport that can support 2560x1600, and others please take notice. So far, WQXGA support by PC/laptop manufacturers has a faint smell of failure, but I hope it will change in 2010.

Upgrades

Ordered Intel X-25M (80GB, 2nd generation) in Lithuania. Price is 180 EUR, which is better than in Latvia (205 EUR), and have to wait around 1 month for delivery.

Also, purchased the latest and the greatest from ATI. XFX HD5870. Had to upgrade PSU too.

Now, all my games have very friendly framerates (Core 2 Duo E7300 overclocked to 3.2GHz, 4GB RAM, XFX HD5870), and it became much easier to make headshots in 3d shooters (Left4Dead, TF2, Bioshock). Another strange, but pleasing side effect appeared in a racing game (GRID). It was very difficult to keep a car on the road while racing, but now motion is very smooth, and controlling the car is much easier. Probably, has something to do with the fact, that previously, with lower frame-rate, by the time when I saw car loosing traction, it was too late to react. Nice.