Formerly the Hummingbird project, SugarSync is a Sharpcast product designed to offer an automatic and instant sync/backup of your files. It offers a desktop manager as well as a personal website to access your files anywhere – and also a site available through your mobile phone.
I am so impressed with this product. The future of file storage and sharing is right here. We all know Microsoft and Google are working on similiar sync-like products of their own, but that still means nothing if they have nothing comparative available to the public. SugarSync is out there now and works faster than you can even login to Skydrive or say the word Platypus.
Download SugarSync onto your computer (on as many computers as you’d like, though you only need one), set which folders you’d like to have synced, and you’re set. It’s so easy to use and such a great resource. No more emailing files to myself on gmail, no more flash drives or burning files to disks, no more waiting for files to upload or browsing to find the files with online storage sites…
Likes:
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No need to upload anything, everything is automatic and real-time.
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Supports everything from office files to calendar, contacts, media, or playlists.
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Offers management tools like a contact database and a photo gallery. And your photos are automatically organized into online albums you can immediatly share with others by emailing select contacts a link and/or making the album public. Other people don’t need to have sugarsync accounts to view your shared items. RSS feed shared albums. Anyone can leave comments on photos.
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Synced files are organized with name, date and time modified, file size, and file type. View in list style, gallery, or slideshow. Zip/Compress your files. Download multiple files at once.
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Access and edit a file on another computer, save your work, and the original document on your hardrive where the file was first saved is automatically updated.
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Unlike remote desktop programs, you can access files from a computer that is turned off or offline. Updates will be made instantly to the original documents the next time that computer goes online.
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The desktop/website/mobile phone sync is only the beginning of what Sharecast plans to offer (think social network syncing and television-pc linking).
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Very secure servers. 128 bit AES encryption and SSL file transfer.
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1GB of free data with option to purchase more. During beta stage, sign up for up to 11GB for free.
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Just launched a version that works on Mac computers.
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With SugarSync Mobile (m.sugarsync.com), all your pictures you take on your phone are automatically synced to your computer, backed up and organized.
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The “magic briefcase” feature: a folder that automatically appears on all your computers and stays fully synced.
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Web Archive. Move files here if you don’t want them synced and want to delete the original from your computer to free up hard drive space.
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Totally Ad-free.
Flaws:
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Not unlimited storage. I’m torn on this because I can definetly justify paying for additional storage, but any competitor that comes out with a similar product and unlimited storage would have an incredible advantage.
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Will they start charging for use when it goes public?
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Does it take up a lot of memory or computer resources? I don’t know these things, I’m just wondering.
I’m trying hard to come up with flaws and I’m out. I can’t wait to see this product – and the field of synchronization as a whole – develop further.
Link: SugarSync
Rating: 
