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Online sync'n'store services

Your files on the cloud to access from... anywhere

Your files, anywhere

You could also browse your files at your leisure in a coffee shop using such services' sync apps for your iPhone or Android handset. And, if all else fails, you can access your files using a web browser too. In other words, you’ve got access to all your important files on any digital device in any location that has Internet access. You can also let friends and colleagues in on the act too, as many services like Dropbox allow you to create ‘public’ folders for sharing files with other people.

Price can be an issue if you need more storage than the sync services provide for free. Dropbox, for instance, only provides 2GB of storage for free – which would be just about enough for my personal batch of work files – but the next step up is $10 (£6) per month for 50GB, or $20 (£13) for 100GB. Even so, its flexible and easy-to-use syncing features are really useful for people who frequently switch between multiple devices and locations when they’re working.

Review: Apple MobileMe iDisk

RH Numbers

Apple’s MobileMe provides a wide range of online services, including synchronisation of email, contacts and calendar info across Macs and PCs, as well as iOS devices. However, its iDisk online storage feature is actually a relatively minor part of that overall suite of services, which means that MobileMe isn’t the best choice if you’re simply looking for low-cost online backup.

You can access your iDisk and other MobileMe services through a slick browser interface, or via the iDisk app for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Needless to say, Apple doesn’t acknowledge the existence of any other mobile devices. Macs, but not PCs, have desktop access to the iDisk.

Apple MobileMe iDisk

The storage space on your iDisk can be used for backing-up files, but it doesn’t allow you to sync ordinary files and documents that you might need for work. That means that it’s more expensive than Carbonite or Mozy and less flexible than Dropbox. I found it a bit slow, too.

Even if you're a MobileMe subscriber for the data synchronisation or other features, you'll probably need a second service for file syncing.

Reg Rating 60%
Free Storage None
Extra Storage 20GB: £60 per annum. 40GB: £90 per annum. 60GB: £120 per annum
More info Apple

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