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Backblaze Mobile for iPhone provides on-the-go access to file backups
Backblaze, the online backup company that has made TUAW headlines with its innovative open-source 180 TB Storage Pods and drop-dead simple Mac backups, today announced a way to get mobile access to your backed-up data. Backblaze Mobile for iPhone (free) works for any current or future Backblaze customers running an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch with iOS 5.1 or later. After logging into a Backblaze account with user credentials, users are presented with stats for each computer backed up on the service, including the number and size of files stored and when the last backup was performed. There's a browser for going through backups to look for specific files, and any file can be downloaded to the iOS device to be used or shared with others. The Backblaze service is priced from as low as US$3.96 per month when pre-purchased for a year or more, or can be subscribed to on a monthly billing basis.
Backblaze for Mac officially launches
Back in December, online backup company Backblaze launched a private beta of its service for Mac users. Like its Windows counterpart, the Backblaze subscription service is $5 US a month (or $50 US a year) for unlimited backup space. Today, the company is officially launching its service for Mac users, along with an updated client, better support for external drives and enhanced recovery options. Configuration and setup Just like in the beta, Backblaze remains extremely easy to set-up and use. You just install the program (by default it will run in the background, though you can change this), enter in your e-mail address and password, and it will start backing up your files. The default setting has Backblaze running any time it finds an available internet connection. The backup process is constant and Backblaze stores multiple versions of a file for 30 days (so if you are frequently changing a document or spreadsheet, 30 days worth of revisions are saved to Backblaze). If you want to remove Backblaze, the company has made the uninstall process easier and more intuitive. There is now an uninstaller built into the install DMG image, just double-click on Uninstall (right next to the install option) and you can take Backblaze off your system. If you trash the DMG, just download it again off the Backblaze web site for easy removal. Backblaze won't backup your Applications (thought it WILL backup stuff in your User/Library folder, so many of your application settings will remain backed up), but it will backup your photos, movies, audio files as well as things like your iPhoto or Aperture database, various documents, and more. By default, .ISO, *.exe and *.DMG files are excluded from the backup file type list, but you can remove most of those extensions (*.ISO cannot be removed) if you want to backup that information. The maximum single file size is still 4 GB, but keep in mind this doesn't mean your iPhoto or Aperture databases won't be safe. Those databases are actually just folders with lots of smaller individual files, that's fine. If you have individual files over 4 GB in size, those won't be backed up with Backblaze. You'll need to split the files into smaller segments or make alternate arrangements.
IDrive Portable HDD backs your files up locally and online
Look, we feel your pain. There's about a gazillion options when it comes to portable hard drives, but the IDrive Portable actually does differentiate itself from the masses in one particularly useful way. Aside from being the "thinnest and lightest portable USB drive in its class," this 0.3 pound unit houses 320GB of space on a 5,400RPM HDD, and it plays nice with Windows / OS X machines. Predictably, it features a one-click backup option for storing precious data outside of your PC, but unlike the other guys, this one also includes the ability to backup online for yet another layer of protection. Of course, that online bit will run you up to $4.95 per month, but we have to say the interface looks pretty swank. Anywho, the device itself is listed as shipping within one to two days for $119.95, and all the nitty-gritty about the services is tucked away in the read link.[Thanks, Chris]
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Clickfree gone wild at CES: 1TB drive, Mac support and online backup
Clickfree's remarkably useful Transformer Cable isn't the only new gear being announced from the outfit today -- far from it, actually. For starters, it's bringing a 1TB backup drive with its heralded auto backup functionality at $229.99. Next, we've got the entirely overpriced ($19.99) five-pack of DataGuard Clickfree DVDs, while the "automatic" Total Backup Clickfree DVDs ring up at just $14.99 for the same quantity. Potentially more notable is the notion that all Clickfree products are now Mac compatible so long as you're using OS X 10.5 (Leopard) or higher and an Intel CPU. Moving on, we're told that Clickfree Online Backup and Flash Backup are both slated to become a reality later this year for folks needing off-site / pocket-sized backup solutions. The full spill is hosted up just past the break, and trust us, it's crowded down there.
LaCie to provide one year online storage free with every drive sold
TUAW readers know that to keep their data safe, they need to perform regular backups. Since Time Machine hit the scene last year, most Mac users have used the OS X application and an external hard drive to perform automated backups. For some Mac users, the thought of losing both the Mac's hard drive and the external hard drive to a fire or theft is enough to keep them awake at night.Longtime Mac peripheral maker LaCie has come up with a solution to that nightmare scenario. Beginning in November, 2008, all consumer hard disk drives sold by the company will come with a one-year unlimited online backup account using Carbonite services. Carbonite is currently in the process of beta-testing Mac software for their popular online backup service.The Carbonite software automatically backs up the LaCie drive, finding new and modified files, encrypting them twice, and then uploading them to a secure data center. The information remains encrypted while at the data center to maintain user privacy. Backups are done only during idle cycles on the Mac, so the process should not affect performance.How do you keep your backups backed up? DVDs in the safe-deposit box? Leave us a comment below.[via Macworld UK]
Dell's DataSafe backup background
Although the official word came down today on Dell's new online backup program, the company has been talking about the service since the 2007 CES. The plan, dubbed DataSafe, is set to be coupled with every new Dell and will afford users 3GB or 10GB of remote storage (depending on their system), as well as offer additional storage in 3GB, 10GB, 20GB, or 30GB amounts for a fee. What's really interesting, however, is that Dell has its sights set on more than just backup, detailing an ancillary migration service that will allow your previous documents, drivers and apps to be transferred to a new system and pre-installed during the manufacturing process. No telling what kind of compatibility headaches that could lead to, but with the current climate of hard drive failure it's nice to know that Dell's heart is in the right place.
Dell introduces Online Backup, more 3G for laptops
Dell didn't only drop the official announcement concerning its new Inspirons (both in the desktop and laptop variety), as well as the much-discussed, world's-seriously-thinnest-13-inch-laptop XPS m1330 -- it also managed to uncork the news that all its new widescreen laptops would be EV-DO and HSDPA ready (provided by Sprint, AT&T, or Verizon), and that the company is now offering an obviously named Dell Online Backup service to the tune of 3GB for Inspiron owners and 10GB for XPS users. We don't know much more than that at the moment, but we definitely like what we've heard thus far. Dell news keeps coming, stand by.
Xackup bandwagon iTunes Online Backup Service
We've mentioned previous efforts to roll your own online iTunes backup using Jungle Disk and Amazon's S3, but frankly that seemed like a little bit of a hack, and potentially opened you up to some surprisingly large fees. Now Xackup is introducing an all-in-one iTunes online backup services called bandwagon, which uses S3 as well, but is mediated by Xackup, so the pricing is fixed at $69 year (introductory price) for unlimited storage. Xackup also includes a client, which sits in your menubar (right) and allows you to control the backup and restore process (e.g. selective backup/restore, search, etc.). Unfortunately, it appears that bandwagon is strictly a backup service and does not offer on-the-go access to your music (though I suppose in principle you could use it with your notebook to download particular tracks or albums you had previously uploaded from your desktop). Unfortunately, I can find no information on the bandwagon site concerning bandwidth limitations, if any.As I noted before, bandwagon is presently available (until the end of February) for a special price of $69 for one year of unlimited storage, after which the price will jump to $99/year. If you want to try it first and see how well it works, they also have a 30-day demo of the service available for $1. Thanks to those who sent this in![Via MacNN][Update: the Xackup people have pulled the service because "the response has been overwhelming... [and they] underestimated the demand." They say their long-term pricing plan is "as yet undetermined."]
