Android and Me » backup

MyBackup Pro: A ROM flashers lifesaver

Guest Blogger — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 16:22:05 +0000

If there is one thing a rooted phone user does most, it’s flashing. What I found most annoying when I first rooted my phone was the lack of good backup software. I could flash three to four times a day trying the latest and greatest of what some new developer was able to port to the G1. The only problem was, when I found a good ROM that I liked, getting it back to the way I had it before was extremely time consuming. Things like changing the notifications and re-downloading all of my applications were taking forever. I had lost hope of finding a good solution until I found MyBackup Pro.

With the latest update, you now have the ability to back up everything to your SD Card or the Online Storage (50mb). This application can back up everything, including your SMS, MMS, Settings and Home Settings. To the stock user this may not even hit your radar, but to an everyday flasher, this is a lifesaver. With MyBackup Pro you can save hours of time and just restore all of your data to your new ROM.

Along with saving a lot of time for rooted users, this application is easy to use. There aren’t a whole lot of options for the user and the interface is pretty straight forward. Once you click on Backup, it’ll ask you exactly what you need, where you want to save it, and get the task done for you. The same speed is noticed in the restore as well. It’s a bulk one click install, which is nice because some of the free apps in the category require you to click “install” for each application you have.
NOTE: The more data/applications you have, the longer it’ll take.

The Good:

One click install for applications
Easy interface
Does the job well
Able to restore across software versions: meaning going from 1.6 to 2.1 is no sweat!

The Bad:

If you back out of the application while it’s working, you’ll have to start over
When restoring Android Home, it won’t restore your widgets.

Final Verdict

Overall this app does so much for $4.99. It is a lifesaver.

Note: This review was submitted by Alan Reboli as part of our app review contest.

SMS Backup: Save your text messages in Gmail, clean out your inbox!

Guest Blogger — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 21:35:41 +0000

SMS Backup is a great app for someone who texts often but chooses not to delete their messages, and saves them for future records etc.

This app enables you to backup every text message you send and receive into your Gmail account online.

During initial set up, you save your Gmail login details, and manually backup all your previous messages until you’re up to date. Backups can be done in batches of 25, 50, 100, 150 and 200 at a time. Once you’re up to date, you can then set the app to automatically update texts as they come in and go out.

What makes this app great is that once your texts are stored in Gmail, you have permanent records that are easily searchable.

On phones such as the G1, memory can also be a concern as your phone fills up with more and more messages, so it’s great to be able to free up more memory by clearing your inbox, without worrying about losing vital information.

If you’re someone who has a rooted phone, and you’re constantly wiping, this is obviously a great way to ensure that you never lose your text messages.

Pros:

Option for automatic backups once the initial backup has been completed
There’s an option available to mark the SMS’s as read as they’re uploaded into your inbox.
The app automatically creates an SMS label in Gmail.
Free!

Needs Improvement:

Support for MMS. Currently, the app only backs up Text messages.
Ability to select specific contacts to backup instead of everything.
Ability to keep the conversation in one bundle and not in bundles of the amount backed up.

Special Notes: IMAP must be enabled on your Gmail account. See Settings –> Forwarding and POP/IMAP.

Final Verdict

If you find it difficult parting ways with your text messages in order to clear clutter and memory, this is the app for you! Very stable and easy to use!

Reviewer’s Device: Rooted G1 running Cyanogen 4.2.15.1 (Android 1.6)
App Version: 1.1.1

For more information, visit http://code.google.com/p/android-sms/wiki/UserGuide

Note: This review was submitted by Gareth Tiedt as part of our app review contest.

Android’s 5 Most Forgettable Applications

Matthew Stevens — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:00:21 +0000

There are applications you can’t live without and others that are not worth your precious, limited space. Then there are those applications you can’t live without but don’t remember them until they’re gone. I’m talking about those applications that once installed, fade off into the background yet are anything but useless.

Rings Extended

Rings Extended

Without Rings Extended we wouldn’t be able to use all the awesome sounds that are available for everything from ring-tones to alerts. Once installed, Rings Extended may be one of the least used yet must-have applications for any Android user. Rings Extended is only used when selecting non-system audio files for system functions but how boring Android would be without this application. Blending so well into the background, Rings Extended doesn’t even appear in the Applications Menu.

Locale

One of my most favorite applications, yet one I often forget, is there taking care of business. Locale does its job without fanfare or interaction. It does its thing without bothering me and if not for the occasional update from the developer, I might forget I have it installed. To call Locale a profile manager is almost a disservice to this application because Locale more closely resembles a condition manager. You can monitor conditions such a battery level, location, dates or appointments. Once conditions are set Locale goes to work doing a thankless job of controlling Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, changing ring-tones and wallpapers, sending SMS and Tweets, and controlling volumes to help avoid embarrassing calls at the wrong moment yet ensuring the important calls get noticed.

G-Backup Full

G-backup

Some applications backup just messages. Others do systems files, but G-backup Full backups all messages, call logs and pictures straight to your Gmail. Thanks to G-backup all your communications are logged right along with your email. Backing up pictures to Gmail saves you the trouble of copying them over to your PC later. This further enables life in the clouds. Unless set to manual, G-backup needs no user intervention to work. You might even forget it’s running on your device until searching Gmail for those important messages.

MyBackup Pro

G-backup makes your communications and pictures readily available, but what about the rest of your files and settings? That’s where MyBackup Pro comes to the rescue. MyBackup can backup all your device settings to the memory card. But what happens if the memory card becomes corrupt or worse your device is lost or stolen? MyBackup can also store up to 30 backups online for easy restoration. MyBackup can backup all your applications to the memory card enabling quick reinstallation of all your applications. This way you don’t forget to install any of Android’s Most Forgettable Applications. Also like G-Backup Pro, MyBackup Pro doesn’t need user intervention if setup on a schedule. Thanks to scheduling my device is backed up more regularly than even my laptop.

No Signal

No Signal

This is one of the newest editions to the most forgettable applications for Android. No Signal alerts users whenever the connection to the mobile network is lost. It doesn’t alert for loss of a data link – just the GSM signal for voice, which includes SMS. No longer will you be caught off guard by those dead spots. I use SIM lock on my device, which means if my device reboots I need to enter a PIN before it will load completely. SIM lock is a useful extra security measure but can be inconvenient if a random reboot happens when the device is in my pocket or otherwise out of sight. No Signal runs as a service and alerts me in this instance once background services load. Being without a signal isn’t a common occurrence for me, making No Signal a forgettable application until I hear the unique alert I’ve selected and use solely for this purpose.

There are many other applications that run behind the scenes and some I hope you never have to use. This includes remote locking and wiping of a device if it lost or stolen to protect private information and data. Other apps can update your friends on your whereabouts at all times. There are so many possibilities for Android it’s easy for some mundane tasks to be forgotten. That is until, they no longer being done.

You might forget these apps are installed, but they sure come in handy.