This is a great reminder to check that your backups are working correctly and that you can recover your data. Not to mention how important it is to have an offsite backup. Back in 1999 when Toy Story 2 was made this was a harder thing to do, now offsite backups are easy with faster Internet connections and online backup services.

Hmm, think I will go and watch Toy Story 2 now and be glad they had a backup after all.Similar Posts:

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Backblaze is not the only service that has helped to recover stolen computers, there have been stories from Mozy in the past. Recently MyPCBackup also started offering a similar feature, although it did not work for me when I tried it. Backblaze has had a pretty good success at having their feature work. Before they actually launched the feature the Backblaze service made some headlines by helping Mark Bao recover his stolen laptop by letting him download a video of the thief. Not long after that Backblaze launched the locate my computer feature.

Since then there have been a number of interesting stories how the locate my computer has helped find peoples stolen computers. There is even a story on the Backblaze blog how it helped find $1 million in counterfeit cash. Most stories are not that extreme.

The latest story details the story of Bridgette. Her house was broken into and her iMac and camera were stolen. Thank fully she had Backblaze installed on the iMac. After having the theft reported she logged into the Backblaze website and used the locate my computer feature. She was able to give the police the IP address of the thief and the location. After some police paper work she got her computer and camera back.

You never know when someone might walk off with your computer and data but with Backblaze they have more than just your data covered. To make sure your data and your computer hardware is protected from theft sign up for Backblaze today. To help make your decision easier until May 31, 2012 you can save 10% on your initial subscription purchase. Backblaze does not release offer codes very often so when they do make sure you take advantage of it, or at the very least tell your friends so they can save.

To take advantage of this Backblaze offer code simply click the link below to visit Backblaze and reveal the offer code.

Want to know more about Backblaze? Read our complete Backblaze review for more information.

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First the video. Nothing to difficult here to install it. Simply go to drive.google.com and if you are logged into Google you should be able to download it and install it. If not you will have to login. Pretty straight forward. Check out the video and you can see how easy it is to use it.

Some of my opinions on Google Drive since using it for a week. First, you need to remember that Google Drive is simple online storage, it is not a backup service! If you want backup Google Drive is not what you should be looking at. It is merely an online hard drive that you can use to store files and access them easily.

My initial impressions of Google Drive are not that great actually. Considering how l o n g Google had to create this service it is not that great. Dropbox in many ways out shines Google Drive in ease of use. SugarSync is better at mobile access of media files and SpiderOak blows it away as far as security is concerned.

What I do like about Google Drive, is the integration with Google Docs. In fact if you use Google Docs for the majority of your Word Processing, Spreadsheets etc Google Drive is perfect for you. It will make it easier to use and manage your Google Docs files.

Google Drive is pretty easy to use. Want to upload some files, simply copy them into the Google Drive folder on your computer and it will be uploaded and synced to your devices. It will also allow you to view up to 30 files types online which can be nice. There is an offline mode as well that will allow you to view your files offline but don’t plan on editing anything.

Cost wise Google Drive is pretty cheap for storage. Unfortunately they did not keep their old pricing plans which would have made it a great deal, but the new plans are not bad as well. Here are the new pricing plans:

• 25 GB – $2.49
• 100 GB – $4.99
• 200 GB – $9.99
• 400 GB – $19.99
• 1 TB – $49.99
• 2 TB – $99.99
• 4 TB – $199.99
• 8 TB – $399.99
• 16 TB – $799.99

I wish there was more that I liked about Google Drive. It really is a disappointment and does not really turn the world of online storage on its head. In fact if anything it just proved that Google really has very little clue about what it is doing with their various services. Let me explain.

Google Drive was a chance for Google to unite all of their various Google storage services under one common location. Docs, Picasa, Google+, GMail, Music and YouTube. They did not even come close. Upload a music file to Google Drive and you can’t play it in Docs, you can’t see it in Google Music. Upload images and you can view them in Docs but not in Picasa. Google proved for a fact that their departments do not talk to each other. If Drive had united all of the Google services in one convenient place it could have challenged the other online storage services. Instead it is just another location you can store your stuff, but don’t expect access to your photos in Picasa with Google Drive or streaming your music from Drive with Google Music.

Google Drive also launched with only support for PC and Macs so Linux folks are out of luck. Granted Linux users might be in the minority it is the cross platform nature of Dropbox and SpiderOak that make them so popular. Work on your Linux machine and have the same files available to you on your Windows or Mac. I heard that Google is working on a Linux client, but again after so long to develop Drive in the first place they certainly could have had the resources to create a Linux client.

Security is not really thought of with Google Drive. I would highly recommend you do not use Google Drive for anything you do not want the world to see. People just have to get your Google account password and all your files in Google Drive are accessible. Now you could encrypt your files before uploading them to Google Drive, but you will lose the ability to be able to view/edit them online. If you want secure file storage and syncing go look at SpiderOak it is really your only choice.

I am sure I will use Google Drive the same as I used Google Docs, but until they offer more innovative storage I doubt I would ever switch to Google Drive for my primary online storage. Sure the cost of storage from them is cheaper but I see no reason to change. Overall Google Drive is a pretty big disappointment for online storage. Dropbox, SugarSync and SpiderOak must have been laughing when Google Drive was released since their services are better in many ways and offer users more.

What do you think, will you be switching to Google Drive for your online storage needs?
Similar Posts:

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I am still getting started testing the service but a few things I can tell you already. Google Apps users are out of luck at the start. I tried logging in with the Google App account that I use here and was told Google Drive is not available for it yet. Not surprised, Google often makes Apps users wait.

Storage pricing has now been confirmed and it is an increase from what Google Storage used to be. You can get a 25GB account for $2.49/month or a 100 GB for $4.99/month. Pricing is better than Dropbox and SugarSync but not near as good as Google Storage pricing was previously.

I will post more after I have had a chance to explore the service a little bit.Similar Posts:

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Not many details in the video but we should know more soon.

Exploring Google Drive

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If the post can be believed here is what we can expect.

• Tight integration between Google Drive and Google Docs.
• 5GB of free space.
• Open more than 30 types of documents directly from a Web browser.
• PC and Mac applications and Android apps right away. IOS version of the app coming soon.
• Security encryption of data on transfer and option to make files private.
• 99.9% uptime guarantee.
• More storage available starting at 20GB for $4 per month.

Of course I will have to wait to see if this is all true, but I can say I am disappointed already in this offering from Google. First there appears to be a lack of any solid security but perhaps no less than what Google Docs already offers but nothing more.

No talk of a Linux client. One of the great features of Dropbox and SpiderOak for sync is the availability of a Linux client.

Keep your eyes on drive.google.com for when Google Drive launches.

Here is a copy of the Google Translate version of the post.

Posted by Sundar Pichai, Senior Vice President, Google Chrome & Apps

Today we launch Google Drive, a centralized space where you can create, share, collaborate and store all your documents. You establish a budget with your staff that you develop a presentation with a working group or hosting a seminar, you can now do it in Drive. Download and access all your documents, videos, photos, Google Docs, PDF, etc..
Next step in the evolution of Google Docs and functionality of downloading any material, Drive will allow you to live, work and play in the Cloud.

Google Drive, you can:
Create and collaborate. Google Docs is integrated directly into Google Drive, allowing you to work in real time with colleagues on documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Add and reply to comments on any media (PDF, image, videotape, etc.) and be informed when other people comment on or wish to share documents with you

Keep your documents securely and access anywhere and any device connected to the Internet. All your documents are just … there. Whatever happens. Drive you can install on your Mac, PC or download the application Drive on your phone or Android tablet. IOS version of the application will be available in the coming weeks. Drive is also accessible to visually impaired people using a screen reader tool

Search All. Search by keyword and filter by document type, owner, activity, etc.. Drive can even recognize the text content of a document scanned by technology OCR. For example, if you download the scanned image of an old newspaper clipping, you can search using one of the words quoted in the article. We have even begun to tap the image recognition: if you upload a picture of the Eiffel Tower in Drive, the next time you search the term [Eiffel Tower], the image will appear in the results

Open more than 30 types of documents directly from a Web browser – including high-definition video, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop – even without the proper software installed on your computer
We know that you need to access your documents in order to work everyday. Google Drive uses the same infrastructure as any other Google Apps services, which means it also has the same administrative tools, security and reliability, among others:
Centralized management: new tools are available in the Apps control interface for administrators to add or remove storage space for individual or groups of users

Security: encryption of data transfer between your browser and our servers, and check option 2 in time to prevent non-authorized access to an account by requiring users to log on returning secure code generated from their mobile phone

Data replication: synchronous replication of data in multiple data centers ensures the safety and accessibility of your records even in the unlikely event one of our data centers is temporarily unavailable

Availability: 99.9% uptime guarantee so you can be assured that your documents are accessible when you need it
Each user has access to Google Apps 5GB storage included in the suite Google Apps administrators can centrally manage and purchase additional storage space. When a user reaches the limit, administrators can purchase the necessary space of 20GB for $ 4 per month to 16TB (Google Docs are not counted in the quota of storage space).
Starting today, Google Apps administrators will see new orders for Drive in their management interface. Users of companies have opted for the quick launch, will enable Google Drive on drive.google.com / start and will receive their access in the following weeks.
Drive is designed to work harmoniously with all the products you use – whether Google products or third party service. You can share your photos on Google Drive + and will soon be able to attach documents directly into your emails Drive Gmail. Drive is intended to be an open platform, so we work with many third party developers, allowing you to do things such as sending faxes, edit videos and create models directly from Drive website. To install these applications, visit the Chrome Web Store and follow the events for more useful applications to come.
It is only the beginning of Google Drive, many developments are coming. Stay tuned!

You can also read more about this on TechCrunch.Similar Posts:

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One of the rumors was that Google Drive would offer users 5GB of space for free. This is 3GB more than Dropbox and the same as SugarSync offers for free. Google Docs only ever offered 1GB of space for free. This morning when I checked my Google Docs account I still had the 1GB of free space. I did a test upload and presto my free space jumped to 5GB!

Check out the screenshots below.

It looks like all you have to do to get the extra space enabled for your Google Docs account is do a file upload to your account. Hopefully this is a sign of the upcoming Google Drive, which the rumours say will be launched this week.

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• New version of both Mac and Windows software
• Faster Uploads (Up to 15 times faster)
• Faster Downloads (Up to 10 times faster)
• File Size limit increased to 5 GB
• New Control Panel with lots of cool New Features
• Access files from your mobile or tablet
• New Locate my Computer feature Included Free
• New Drag and Drop to application feature
• Countless app improvements and bug fixes
• Speed improvements to Amazon S3 interface
• iPad and iPhone apps available from 14th May

Since they had a whole new set of features to try I downloaded the new client and installed it, and sure enough they have added a few new features like drag and drop to include files in the backup and a locate my computer feature and yes they have raised the maximum file size to 5GB, which is a good start.

Unfortunately, it seems like every time I try their software I find more reasons to dislike it more than the new features. For example the new file size limit, nice to see it move up to 5GB, but they need to make this unlimited. Most people might never even look in the settings of the software, and the default file size is ONLY 2MB! That will not even backup a lot of high resolutions digital photos these days.

The new locate my computer feature appears to be a pretty blantant rip off of the Backblaze feature. Granted there is nothing wrong with borrowing a feature or two from another company, it would be nice if the feature actually worked. I was able to get the general location of my computer but the Show on Map button never worked. Granted it did give me the IP address which would help the police track down the computer from the ISP if my computer was actually stolen.

Want to use MyPCBackup to backup your audio or video collection? Don’t bother, MyPCBackup defaults to excluding MP3,MP4,WMV,MOV,AVI,AAC files from the backup. I am not sure how this escaped me in my initial test of the service, but when I saw this in the settings I was ticked. If I was actually using MyPCBackup to keep my family videos safe I would have been out of luck. Yes you can remove those files types from being excluded and the software should start backing them up many people might never notice this setting and assume that their family videos are being safely backed up and not realize until they are gone. If I can easily miss this setting I am sure others have as well.

Even if you do include your audio and video collection in the MyPCBackup backup they have not done anything about their biggest flaw, the fair use policy. Yes they advertise “unlimited storage” but they don’t really offer it. I just came across this great review of a user that got cut off because of the MyPCBackup fair use policy.

it was determined that I am being cut-off because I have used more than my limit of data storage. It appears to me that MyPCBackup intends to use their Fair Use policy to weasel their way out of providing what they promise. Apparently, my “usage greatly exceeds the average level of monthly usage of MPCB’s customers, generally.”

I encourage you to go and read the entire post, especially the emails from the MyPCBackup support.

In the end, while MyPCBackup continues to try to impress me, at the end of looking at their software and service again I ended up actually lowering the ranking I gave them on their review page. There are many other better services available that make it much easier to backup your data without excluding and limiting what you can actually backup and are upfront with how much data you can actually store.

Want to know more about MyPCBackup? Read our complete MyPCBackup Review for more information such a cost.

Start Backing up with MyPCBackup

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• Sign up for Zip Cloud

• Sign up for Just Cloud

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ElephantDrive at a Glance

Price:

Personal Plans

• Lite Account 2GB: FREE
• Personal 100 100GB: $9.95/month
• Personal 250 250GB: $19.95/month
• Personal 500 500GB: $39.95/month
• Personal 750 750GB: $59.95/month
• Personal 1TB: $85.95/month
• Personal 2TB: $169.95/month
• Click here to save 16% on ElephantDrive!

Business Plans

• Starting at $25.00/month

Our Rating

4 / 5 stars
★★★★☆ 

Your Rating

Rate ElephantDrive

Pros:

• Supports Windows & Mac
• 2GB free account or 15 day trial period.
• Incremental backups after the initial full backup
• Scheduling – daily, weekly, monthly and near continuous
• Restore jobs can be created to allow for interuption.
• Archive and version history can be set by backup job.
• Easy sharing and file syncronizing.
• Private encryption key if desired.
• Multiple computers allowed.
• LAN Transfers on local network.
• Locked file support on windows.
• Network attached storage / mapped network drive support.
• Map backup files to network drive.
• Large files > 4GB.
• Runs as service on Windows.
• Web interface offers access and management of service.

Cons:

• Mobile apps still being developed.
• Can get expensive for large amounts of data.
• The number of options and ways to do tasks can get confusing.
• Could not find how to stop sharing a file.
• No USB HD restore option.

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Full ElephantDrive Review

ElephantDrive has been around since 2008 and previously relied on the .Net framework. In the last few years though ElephantDrive has moved on to a Java based desktop client and with a recent website redesign have come a long way from their earlier review here on OnlineBackupDeals.com.

Installation
Installation starts with a visit to the ElephantDrive website and is as simple as a click to begin the download of their desktop client. Once the client is downloaded just open the installer and the installation begins.

Following the installation wizard should only take a few minutes. Once the application is installed you can launch the application and you can setup your ElephantDrive account. If you already have an ElephantDrive account you can enter that information. For this review I needed a new account. Then enter your email and password to create your new account and then you can pick a plan. ElephantDrive drive offers a 2GB free account, 25GB promo trial account and the option to subscribe to the service. For this review I choose the 2GB free account just to get a feel for the service again.

Once you have choosen your account you need to select a location for your ElephantDrive folder. I went with the default but you could change it if you wanted. Even though you have an ElephantDrive folder you can still backup files anywhere on your computer. The ElephantDrive setup will then give the the chance to see and overview of the service and what it offers.

I was able to create an account and have the software installed in under 5 minutes including the time it took to download the application. For a walk through of the ElephantDrive installation watch our video of the installation process below.

How to Install ElephantDrive Online Backup

Backing Up
Once you have ElephantDrive installed you have several options of how to start backing up your files.

The first backup method is easy, simply copy the files and folders to the Backup folder that was created when you installed ElephantDrive. All the folders and files in that folder will be automatically copied to the cloud.

The second method of including folder and files in a backup is to use Explorer and right click on folder you would like to backup and under the ElephantDrive option select “Backup this folder”. You can also use this method while browsing network shares and easily add folders and files from other computers on your network to your backup.

The third method of adding a backup job is to right click on the tray icon and selecting View->Backups and then add a new backup job. Using this method you can create your own backup sets to include only certain files from certain folders or from your entire computer. For example I easily created a backup set to scan my entire C: drive for jpg images and back them up.

The fourth method of adding a new backup job is through the web interface. You can actually manage all of your backup jobs through the web interface, so even if you are out of town and realize you forgot an important folder you can add that folder to be backed up remotely and later access it through the web.

You have lots of options to backup your data. With each backup job you can set specific schedules, archiving and how many versions of the files are kept. Lots of options for you to control how your backup is done.

Restoring
You do not have as many options to restore files as you do to back them up, but you can create a restore job in ElephantDrive that if interrupted will simply continue where it left off similar to a backup job. You can restore your files three ways that I found.

For files and folders that are backed up you can right click on the folder or file and view previous archived copies and previous versions and choose to restore them. Very useful for documents that you were working on and relised something has gone wrong and you need to go back in time.

You can also create a restore job, similar to a backup job. To do this you can right click on the tray icon and select View->Your Account where you can create the restore job. If you just need to download a couple of files you can also just selct them and choose to download them.

ElephantDrive also gives you the option to restore and download files through the online web interface. Here you can download the folders and files directly or create a restore job similar to the desktop client.

Other Features
Web Interface – ElephantDrive has one of the best management web interfaces I have seen recently. You can access files, upload files, manage your backup and restore jobs and do pretty much everything you can do in the desktop client. If only all online backup services had web interfaces that were this capable.

Sharing – ElephantDrive offers easy sharing of files with others. Just like backing up you have several options to be able to share files with others.

Syncing – ElephantDrive offers the ability to sync folders and files between multiple computers that you have the service installed on. Everything in the “Everywhere” folder is synced between all the computers you have ElephantDrive installed.

Network Attached Storage / Network Drives – ElephantDrive allows you to easily add folders and files from your network attached storage devices, whether it is a mapped network drive of another computer on your network or your your NAS. For those with home file servers this is a very nice added feature.

ElephantDrive as Network Drive – You can mount your ElephantDrive as a network drive on your computer for easy access to your backed up files. This is similar to what some other services offer but is mounted as a network drive.

Mobile – ElephantDrive currently has an Android app in beta to allow you access to your files. The app is not available in the Google Play App Market yet and only available through the ElephantDrive website. I did not try the mobile app for this review.

Overall
ElephantDrive is an online backup service that offers an abundance of options and features that make it a strong competitor in the online backup and online storage service market. The web interface impressed me and I can see how that would be extremely useful for some people. ElephantDrive is certainly on par with the other services with similar features and is competitive in price for storage.

Start Backing up with ElephantDrive

• Click here to sign up for an account!

Screenshots

Browse our screenshots of ElephantDrive.

Start Backing up with ElephantDrive

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If you need to backup servers it is a little more expensive, but again you can backup as many servers as you have for the same price. No need to worry about the per computer licensing.

For small businesses that have 10 desktops / laptops and need 50GB of backup storage the old price would have been $64.50/month ($3.95/computer plus $0.50/GB per month). With the new pricing model it is $19.99/month! Need to add some servers to that and it is and additional $6.99/month for unlimited number of servers.

The new prices have already come into effect for all new customers, and unlike when Mozy changed the MozyHome pricing, does not effect existing MozyPro customers. Considering the amount you could be saving in the new pricing structure though I can’t see why existing customers would no switch over when their current subscription ends.

I will be updating the pricing on the Mozy review as soon as I can.

Want to know more about Mozy? Read our complete Mozy review for more information.

Start Backing up with Mozy

• Click here to sign up for a free account!

• Click here to sign up for MozyHome!

• Click here to sign up for MozyPro!

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