Friedbeef’s Tech

My main worry about losing my phone has not much to do with the physical phone itself - but rather the fear of losing my long list of contacts which I have built up over the years.

Zyb is a free international service which allows you to backup and/or sync your phone’s contacts and calendar to their site. After giving it a whirl, I would have to say this is by far the most elegant and smooth backup I have ever done with my phone. The step by step guidance of the site was excellent, and in under 5 minutes I had backed up all 400+ of my contacts.

More than a mere backup tool, this is an excellent way to transfer contacts across phones, and you’ll never have to go through the pain of manually entering in contacts on a new phone again. Zyb currently also allows sharing and syncing of contacts with other users, and now even supports importing from other sources like Outlook and Google Calendar.

Don’t fret over lost contacts - Backup your phone and sleep easy.

Bonus cell phone tip #1: If you’re selling your phone, make sure you completely erase all your data from the old phone. Wireless Recycling offers up an excellent tool to help you do just that.

Bonus cell phone tip #2: If you’re worried about losing your cell, HongKiat.com takes a look at a novel way to track it down!

How do you backup your cell phone data? Let us know in the comments!

[tags]backup, mobile [/tags]

Small businessmen use small business server to host their sites. Even the domain registration is preferably cheap. That is why they are pretty much contented with the use of dial up. Still, having an online affiliate who has credentials like 646-176 to himself changes the general perception altogether. Dsl is facing the similar kind of scrutiny today which was once focused to chat software.

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We’ve all gone through that sinking feeling. You empty your Windows recycling bin, only to realize 5 seconds later that you really needed that file you’ve just wiped from your PC. There’s no robust undelete functionality built into Windows - so what choices do you have?

Handy Recovery (Commercial Software)

This solution is an all encompassing one. Among its key features are:

• It allows application of filters on the results
• Shows the probability of successful recovery for each file
• Recovers files from deleted and formatted partitions
• Creates disk images for deferred recovery
• Supports restoration of compressed file formats

The only disadvantage is that it must be installed to a PC (as opposed to a free standing file in a USB stick), thus restricting it’s mobility.

Undelete Plus (Freeware)

This popular piece of freeware was released to rave reviews, and does much of what Handy Recovery can do in terms of data recovery.

It has one distinct advantage in that it has a version which does not need installation. This means you can pop it onto a thumbdrive and it becomes a mobile file recovery device. Also, because it is not installed on the hard disk, you minimize the use of it, maximizing the chances of data recovery.

Sorely missing though is the ability to revive entire partitions, and the ability to make a image of the hard drive to defer data recovery and make backup of the drive at the same time. Also, the management of the recovered files can be less user friendly when compared to Handy Recovery. All this makes Undelete Plus a free, and good - but ultimately incomplete answer to file recovery.

Conclusion:

If you prepare ahead and need to recover files, Handy Recovery is the complete package. Aside from the fact that it costs USD39.95, and it’s less mobile than Undelete Plus - the features are very complete. With data recovery, you can never be too careful.

Bonus Tips - Data Recovery FAQ:

1. What should I do immediately after accidental erasure to ensure that I can recover those files?
The most important thing is to prevent the erased file from being overwritten by another file. To do so, avoid any use of the disk where the file was erased, until after the erased file is recovered.

2. Can I do something in advance to increase my chances of file recovery?
Yes, keep your disk in good shape by regularly defragmenting it.

3. Why is recovery to the same disk not recommended?
Recovery to the same disk may overwrite the very segments of the disk that you’re trying to recover files from. That will not leave you another recovery chance.

Disclaimer: Handy Recovery has paid me to review their service, and to give an honest opinion. Please note that all opinions expressed in this post are completely my own, and have not been influenced by Handy Recovery in any way.

How have you dealt with data recovery? Tell us in the comments!

[tags]file recovery, undelete, system restore [/tags]

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You shouldn’t have to purchase a movie twice.

If you buy a DVD, you should have the right to watch it anywhere and in any format you choose, be it on your iPod, Zune, PC, or LCD TV. Sounds good, but how do you then go about transferring the media across platforms? Here are two options you can try:

Handbrake (Freeware)

Handbrake is an extremely popular free DVD ripper which can take DVDs and rip it to multiple formats, including iPod optimized videos (Download DVD43 for full DVD decrypting support).

If you’re looking to convert non-DVD files(other video formats), you can pick from a variety of free video converters widely available on the net.

Movavi Video Converter (Commercial product)

This on the other hand, is a commercial video converter which does the following:

1. Converts video into multiple file formats
2. Rips DVDs into any format
3. Extract audio from movies
4. Merge multiple video files
5. Trim down and edit large video files
6. Supports for multicore processors for faster speeds

With prices starting at USD29.95 for a personal copy, you’re paying the extra cash for the ease of use (simple and intuitive) as well as the extra video editing features. If you’re new to video editing and ever wanted to do something like this excellent video below for example (RSS readers - please click through to the post!)

…Movavi would be a good place to start. A word to the wise that it only offers very quick basic video editing. Perfect for novices. Anyone more serious in video editing may want to consider free specialized packages like Zwei-Stein.

Conclusion

When compared to the free alternatives, there is no doubt Movavi brings many things under one roof, but can it is hard to say if it justifies their premium pricing

• If your primary focus is just to rip DVDs and convert files, or even to do some serious video editing, seriously consider the other free alternatives highlighted in this post.
• If on top of ripping DVDs and converting files, you’re truly interested in doing very minor editing your own home videos at a novice level,and want everything in one package - Movavi may be a better alternative if you’re willing to shell out the extra bucks.

Oh yes, it is assumed you already own the original DVDs before you start ripping them :)

Disclaimer: Movavi has paid me to review their service, and to give an honest opinion. Please note that all opinions expressed in this post are completely my own, and have not been influenced by Movavi in any way.

What do you use to rip DVDs or convert files? Tell us in comments!

[tags] movavi, video converting, rip dvd, freeware [/tags]

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