Data Backup – Be Prepared!

Let’s face it. One minute you have a perfectly working device, the next you don’t. All thanks to an un-trusted software or an application that others said would work with your device even though the compatibility list said otherwise and you just had to try it out.

When it comes to Windows Mobile, Hard-Reset saves you a lot of trouble by simply restoring your device to its factory settings – kind of like re-installing Windows XP or Vista onto your Desktop machine or restoring a Laptop using a Recovery Disk. However nothing comes without a price tag – and in this case though you don’t have to worry about loosing some dough, it is all your data that is lost. From contacts to SMS to emails.

Even if one has their Contacts syncing over the air with Microsoft Exchange along with their email, like me… though they won’t have to worry about backing up contacts or email, not only does one loose all their SMS and photos, as well as files on the internal storage… but doing a hard-reset means re-installing everything (applications and games) that had been installed before. Furthermore, just think of the last level of that surprisingly addictive game that you had finally reached but will now have to start from the beginning…

When it comes to my laptop, i use Acronis True Image to create an image of my hard-disk so that whenever the time comes for a refresh of the OS, i can not only have my OS refreshed but all software installed and ready to be used in one go. So naturally, when i had to reset my Xperia (after a bad case of HTC Home), i began looking at backup programs.

Although i tested a couple of applications including Sprite Backup, Resco Backup, and SPB Backup… the following are the best two choices, in my completely un-professional opinion:

 

DotFred’s PIM Backup Application

• Pros:
  • FREE! An Excellent Freeware.
  • Backs up Appointments, Call Logs, Contacts, Messages, Speed Dials, Tasks, and Custom Files.
  • Fast and Easy Backup.
  • Scheduling of Backups.
• Cons:
• No Today Plug-In.
• Does not kill running processes prior to start.
• Not a full backup solution.

 

SPB Backup

• Pros
  • Full & Custom Backups.
  • Backups to Storage Card.
  • Encryption and Compression of Backups.
  • Scheduling of Backups.
  • Ability to restore data after ROM upgrade (using Selective Restore)! Though no ROM upgrade for Xperia yet, so can’t say if that’ll work well.
  • Backup functionality via PC as well as a PC Backup Viewer/Unpack Tool.
  • Very easy to use, no confusing options, and most effective compression.
• Cons
• Hmmm… Oh yeah: Costs $25.

FYI - SPB Backup took approx. 4-5 minutes + a soft reset of the device to complete a full backup of my device – compression level set to ‘Normal’.

If you want to look at alternatives, then other popular backup applications include:

• Resco Backup
• Sprite Backup
• Backy