SugarSync File Syncing

If you use multiple computers and mobile devices for creating and editing documents, it can be tough to keep different versions of your files in sync. A new service called SugarSync goes a long way toward curing those syncing headaches.

SugarSync is both a Web-based service and an application that you download; together, they provide a way for you to always have the most current version of a file, regardless of what computer you're using. You configure the downloadable application, called SugarSync Manager, to monitor certain folders on your PC. Files in those folders are then uploaded to your personal SugarSync Web page, which acts as an online storage repository, allowing you to access them from any Web browser.

SugarSync excels when you begin making changes to your documents. Any time you make a change to a file, the changes are automatically saved to the original version of the document on the computer on which it was created. Say, for example, you create a meeting agenda on your office PC. You later edit the document on your laptop at home and save it. SugarSync automatically saves those updates to your Web-based storage space, and also sends them to the original document on your office PC.

Unfortunately, SugarSync lacks a revision history of the synchronised files: Once you edit and save a file, only the newest copy is preserved.

Every device on which you install SugarSync also gets its own "Magic Briefcase" folder. Place a file in this folder, and the file appears in the Magic Briefcase on all your other devices running SugarSync.

Unlike many online storage services, SugarSync isn't free: Five plans are available, ranging from $25 per year for 10GB of storage to $250 for 250GB. (A 45-day free trial also is available.) It works on both Windows PCs and Macs, as well as on mobile phones with Web access.

(A nifty feature for camera phone users allows them to have any pictures taken with their phones sent directly to their PC.)

SugarSync provides a cost-effective and easy-to-use solution to manage files on several devices. Clearly, we've come a long way from the original Windows Briefcase and floppy disks for file synchronisation.