iTwin promises to give you “limitless” USB-based file synchronization with simplicity and security through a set of USB keys that you plug into two or more computers anywhere in the world.

Cloud synchronization is all the rage these days with great services like DropBox, SugarSync and even personal cloud syncing devices like the PogoPlug.

If  you need a secure, encrypted file syncing solution that doesn’t depend on a third-party cloud service, or need to sync more files than cloud companies offer, iTwin might be a good solution for you.

How it Works

With iTwin you get a pair of USB keys that connect together. Plug them both into the first computer while the two keys are still connected to each other. Each key has a USB connector and a proprietary connector that joins the two. Once installed, the app resides in your Menu bar on OS X or in the system tray in Windows 7.

After plugging the keys into my Mac, a window popped up asking me to name my device. Type the name and hit next and enter your email address. iTwin sends you a special code. More on that in a bit. After running the setup wizard, you will see an Explorer or Finder window like the one above.

I dragged a file and two folders into the window from my hard drive. I then disconnected the part of the iTwin not plugged into my Mac and plugged it into my Windows computer and went through a similar installation process. Soon after, I saw the window above, with the files on my MacBook Pro. The small orange circle indicates that these files are not on my Windows computer, but accessible through the Internet.

You can open files and folders as if they reside locally on the computer. I experienced very little lag time when opening the file or exploring the folders. Working with files is just like they were stored on your local computer.

Security

If you lose one of your iTwin USB keys, you can prevent access to your files by removing the iTwin from your other computer and revoking access for the other key. Remember when I entered my email address above? I received a message from iTwin with a special code and a link to their revocation website. Enter your iTwin code and the other key becomes useless to would be file thieves.

To get the iTwin USB keys working again, you go through the setup process. Since all the files actually reside on your hard drives, not on the USB keys, you lose nothing and any bad guys who find the keys have nothing. If you left a key plugged in when you revoked access, then you will see the following error.

If you’re worried about the files being transmitted through the Internet, don’t. iTwin uses AES 256-bit end-to-end encryption, which means they jumble the files up as you transmit them through the Net and then iTwin unscrambles them when on other computer. iTwin doesn’t store the files, so you don’t have to worry about hackers gaining access to your files through iTwin’s servers.

Evaluation

iTwin impressed me with the simplicity and speed of device. I did have to refresh my folders on the Windows PC to see when I added a new file on my Mac. Other than that, it worked well.

If you delete a file from a folder on computer, iTwin won’t delete the file on the other computer. That’s a good thing saving you from losing files if the person with whom you’ve shared your iTwin starts deleting files.

Also, if you have a file that both users open and edit, you can’t overwrite the other’s changes. I tried by opening an image on both machines. I added a few squiggles in Paint on the Windows machine and added an arrow on the Mac using Preview. When I tried to save the file at about the same time, it saved on the Windows machine, but on the Mac I got the following error:

The hardware is simple and works. I didn’t put it under any stress tests, but they two keys seem sturdy and the connectors used to join them fit nicely.

I like that iTwin offers unlimited file sharing. If you have a 2TB drive you can share 2TB of data. iTwin’s speed and simplicity impressed me. Finally, I appreciate that they offer both Mac and Windows software.

iTwin falls short in several areas. First, if you want to share files with more than two computers at a time you can’t. Sure, you can move the iTwin to another computer, but you’re always limited to two computers at a time.

If you only need to sync 2 -5GB of data between computers, you’ll get a better value from DropBox or SugarSync, and you’ll be able to access them from the web without a thumbdrive.

Finally, if you lose your Internet connection, then you also lose access to the files from the other computer. This doesn’t happen with services like DropBox or SugarSync. The files are never stored on the second machine. The iTwin just points to the files on the other machine. You will have to manually move them from the iTwin’s folder to another folder for real synchronization.

If you need to sync large amounts of data between two computers (more than you get with free services like DropBox, SugarSync or Box.com, or just appreciate the ability to keep your files off a company’s servers, iTwin is a good option.

iTwin Review: USB Secure Cloud Syncing Without a Cloud Service is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Owning a computer means you probably invested in commercial programs from major vendors. Just like backing up your computer and its operating system, it’s also important to backup your software. Now, let me clarify something: I am not referring to backing up installed programs in Windows, but the actual install files or installation discs. It is important to do this is because of the ease with which application discs can be lost, stolen or damaged.

The traditional method to backing up your software is to make a backup copy to a blank DVD or CD. Personally, I think this is going a step backwards. Creating digital backups would be more effective, making your programs accessible and less prone to damage or theft. Lately I’ve been creating digital backups as disc images. When I want to install an application, all I need to do is use a utility that mounts them (mounting is the process of preparing the program for use by the operating system’s file system).

Of course, there is nothing wrong with creating a physical backup, and I will show you how to do that using popular burning utilities.

Backup to physical disc

There are multiple ways you can backup a program on disc to a blank disc.

Nero:

If you are running Nero, insert the disc you want to copy.

Launch Nero Express.

Select the Image, Project, Copy option and click Copy Entire CD or DVD.

Next, select your source and destination. If you are recording on a desktop with dual optical drives, you will have an option of selecting the source drive and a destination drive. What this does is avoids the need to record a temporary image first, then record it to the destination drive with the blank optical disc. In my case, I am recording using a single DVD Burner.

Next, select the Writing speed. I personally recommend you choose the lowest speed for the best results. Sometimes when you write at high speeds your projects come out as coasters. Slow speeds guarantee reliability. After selecting your speed and the number of copies, click Copy to begin the process.

Nero is now going through the necessary steps to copy the disc, which includes verifying the disc and creating a temporary image (which is a replica of the disc) to be copied to a blank disc.

The next step is copy the temporary image to a blank disc. You will receive a prompt to insert a blank Disc, do so.

Nero will automatically continue the burning process after the blank disc is inserted.

Once the burn process is completed, you will be notified. Label your backup copy accordingly.

Roxio

If you are using Roxio, the process is pretty much the same. Launch Roxio.

Click the Copy tab.

Click Copy Disc then select your source and destination drive.

Click the Copy button to begin the copying process. This will create a temporary image.

Roxio copies the disc.

Once the image is successfully copied, you will be asked to insert a blank disc to complete the burning process.

If you have neither Nero or Roxio installed, you can use a free tool such as ImgBurn or even the free version of Nero called Nero BurnLite.

Creating Digital Backups

Now let me show you how to create digital backups. If you have physical copies of applications you still use, you can create digital backups of them and install them just as easy too using free software. The program I use for this is free and called ISO Recorder by Alex Feinman. You can download it here.

Using ISO Recorder is very simple. For this example I am going to make a backup copy of my Windows 7 DVD. After you installed ISO Recorder, insert the disc you would like to create a digital copy of. Choose Open Computer from the Start menu.

ISO Recorder adds a ‘Create image from CD’ contextual menu (which you can access via a right click). Click it.

This will launch the CD Recording wizard. Click the browse button to choose a name and location where you would like to store image.

Make sure the Save as type selection is set to ‘ISO-9660 Image files (*.iso).’ This is a universally recognized image format. Click Save.

The program is now creating an image of your disc.

When complete, click Finish.

You now have a digital copy of your program.

But how do you use the digital copies of the software you just created? There are a variety of utilities that allow you to mount these images (mounting being the process that makes the disc or disc image accessible to the Windows File System). These utilities are called Virtual Disc Programs. Two popular ones include Daemon Tools and PowerISO.

Daemon Tools

Daemon Tools is a simple program which adds a program in the Notification Area of the Windows Taskbar.

When you right click it it displays a menu with various options, the most important one in this case is Virtual CD/DVD-ROM.

What the Virtual CD/DVD Rom option does is let you mount .ISO files like the one we just created. You can then use it to install programs just like a physical disc.

Mounting is simple with Daemon Tools, just right click Daemon Tools in the Notification Area, select ‘Virtual CD/DVD-ROM > Device 0: > Mount Image.

Select the image that you created earlier and click Open.

When you open Computer, the program will appear as a typical Disc drive.

When you are finish using the image, you can  unmount by going back to the same menu and clicking Unmount Image. Another great feature Daemon Tools has is the ability to mount multiple images.

PowerISO

Another utility you can use for mounting images is PowerISO.

It works pretty much the same as Daemon Tools, just right click the icon in the Notification Area and click ‘Mount Image to Drive [x:] (x represents the name of the virtual drive).

Browse to where the image is located and click Open.

Your image will be mounted and accessible as a virtual disc drive in Computer.

When you are finished, you can unmount the image from the Notification Area menu for PowerISO.

How To Backup Your Software is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

The Amazon Cloud drive service is a free storage locker for music and other files which offers 5GB of storage for free. You can access the Amazon Cloud service from your browser, but if you are on a Windows notebook you can can map Amazon Cloud Drive as a Network Drive, giving it a drive letter and access it through your Windows Explorer for drag and drop uploads.

To add Cloud Drive as a network drive, you will need to download Gladinet, a cloud connector service that supports multiple online services including SkyDrive and Box.net. The latest update made it possible to connect Amazon Cloud Drive to your computer.

Setup is straightforward, requiring you to enter your Amazon credentials and pick a drive letter for your Amazon Cloud Drive. Once you do that, you’ll be connected and ready to manage your files from within Windows Explorer just like an external hard drive. This will let you add and remove files as well as rename and organize files quickly. Your changes will be synced to the cloud so that you can access them from Cloud Drive and the Amazon Cloud Player.

Gladinet Cloud Connector is free, but there is a limit to the amount of times you can use the service to upload and download files. The Gladinet version without restrictions is $49.99, but may be worth it if you need to connect to a multitude of cloud services.

Amazon Cloud Drive Mapped as a Windows Network Drive:

Via DownloadSquad

How to Map Amazon Cloud Drive to Windows as a Network Drive is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

We live in a connected world and we always want access to our most important information, anytime, anywhere. The buzz word lately is the cloud, which is a way of utilizing the Internet to store, manage and share information.

Utilizing the cloud is still a new idea for many although we have dabbled with in some form or another for a long time now, web mail services such as Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo Mail and Gmail are common examples of utilizing the cloud for storage and communication. Instant messaging is another form of using the cloud for communication too. In this article, we take a look at how we can use the Cloud to store our data such as large files, pictures, videos and music to name a few.

There are many services out there and I don’t believe there is a one size fits all solution, so I will be looking at two popular files storage and sharing services. In this article, we’ll look at Live SkyDrive.

Windows Live Skydrive

When you talk about cloud storage, Microsoft makes it literal with this easy to use online service, its also attractive with its massive 25 GBs of available space. To use Windows Live Skydrive, you need a Windows Live ID there is also a storage limit of 50 MBs per file. So, for people with heavy needs Skydrive might not be the best option, lets take a look at how to use it.

First you need to log into your Skydrive account at http://skydrive.live.com

You will then be presented with your main page with displays familiar folders you find in Windows such as Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos, Public folders. The philosophy shared between the two makes it easy to get a hang of.

Add a File

After logging in, the next step is to add a file or files, its up to you to decide where you would like to store your files. You can also create your own folders and store files there too. Lets open the Documents folder and add some there. You can choose to add them anywhere you desire. Please beware though that files added to the Public folder are available on the Internet to anyone.

Here you can see I already have some files in my documents folder.

Click the Add files link

In the box displayed, you drag your files or you click the select documents from your computer link and browse to where your files are located. I am going to use the drag and drop option since its quick and easy.

As you see in the above screenshot, I selected a few Microsoft Office files I would like upload to my Skydrive Documents folder. After the files have been uploaded, click Continue.

That’s it!

Please note, you are not just limited to office files and pictures, Skydrive can handle larger files too such as videos. Just to prove it here I am uploading a video file which is 49.8 MBs in size which is just below the file limit of 50 MBs permitted by Skydrive.

Sharing is just as easy.

Once the file has been uploaded, hover over it with your mouse pointer and click the Share link that appears.

Click Edit permissions

Set permissions for who can access your file, you can leave it at just you and select the option to email to additional people.

In our next article, we take a look at another solution, Dropbox.

How to Store and Share Large Files Online is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

MyDitto is a dead simple way to add network attached storage to your home network. The MyDitto system adds a hard drive to your home or office network and thanks to the included USB keys, can easily be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection — even away from home. If you don’t want to use the USB keys, you can can also mount the disk like a standard network drive for easy access. There’s also an iPad app and the whole system can be set up in about 15 minutes with a power cord and a network cable.

MyDitto Easy to Use Network Attached Storage

The MyDitto home network storage tool is honestly one of the easiest ways to add extra storage to your home setup and share files between computers. The MyDitto we have in for review comes with a 500GB hard drive and retails for $150. You can also get a 1TB MyDitto that retails for $183, a 2TB MyDitto for $203 or a 4TB MyDitto for $378. The MyDitto system includes 2 hard drive bays so we could easily add more storage with a standard hard drive or connect a hard drive to the USB ports if you need more storage.

MyDitto Hard Drive Bay

MyDitto Video Overview

Access

The MyDitto NAS allows you to access files stored on the device from Mac and PC using a standard network share method in Explorer or Finder, which is great for those of us with a little bit of tech knowhow, but there are also two included USB thumbdrives that can be plugged into your computer to open up the MyDitto app which connects to the storage from any network, not just at home.

MyDitto Thumbdrive

You can choose to install the MyDitto Client to your computer full-time as well, which allows you to leave the flashdrive at home. If you want to create multiple logins and access for users you can create new MyDitto thumbdrives using the MyDitto device. The use of a thumbdrive for easy access is what sets the MyDitto system apart from the competition in terms of ease of use. Network shares can be finicky and most average users don’t understand them, but they do get that they can access their files by plugging in a thumbdrive.

MyDitto Map Network Drive

There is also an iPad app that can connect to view files and can be used to play music files as well. The iPad app has come a long way since we first saw it late last year, but there are still a few times where we had to wait for the app to be ready for our password. Once connected we had easy access to our files and could play back mp3 files we had uploaded to the MyDitto.

Backup

The MyDitto system includes software that can be used to automatically back up your local computer. We had mixed results with this tool, ranging from an easy setup and initial sync to high CPU usage during some backups. If you want to use this as backup you might want to look at the Crashplan which provides free software for backing up to an external hard drive or folder.

Unfortunately you cannot use the MyDitto with Time Machine on Mac, but you can access the files through the Finder App or with the MyDitto drive and you can use CrashPlan to backup to the network attached drive.

BitTorrent

MyDitto BitTorrent Settings

One really cool feature that comes with the MyDitto is the ability to use it to download torrent files. You can login to the Advanced settings and paste in a torrent location or upload a torrent you have downloaded and the MyDitto will download the torrent and place it in the MyTorrents folder for playback. We tested this out and had great results.

Media

In addition to acting as storage, the MyDitto can be used as a media server to serve up media files to iTunes and to UPnP/DLNA compliant devices like the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3. We found that the iTunes sharing worked fine and were able to listen to a collection of music streamed over the home network without any issues, while we downloaded a movie on Bitorrent.

MyDitto iPad App Music Playback

The streaming to DLNA and UPnP devices does work, but the MyDitto won’t transcode or convert the video files to match the system you are streaming to. This means that if you download popular movies or TV shows online you won’t be able to stream those. You can however give TVersity or Air Video access to those folders to stream to your iPad or Xbox 360.

Print Server

The MyDitto has a built in print server which will allow you to network a printer. We weren’t able to test this feature out, but some users may find it to be a great extra.

Conclusion

We held off on posting our review of the MyDitto because it was a little rough around the edges when we first received the unit. Fortunately, there have been numerous updates to the MyDitto device, software and the iPad app which have really shown what the MyDitto can do. The MyDitto is easy to setup, easy to use and allows you to access your files wherever you go. We also like that there are no monthly fees associated with the service. Once you purchase the MyDitto device you can access your data wherever you are even if you don’t have the IT skill normally needed to setup this type of network attached storage.

While the MyDitto device is simple enough for novices to use, there are enough advanced controls and settings to keep advanced users satisfied.

Pros:

• Easy to setup
• Easy to use
• Access files from anywhere
• Mount network drive
• Access with USB drive
• Affordable
• Expandable to larger hard drives

Cons:

• Backup can be finicky
• iPad app isn’t perfect
• Streaming works, but doesn’t convert videos to a compatible format

MyDitto Gallery

MyDitto Review: Affordable Network Attached Storage That’s Simple To Use is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Google has announced that it has shipped the last of its Cr-48 netbooks, which run on the company’s Chrome OS and looks reminiscent of Apple’s black MacBook of yore.

The Cr-48 was announced late last year and have been shipping to developers and pilot users. Google was delivered 64,000 units from Inventec, and now the company has shipped out all units. As part of Google’s pilot program, users who signed up for the pilot agreed to send information to Google in exchange for a free Cr-48 netbook.

Google advises those waiting for a Chrome OS hardware solution to await for this summer, when Acer and Samsung will be shipping retail units of their netbook designs.

Via: Engadget

No More Google Cr-48 Netbook for Now is a post by Chuong Nguyen from Notebooks.com.

Working on an office document with a coworker or team member has traditionally been one of the most annoying and troublesome tasks for users involving numerous email attachments, merging of changes and time wasted finding the most recent version. While Google Docs has fixed this for many users, those who need to do work on the desktop haven’t experienced the joy of collaborating in the cloud.

Today, with the newly announced Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office they can sync, share and collaborate on Word Excel and PowerPoint files right from within Microsoft Office. Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office is the perfect way for students to collaborate on group projects or for remote workers to join in on project documents.

Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office is a free plugin that works with Microsoft Office 2003, 2007 and 2010 on Windows computers. There is no open API for the Mac version of Office so Apple users will have to wait for now.

Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office performs a collection of tasks include;

Simultaneous Collaboration – Now you can easily work on the same document wherever you are. One user can be in Google Docs and another on Microsoft Office, working on the same document!

Offline Change Syncing – If one user is working offline their changes will be synced up when they connect again.

Overlapping Edit Handling - There is a built in method of solving any changes that are duplicated.

Revision History – Did you lose an important item while changing a document? Go back to a previous version to recover your work.

Cloud Sync – Enjoy knowing that your documents are synced to the cloud for access from Internet connected devices and backup up in case your computer crashes.

Mobile Editing - With the cloud sync, users can access the document on their mobile device such as Android smartphones and tablets or the iPhone and iPad and work with colleagues and classmates.

Unique URLs and Sharing – Share your document by just sending a URL to a coworker.

Learn more about Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office and how it helped staff at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Google Cloud Connect Syncs Office Docs to Cloud, Simplifies Collaboration is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

A new patent for an Apple service, which may tie in with the Cupertino, California Mac-maker’s existing online MobileMe subscription service, reveals plan for digital cloud-based sotrage for a ‘Safe Deposit Box.’ Discovered by Patentedly Apple, the service will allow users to store data, files, and information securely in the cloud and may either augment, replace, or complement the company’s existing iDisk service that has been an integral part of the MobileMe subscription program.

Industry insiders speculate that the service will see integration with iOS devices, like the iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad–devices which so far are limited by the availability of expensive flash memory. Apple has long been rumored to be working on a digital locker service, especially for purchased content from iTunes, for users to stream on demand rather than rely on on-board storage, which is more costly. This will potentially unlock the door to ‘unlimited’ storage without increasing the cost or price of handheld devices, where there are space constraints as well as memory constraints as flash memory is an expensive component of a device’s price. The digital locker service has often been rumored since Apple has been working on a large data center in North Carolina.

Additionally, the service may compete with other online service providers, such as Dropbox and Box.net, both of which allow users to manage, store, and share files online. Apple’s Safe Deposit Box digital locker may be a feature of Apple’s next-generation desktop operating system, OS X 10.7 Lion, as well, according to John Gruber of Daring Fireball. This makes sense as Apple’s ultra-portable MacBook Air laptop, like the company’s other mobile offerings, is also memory-constrained. The slim notebook has flash storage, which is expensive, and comes in SSD storage configurations that are far less than the MacBook’s and MacBook Pro’s hard drive options.

While Apple will most likely migrate to the cloud, it’s unclear if the Safe Deposit Box patent will result in a premium or free service offering when it will become available to consumers.

Although users often know to back-up data to a hard drive, many users still do not back-up important data. Apple’s Safe Deposit Box offering can help make it easier for users to back up important, critical data in the event of a hard drive failure, loss of a laptop, or data corruption. The drag-and-drop interface will make it easy for users, while the secure log-in will keep files stored private and secure.

Via: 9to5 Mac

Apple ‘Safe Deposit Box’ Locks Up Your Data in the Cloud is a post by Chuong Nguyen from Notebooks.com.

Earlier we reported that Apple is working on both a smaller iPhone – an iPhone Nano if you will - and some changes to their cloud based backup and storage service MobileMe making it free and offering possible streaming iTunes capabilities.

A new report out of Cult of Mac says that the two stories go together because the new iPhone will not have very much local storage putting all of the user’s content in their MobileMe account instead. This would mean that any songs or videos purchased would be stored online and streamed to the phone over the Internet, either via 3G cellular service or Wi-Fi connected to an internet Service Provider, instead of stored locally on the phone. Also any personally created files like pictures or video would almost immediately be sent to the cloud instead of being stored locally. Any local memory would only house critical system data and temporary storage for content, much like the AppleTV handles streaming of video rather than store all of the videos.

The benefit of cutting out this internal storage is cost – it is far cheaper to have a very limited amount of flash memory for critical system files and a cache than it is to house 16 or 32 GB of storage, as in the case of the current iPhone models.

If the reports are accurate, this begs one question for potential customers. What do you do if you don’t have a decent Internet connection available to stream the content?

The AppleTV it is designed to work in conjunction with an always on home broadband connection, but a phone is often in environments where there is either no Internet connection or very low quality connection usable only for voice calls or text.

For example, If the user was in rural areas or in dead spots in major cities like San Francisco or New York City, where there is no signal? What will owners of this new phone do about in-flight movie watching? The answer in both cases is they won’t be able to rely on this new iPhone and MobileMe combination.

Who would be a good candidate for such an iPhone without local storage? Only those who have constant access to either 3G or Wi-Fi. The option might also be for people who have an iPad or some other tablet. These people might not need the full iOS experience on their phone, but would like to have it available at times. They can see running a few apps, but never needing their multimedia content on their phone.

Apple could build in some apps for things like keeping a calendar, contacts, To-Do lists, and navigation. But to use the other apps they would turn to their iPad or Android tablet. However, in that case, why even bother with an iPhone when a Blackberry handles such things? The answer is some people will buy it just because it is an Apple device and they can get this streaming content when a good connection is present.

Another question this kind of streaming only iPhone raises is the issue of bandwidth caps. People who can only download 5GB of data could use that up quickly streaming it to their iPhone Nano. Will AT&T or Verizon change the way they limit how many bits a person can download in a month? That is unlikely since the carriers are already going in the opposite direction.

A Streaming Only iPhone Raises Many Questions for End Users: Data Caps, Airplane Mode and Poor Signals is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Apple’s MobileMe cloud syncing service for Mac OS X and iOS devices will soon be free, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Currently the service costs $99 a year. MobileMe offers the ability to backup and sync things like a calendar, contacts, and email between iOS devices and Mac computers. It also will backup video, pictures, and other files via online storage through iDisk.

Apple already made the Find My iPhone part of the service free to all iPhone users through their Apple account ID. The Find My iPhone will locate a user’s phone on a map and allow them to send it a message or sound, lock it, or erase it remotely through the MobileMe web site.

In addition to removing the fee, Apple will be offering online iTunes through the service. Instead of going through the iTunes software on a Mac or PC, one could go through the free MobileMe service to buy and backup music. As a result, syncing could become wireless. This is something iOS device users have desired for some time. A recent app which offered this was produced and also rejected by the Apple App Store.

This change in the MobileMe service could come this June when most Apple observers expect the next version of the iPhone to also be announced or even launched.

Apple’s MobileMe to be Free, Possibly Sync iTunes is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.