Return to Firefox
In the constant see-saw of technology, I found myself using Google Chrome as my primary web browser after having used Firefox for a couple of years (and previous to that, the venerable Internet Explorer). In using Chrome, I loved the speed and the simplicity, but after a few months of usage, I found there were a few issues that were starting to get in the way of the experience. First off, there were a few basic things, such as the lack of form autofill. This is one glaring oversight, and one that perfectly exhibits Google rushing to put out a “1.0” product (considering Chrome was in beta for like 3 seconds).
Even beyond the basics, there were sites that were not compatible with Chrome. The biggest impact initially was in the way of rich text editors on sites being disabled by default or having quirky behavior. This I could live with. Later on, I ran into my biggest issue, which was in the form of NetFlix and sites such as Fox.com.
Over the past several weeks, I have taken to watching more and more video content on my PC or notebook. In particular, NetFlix (now that I have an unlimited streaming package), as well as sites such as Fox.com or ABC.com (for catching missed TV episodes). I love this option, but none of these work with Google Chrome. And I don’t like switching between browsers for specific purposes; I put up with that during the early days of Firefox and I don’t care for it.
After some research and thought, I decided to go back to Firefox, but this time using the latest beta build (at the time, it was 3.1 Beta 2). The new beta includes a Javascript engine that is supposed to rival Chrome’s. In short, it is supposed to be very fast for web page rendering. I installed the beta but uninstalled the add-ons. While I like extensions, I found I didn’t miss them as much with Chrome, and I figured that having less extensions installed would translate into better performance. I went back and installed Firefox 3.1 beta 2, and decided to live with it.
And, as of now, I’m back to using Firefox regularly.
I have to admit, I’m impressed with the quality of the betas (I’m now on beta 3). They have been running smoothly, with no crashes and fast performance. This is far cry from the betas of versions 2.0 and 3.0. I am running a few extensions- the ones that happen to give me the missing functionality from Chrome (but that’s a topic for a future post). There are benchmarks out there that will state Chrome is still faster than Firefox 3.1, but from what I’ve seen, the margin is small, and I don’t notice it on my dual-core machines. To boot, I have the ability to easily view videos on sites that I could not previously.
Chrome will undoubtedly improve, but Google is taking their time with the beta for version 2, and companies are taking their time in making sites Chrome compatible. Considering the web browser is one of the key, central components of computing today, I prefer to have a seamless experience, something Chrome was able to do for the most part. But the areas it lacked wound up being deal breakers. So, for now at least, I am back in the Firefox fold.
Perhaps I’ll try Opera next, though I doubt it. 
Google Chrome and ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED
I have become a Google Chrome fan. I started using the browser as an experiment for a few weeks, and haven’t looked back since (I chronicled the switch on my blog). However, one thing I started to notice is that I would fairly frequently click on a page on my laptop (connected via wireless, of course) and Google Chrome would timeout, sometimes quickly, with a message that the page could not be displayed. Expanding the little plus sign for more information on the page provided a “ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED” message.
Huh? Looks like some kind of DNS error.
Reloading the page often would bring up the site, though sometimes I’d have to do it two or three times. It did get annoying. In doing some research, I found a simple fix: I turned off my Windows Firewall.
In Windows Vista, go to Start > Control Panel > Windows Firewall. From there, select to Change Settings and turn it off. I found that I received the ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED page a lot less (as in, not one since then).
Anyone else run into this? And anyone have other tips / tricks / thoughts regarding Google Chrome?
Start++ - A Solid Keystroke Launcher For Vista
A while back, a colleague wrote about the joys of Launchy, the excellent keystroke / application launcher for Windows. I use Launchy every day at work on my Windows XP notebook. But on my home Vista notebook, I’ve grown attached to another keystroke launchy, by the name of Start++.
Start++, a utility developed by a gentleman who works for Microsoft on their desktop search team, does something deceptively simple: it enhances the Vista’s Start Menu’s vastly improved Run box. With the desktop search integration in Vista (and with Windows Search version 4.0, it is rock solid), the default behavior in Vista is to press the WIN key and start typing. It will dynamically change the Start Menu to list results for programs and files matching your search criteria. Start++ augments this ability, by including shortcuts for web searches, running programs with elevated priveleges, playing music, and more. All of these features and shortcuts are customizable, where you can easily add your own custom commands.
Some tips for making the most out of the WIN key and Start++ combo:
- Under Start > Control Panel > Indexing Options, click on the Advanced… button. On the Advanced Options dialog box, click on the File Types tab and select the option Index Properties and File Contents. Then click OK out of the dialog box. The indexing will take longer (depending on how much data you have and the speed of your machine) but your searches will provide better results.
- The Start++ icon will run in your System Tray. Right-click on the icon and select Configure. Under the Command Startlets tab, you will see the preconfigured commands for searching via Google, Live, Yahoo, and more. You can add your own commands here, including for other search engines. Here is a good guide for search engine strings.
- Under the Search Startlets, you can create shortcuts to customized searches. Microsoft has created a page with useful tips for creating queries.
The question for you is, what keystroke launcher do you use? Any tips to share?
Apple’s New Music Era
Apple announced today, among other things, that iTunes will go DRM-free on over 8 million tracks today, and all 10 million within a couple of months. More importantly, they are moving to a flexible pricing tier, with tracks costing between $0.69 and $1.29.
Overall, this is a big shrug of “meh” coupled with a shockwave effect in the industry. For better or worse, iTunes + iPod is the defacto standard in the digital music industry. So for them to go completely DRM free is bound to raise a few eyebrows, never mind the fact that Amazon.com has had a DRM-free (in MP3 format no less) store for a while now, and the Zune Marketplace, in also going DRM-free for purchased tracks, also embraced MP3.
The shrug comes from them not switching to MP3. Files will still come down in AAC format, which is fine but still not a universal standard for MP3 players (yes, Apple fanboys, there are other players beside the iPod, and many of them do not support AAC format. And yes, they do matter.). If Apple wanted to really knock it out of the ballpark, they should have embraced the MP3 format.
The shockwave effect is due to, whether you love it or hate it, other companies tend to follow Apple’s lead. Steve Jobs wrote an open letter wanting DRM-free music? Within months the push was on to make it so, and Apple did it, with other online stores following suit. Apple made $0.99 the standard, and just about every other store has done the same. Now, with flexible pricing, you can bet that Amazon, Rhapsody, and Zune Marketplace will be implementing similar policies over the course of the next year.
Is it a win for the consumer? Most likely. Sure, a lot of people love “Karma Chameleon,” but that song was played out by 1985. For $0.69, I might be willing to play it out again. If Apple is smart, they will keep albums at the $9.99 mark, because $15.48 for an album isn’t going to cut it- you might as well purchase the physical media. On the other hand, a plethora of $6.99 albums on iTunes could provide a good boost to the music labels’ bottom lines- but then again, this is something Amazon has been providing for a while.
There is something to be said- and no doubt the blogosphere will analyze this detail to death- for the fact that Jobs and Apple actually bent on the pricing, after stiff-arming the labels for years on keeping the price of tracks at $0.99. What prompted the change? Have the music labels somehow found a way to gain the upper-hand on the once indomitable Apple? That will be interesting to see how it plays out.
In the meantime, what do you think of these changes? Will you be upgrading your previously purchased tracks to the new DRM-less ones? And does this tempt you back to the iTunes store if you had previously drifted away?
The iPod Touch Cometh
Yes. After 16 months of extolling the virtues of the Microsoft Zune and its platform, I have been seduced and fallen to the Apple Side, claiming a 32GB iPod Touch in the process.
It’s not the first time that I have owned an iPod. I’ve owned a couple of the 20GB and 30GB models, the last being the iPod Video (5G). But this is my first experience with the multi-touch model. It wasn’t the buzz over the iPhone (which I still don’t want), and it wasn’t the perty interface and design (thought it is an incredible piece of engineering). No, Apple still does not have an unlimited music subscription service (the hardest thing to give up from the Zune), and copy and paste remain stubbornly- and inexplicably- absent. So why the change?
The platform looked too good.
Put aside the iTunes + iPod experience. Say whatever you want, Apple has sold over 100 million iPods because of that potent combination, earning brand recognition and an astounding lead in the MP3 Player market for a reason. But if this were merely a choice between the iPod Classic and the Zune 120, the Zune would have won hands-down. There is still no doubt that Microsoft has surpassed Apple in the hard drive-based MP3 Player arena. A better screen, interface, and wireless capabilities blow the iPod Classic out of the water, and Apple seems to be quietly letting go of that market. But looking at the iPod Touch, and its burgeoning application platform, there is no doubt that Microsoft is lagging behind. Microsoft’s short-sighted focus on games for Zune platform development on a device that is almost as capable (on paper, at least) as the Touch is going to cost them time, which they can ill-afford given the speed of the market. Meanwhile, three applications stood out (for myself) among those available for the Touch: eReader, Last.FM, and Pandora.
The former is intriguing because, in my mind, this makes the Touch as enticing as the Amazon Kindle, if not more. The DRM on the eBooks used by eReader is simple and fair: each book is locked by your credit card number and the name on the card. Simple, eh? You can wirelessly access and purchase books from your device via Wi-Fi, which is an outstanding feature. EReader’s selection is nothing to sneeze at, with plenty of bestsellers and novels from well-known authors. In short, the Touch as an eBook platform is brilliant.
Last.FM and Pandora are of particular interest because of the Zune’s emphasis on music discovery. This is part of the sell for the Zune Marketplace, its subscription service with access to millions of songs for a low price. They even implemented new features, such as Picks, Channels, and Mix View (in the desktop software), to aid in this. It’s a shame Mix View isn’t on the Zune device, as it could prove very useful. Picks was not useful, since it recommended the same bands constantly and missed new releases from bands that I loved. I’ve written about the problems with Channels before, but in short, they are not updated frequently enough and do not offer enough variety of artists within the Channels. On the iPod Touch, with the application framework open to developers, Apple doesn’t have to worry too much about music discovery (outside of its touted Genious feature, which I have yet to use). Last.FM and Pandora (and some others) have got Apple covered, providing applications that tie into their content-rich websites to deliver these experiences to you through free applications. After having used both applications, as well as a third one called OurStage (slanted towards independent artists) and a fourth called FlyCast (Internet radio and more over Wi-Fi), there is no doubt that the iPod Touch is an extremely capable device for music discovery.
That isn’t to dis the Zune platform, as it is fantastic for music lovers as well. But in this case, I found the iPod Touch catered to a wider array of tastes that I found increasingly important.
And here I am, listening to the Touch as I write this article (the Cure’s “Lost” is on right now). I’ve been putting the Touch through heavy use over the past 5 days, and I don’t think I’ve scratched the surface of what it can do. I’m certainly looking forward to more discoveries. Just don’t call me a fanboy just yet.
Mac OS X: Likes and Dislikes, From a PC User
Hi, I’m a PC-Becoming-a-Mac. As a Windows user, I’ve found the interface for Mac OS easy to get accustomed to, and in fact, I like a few things better than on the Windows platform. But it works both ways, and as with any piece of technology, Mac OS has some idiosyncrasies that annoy me. Here’s the perspective of a Windows convert.
WHAT I LIKE
- The Dock. I liked it on Windows with Rocket Dock, but it’s even better implemented (obviously) in Mac OS X due to the Taskbar not being intrusive. The Dock, particularly with the Stacks feature, is an intuitive UI marvel. It makes the Windows Taskbar feel like a Model T- sure, it’ll get you around, but never very quickly or smoothly. The Taskbar was a great design idea… in 1995. But the Dock proves its obsolescence.
- Speed. Maybe it’s still relatively early days but Mac OS X runs consistently snappier than Windows. Granted, I’m not running anti-virus software or something like “Windows Defender” as I would on Vista. But even in regular operations, there isn’t a lag that would can lead to some annoying behavior (it feels like part of the time is spent getting Windows out of its own way). There isn’t any of that with Mac OS X.
- Better security feature. I like the idea of Vista’s UAC. I hate (hate, hate, hate!) the implementation. Why, to copy a file, do I need to answer around three prompts? It’s like this for a number of operations. Even Microsoft has admitted they screwed up on this. Mac OS X’s solution? A password prompt when dealing with certain items (usually around system files). It’s easy and unintrusive (cue “Perfect Wife” joke… no, seriously, I don’t mean that…).
- Time Machine. Wow. Time Machine is so good, it’s embarrassing that Microsoft doesn’t have an equivalent (no, Shadow Copy is not an equivalent, and neither is the Backup and Restore application). I’ve used Time Machine before on my HackBook and it’s amazing. Restore a full system in a short amount of time, with no hassle? Gee, that sounds like common sense.
- Built-in text to speech. From Terminal, you can use commands to have the computer speak. It’s a fun, great feature, and I’m glad to see Apple include for accessibility by default.
- Spotlight. Mac OS X’s Search feature is wicked fast and contains powerful options for searching for my data. Thus far, it feels faster than Vista’s Start / run box + Windows Search 4.0.
- Application installs. Most of the time, it is a simple as dragging an icon to the Applications folder, and deleting them is as simple as deleting the icon (which is really a folder containing the program files). Where’s my Easy button?
WHAT I DON’T LIKE
- Lack of Cut. Not that you can’t move files between folders, but clicking on a folder and selecting using COMMAND + X doesn’t work most of the time. From my online research, apparently Apple feels that “cutting” files is a confusing feature for users. Huh?
- Pressing ENTER on a folder does not open it. Maybe this is a strange by-product of my HackBook, but highlight a folder and pressing ENTER does not open the folder. I have to double-click on the folder to do just that. Seems like an odd quirk.
- No Blu-ray DVD support. Really?
- This isn’t your father’s Tab. Why is it, if I am in Firefox, visiting a page that requires a sign-in and that has a checkbox to remember my login information, that I can tab through the text fields, but when I tab to highlight the checkbox, the focus in Firefox moves to the address bar? Is there some kind of hate for the web form checkbox?
As you can see, my complaints are minor. How about you? What’s been your experience in converting to Mac OS?
Zune 3.0 - One Month Later
It has been roughly a month since the release of the Zune 3.0 software for desktops and devices. Now that I’ve had that time to work with the products, I wanted to offer several thoughts on the platform.
The Good
- Compatibility for first generation Zune 30GB devices. For Microsoft, this is a surprising but refreshing change. Early adopters received the 2.x software for free as a thank you by Redmond for sticking with the Zune. But the fact that they made the 3.x software available as well (and thus giving the early devices vastly improved capabilities from their roots) was a classy move, and it put to shame Apple’s $10 upgrade for the first-generation iPod Touch.
- Wireless Marketplace downloads. You can now purchase or download (if you subscribe to Zune Pass) music right to your device. Look up top songs or search the Marketplace, and you can even enter wireless network information and passwords on the go. This feature is hot. The ability to be anywhere with a WiFi connection and stream or download music is amazing, and it works very well. Basically, you can have millions of songs available to you at any moment with WiFi. Awesome.
- Permanent Badges. Some people don’t like or get the idea of having badges for music in the Social (basically, how many times you listen to a band / tracks earns you different levels of badges). Before, the badges rotated on a 28-day basis, which didn’t make much sense. Not any more. Permanent badges, I do like.
- Mix View. On the Zune desktop software, the Mix View, which allows you to view an artist’s influences and related artists in a funky Now Playing screen, is slick and very helpful in discovering new artists. I’ve hit it up already for some new bands and I love it.
- Zune Picks. Another music discovery feature in the Marketplace, which offers recommendations based off your listening habits, along with other useful features such as new releases from your artists.
- Audible support. And not a moment too soon.
- A clock. I wasn’t dying for one, but now having it, I find the clock pretty convenient.
- Games. The included games, Texas Hold ‘Em and Hexic, are loads of fun and show the potential for how good games on the Zune can look. But there is a caveat (see below).
The Bad
- Quick list is gone. Sure, the Now Playing list took its place, but is lacking compared to the old “on the go” playlist. Hopefully, with the new input mechanism in place, true OTG playlists will be added.
- Zune Channels. What a disappointment so far. Touted as another music discovery feature, Channels rocks in theory. A large number of channels programmed by DJs and artists spanning genres and popularity, which can be subscribed to and update weekly? Sounds like a great recipe; unfortunately, the implementation tastes salty. A number of channels feature multiple tracks by the same artist and album, which in my mind defeats the purpose of discovery a variety of music. Early on, several channels were not updated for a few weeks. And since many of the channels are listed as “Top of {genre},” the same tracks can remain for weeks. In short, this feature could be extremely useful but is flawed in its current implementation. Also, you need Zune Pass in order to use this feature- another head-scratcher.
- Buffer bug with last 15 seconds of music. If you are listening to a track, and you change to a different song in the last 15 or so seconds, one of two things will happen. One, the next track will show as playing but no sound will be heard. Or two, the Zune locks up, prompting a reset of the whole device. Many have reported this issue and it can’t get fixed fast enough.
- Multi-CD albums bug is still present. In the Zune desktop, there is an atribute for which number a CD is in a set. Most times, they are simply “1.” But is you have a two-disc set (say, Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”), the album will only be listed once and the tracks will be listed in order, because there the second CD will have “2″ for the CD property. Unfortunately, there is a bug still present since 2.x where the Zune device lists the track order incorrectly. Instead of listing them by 1 to 12, then 1 to 12 of the second CD, the devices lists the tracks in the following order: 1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4, etc. Very annoying.
- Games. Yes, games are a positive, but the implementation is incomplete. Currently, aside from the two included games there is no way to load other games from the Zune desktop. And, at the time of release, the version of XNA Studio to create and load Zune games was not compatible with Zune 3.x. A tad half-baked, and so I don’t give them a total pass on it.
Undecided
- Buy from FM. The feature for using the built-in radio to purchase or download tracks from the Zune Marketplace wirelessly is a neat idea, but for me the jury is still out. Only two radio stations came up as having the additional song information required to use this feature (the radio stations need to support sending out the data over the airwaves), and one of them only showed the band name. I still need to tinker with this feature more, but as it stands it feels more like hype than substance.
Overall, there are a lot more positives than negatives, and I remain satisfied with the latest implementation.
Okay, now it’s your turn. How do you feel about the latest Zune platform? Did I miss anything or do you agree / disagree? Let me know!
Return of the HackBook… Pro
Well, go figure. I’m back in the Hackintosh trenches… this time, with a comparable “HackBook Pro” in the form of the Dell Inspiron 1525.
First of all, I need to thank Richard from The Espresso Report, who has written up a fantastic, detailed tutorial on getting Mac OS X 10.5.4 running on the Dell Inspiron 1525. His article was what helped me take a chance on getting the Inspiron 1525 and making another run at Mac OS X.
Let’s be straight here: Vista is a decent operating system, and it’s nowhere near a disaster as the pundits would have you believe. Sure, it had a rocky start, but so did Windows XP, and people are ready to grant that OS sainthood (remember when XP Service Pack 2 came out? People complained about how it ran slow and about all of the security annoyances… and now you can’t imagine running XP without at least running SP2). Vista is fine, especially after removing the UAC pop-ups (and I understand that it makes Vista less secure; unfortunately, in beefing up Vista’s security, Microsoft removed transparency from working with the operating system, something it has already said it will rectify in Windows 7). But after having used OS X on my Compaq C762 (now in my 10-year old son’s computer, and reconfigured with Vista), Vista definitely felt like a letdown. But a few annoyances with the C762, such as the internal wireless NIC and audio jacks not working, made the OS X experience (as expected, since it’s not supported) a bit of a hassle and incomplete. But after catching the bug again, and doing research on other, more “compatible” machines for the OSx86 Hackintosh scene, I stumbled across Richard’s article on the 1525.
After completing setup of my new 1525 with Mac OS X 10.5.4, and having functional video, audio, battery meter, speaker, and internal NIC, I am extremely happy. I’m not going to lie; I have a lot of trouble justifying, espeically in this economy, to spending $1,299 on a solid MacBook setup when you can get just as good, if not better, specs on a $399 or $499 Windows Vista notebook. The MacBook Pros are even higher, from $1800 to $2500 easily. They’re incredibly well-engineered notebooks, but the average Joe (never mind Joe Plumber or Joe Six-Pack) isn’t going to go for it. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t those who want Mac OS X, and thus the Hackintosh scene is available. And that’s what lead me to the Dell Inspiron 1525.
I’m writing this article now on my notebook, which is a solid machine. The keys are sturdy, with great tactile feedback. The jet-black cover contrasts beautifully with the silver interior, and the touch-strip controls for the audio are slick. The 1525 has a great 15.4 inch screen, with 1280 x 800 resolution and is Quartz-enabled under Mac OS X. Writing is smooth experience on the 1525, which is the primary reason I bought it. The audio is crisp and working great through the jack and on the speakers (I have some YouTube videos playing in the background as I write).
Performance is snappy, with the 2.0Ghz Dual Core processors and 3GB of RAM. Granted, I haven’t pushed the the system hard, but with the current specs, I’m not worried. The 1525 also has 4 USB ports, a Firewire slot (which is detected), a multi-card reader, HDMI, and the Expresscard slot. Unfortunately, the multi-card reader slot doesn’t work, but I’m not too concerned about it. I use a USB thumb drive 99% of the time anyway, so it’s no big loss. Apparently, the HDMI port does not work, but I don’t need it, so again I am not concerned.
Down the road, I hope to share my experience in installing Mac OS X on the Dell Inspiron 1525, having followed Richard’s guide and mention what minor differences or issues I ran into. While it is yet early days for my Inspiron HackBook, I have to say I really enjoy it.
Five Utilities to Rock on Your Vista Notebook
[NOTE: This article first appeared on my personal blog in June, but is better served here. Thus, I have moved it to Tech In Hiding.]
As I have gotten my VistaBook up to par, I’ve been slowly setting on the must-have applications and utilities that make working on my notebook uber-easy. Here are five of my picks:
1. Start++
One of the software categories generating a lot of buzz over the past year or so are the keystroke launchers. Essentially, they are super-charged versions of the classic Windows Run box. Use a special key combination (in most cases, ALT + SPACE) which summons a launcher, where you type in a command that can open a web page, a program, a document, or more. In using Windows XP, I preferred to use Launchy, one of the most popular applications in the category. I was going to use it on Vista until I discovered Start++.
The beauty of Start++ is in it’s absolute simplicity. Windows Vista already has the latest version of the Run box, and has integrated the search functionality into it. So, if you have Windows Search enabled, simply pressing the Windows key on your notebook and start typing pulls up files and documents in the dynamic Start window, which you can quickly select. Start++ takes this a step further by having a small executable running that adds some functionality that other keystroke launchers add, such as custom aliases. So, “g” is already an established shortcut that launches a Google search if I add augments to it (e.g. g Vox Bomb would do a search on Google for “Vox Bomb”). There’s also built-in commands for playing music and pictures.
So Start++ already leverages the simplicity of search in Vista (which should really be touted more) with the one-key launch and provides a small footprint (about 8.5MB RAM). Sounds like a winner to me.
2. RocketDock
Oh no! Why not just by a MacBook and be done with it?
All joking aside, I’ve found programs similar to the Mac OS X Dock much more useful than the Sidebar (which remains turned off on my notebook). There are many free (and a few commercial) options available, but I settled on RocketDock.
A must-have RocketDock docklet is Stacks, which enables the extremely useful feature of the same name on that other Apple OS.
An important tip: go to the location where RocketDock is installed, and right-click on it and go to Properties. Enable the option to run it as Administrator. This way, your settings are saved when configuring certain options like the Stack Docklet.
Let’s see:
Anti-virus program? Check.
Highly-rated? Check.
Works great? Check.
Free? Check.
Why would you want to choose a program like McAfee or Norton over this? I’ve been using Avast for years and I swear by it.
As I have touted using the improved Start > Run box for running programs and file searching, it wouldn’t make a lot of sense if I didn’t include the latest version available of Microsoft Search on this list. I used to be a big Google Desktop Search fan but Windows Search is so integrated with Vista and works so well, I don’t see the point in moving back over. For example, the way Vista’s searches contextualize searches (Files, Music, etc.) is great. Google Desktop’s search (at least from the last version I use) popped open a flat web page, a la “regular” Google. Eh…no thanks. Microsoft has been improving their search to the point now that, Windows Search + Start++ on Vista a killer combination.
5. Filezilla
Maybe this is more of a personal preference, but I have about 200GB usable space that I pay for yearly, and with my notebook, I want fast, easy access to that “cloud.” My preference? Filezilla, an open-source freeware FTP program that is lightweight, powerful, and flexible. I’ve been using it for a while and thus far Filezilla has remained bloat-free (unlike, say, a certain blog author). Highly recommended.
Okay, what are you guying running and recommending on your machines?
Mozy Home Online Backup is Dirt Cheap, Life Saver
A co-worker turned me on to Mozy, an online backup service that, for about $5 a month, performs backups of your home computer to their servers. The amount of data is unlimited (!), and for such a cheap backup solution, I went ahead and gave it a try.
It’s impressive. You sign up and download an application. After installation, Mozy’s app sits in the System Tray and, after configuring your options, you can begin a backup. The first time Mozy runs, it will perform a full backup. Depending on your amount of data, the backup time will vary. Mozy optimizes itself to your bandwidth, so it will not clog up your connection when you’re surfing the Internet. In fact, I never noticed any slowdown or Internet issues while Mozy was performing the initial backup. I had about 57GB of data, and it took about 2 weeks to perform the initial backup. If you reboot your machine, Mozy picks up where it left off (though I found I sometimes had to start the backup manually for it to begin promptly). After completing its initial backup, Mozy runs incremental backups during the night. Mozy also installs an option in your right-click menu to restore previous versions of a file, similar to Windows Vista’s Shadow Copy feature, except this is more secure (since your Mozy backups exit online, while Shadow Copies exist hidden on the same hard drive). I prefer Mozy to the external USB drive that I had purchased, since if there was a fire, my data would still be gone. With Mozy, there are no worries.
I can’t say enough good things about Mozy; it simply works. For $5 a month, you can’t not afford the peace of mind that your pictures and family videos, as well as personal documents, are safe from a disaster. It’s a bill I happily pay a month.
