Service syncs phones, desktops online

Sharpcast has announced a web-based service designed to provide online synchronization of files between Windows Mobile devices and Windows or Macintosh desktops. SugarSync copies changes made on one device to the others, and also provides secure access to the synchronized files via a website, Sharpcast says.
(Click here for a larger view of SugarSync)
SugarSync is a subscription-based service that supplies a user with from 10GB to 250GB of online storage. Once an account has been created, data can be uploaded or downloaded by using any browser to go to a personal website, with a URL such as johndoe.sugarsync.com.

The SugarSync architecture
Source: Sharpcast

The automatic synchronization capabilities, however, come into force when dedicated SugarSync Manager client software -- currently available for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Mobile, and Macintosh OS X -- is installed on one or more devices. From that point, the SugarSync Manager software will automatically upload files to the SugarSync website from designated folders.

SugarSync Manager software
(Click to enlarge)

These "SugarSynced" folders are continuously monitored for changes, so files can be uploaded automatically to the online backup whenever one is changed. From there, they are automatically updated on every device associated with the same SugarSync account. For example, if a Microsoft Word file in a folder being monitored by SugarSync Manager is edited on a Windows machine, the changes will be copied to the SugarSync website, then mirrored on any connected Macintosh or Windows Mobile devices.
If disk space or bandwidth are of concern, SugarSync can be configured so that new files are not pushed to every device, but merely made available from the website on demand. Also, if any of the devices being synchronized is temporarily offline, it will receive updates as soon as it reconnects, Sharpcast claims.
Another advantage of SugarSync is said to be the fact that all data is located in "geo-redundant, world-class data centers," and stored using 128-bit AES encryption. Further, Sharpcast touts special handling for photos, which are "automatically organized into gorgeous online albums." Thus, the company says, a single service can now provide for both photo sharing and backup.
Limitations
The Windows Moble SugarSync client (shown below left) allows photos taken with the phone's camera to be automatically synchronized to other devices. Alternatively, photos can be automatically downloaded to the phone and reformatted for its screen size.

SugarSync has a Windows Mobile client (left) but must use a web browser (right) for file transfer

There are some limitations, however. File types other than photos are not moved to and from the phone automatically. Instead, users must employ a mobile web browser to upload and download files from the SugarSync website (above right). Sharpcast did not provide information on when the Windows Mobile client will be brought to full parity with the Windows and Macintosh desktop editions.
Further information
Pricing for the service ranges from $5 per month for 10GB of storage to $50 a month for 250GB of storage. Sharpcast is currently offering a 50 percent discount to those who sign up by Apr. 15, and also offers a 45-day free trial. More information is available from the company's website, here.

http://www.windowsfordevices.com/

Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 PC hacked in security contest via undisclosed Adobe Flash vulnerability

Shane Macaulay from Security Objectives has won a Fujitsu U810 laptop running Vista Ultimate SP1 after it was installed with the latest version of Adobe Flash during the third and final day of CanSecWest PWN2OWN 2008 contest. He also won $5,000 from TippingPoint, the contest's sponsor.

MacDailyNews Take: Ooh, a Fujitsu U810 laptop running Vista Ultimate SP1. Hello, eBay?

"Shane received some assistance from his friends Derek Callaway (also from Security Objectives) and Alexander Sotirov," TippingPoint reports.

"The new Adobe Flash 0day vulnerability that Shane exploited has been acquired by the Zero Day Initiative, and has been responsibly disclosed to Adobe who is now working on the issue," TippingPoint reports. "Until Adobe releases a patch for this issue, neither we nor the contestants will be giving out any additional information about the vulnerability."

I like Windows Vista better than Windows XP

It seems people have a Love/Hate relationship with Windows Vista. I have been with Windows Vista from pre-birth. I have used Vista, Leopard, Ubuntu, and many other operating systems. I have seen the good and the bad of Windows Vista-agonized over driver incompatibility, praised security and enhancements to the user interface (ui). Now that I have been working with Windows Vista, I wanted to share with you some of the things I love about the new operating system. We all love to talk about the bad stuff daily but let’s for just one day, talk about the good.

Let’s begin with how Windows Vista is branding its new editions. They have created 6 different versions of Windows Vista to handle the needs of consumers, small businesses, and large enterprises. The versions are packaged as follows: Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, and Windows Vista Starter. For consumers, you have the choice of Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate which has all the bells and whistles. Businesses can take advantage of Vista Business or Enterprise which handle the business side of Vista such as encryption and virtualization.

I have been working with the Windows Vista Ultimate edition and for starters, the installation of Windows Vista is aesthetically beautiful to the eye and simplistic by nature. The installation went very smoothly and in less than 30 minutes I had my new operating system singing. I loaded Windows Vista on my laptop and my laptop supported Aero Glass which is the eye candy of Windows Vista. All I can say is amazing. Every time I work on my laptop, I find myself smiling at how beautiful the interface is.

Once I got past the interface, and starting digging around I found that configuring a wireless connection was a snap and that the security that came with Windows Vista was top notch. I was able to create a standard account and elevate my privileges to administrator when the need arises. For example, when I run as a standard user, any time I have to install software, I am asked for the administrator password. Any time I have to get into the admin tools or control panel or any area that requires administrative rights, I am prompted for the admin password. Windows Vista was built similar to Linux in that you do not have to run your computer as a root user. Kudos to Microsoft for finally getting this right.

A feature of Windows Vista that I love is Windows ReadyBoost. This technology allows me to place a USB key in my computer and improve performance without adding additional memory to my computer. Once you put the USB key in you are prompted to view the files on your USB key or speed up your system. My laptop already had 2 GB or RAM. I had a 2 GB USB Flash key and my system is screaming speed.

The newly improved Start menu has been working great for me. In the past you had a huge Start menu with tons of programs on it. With Windows Vista, you simply click Start and type the name of the program in the search bar and it finds it within seconds. For example, you could type work and it brings up Microsoft Word. You know longer have to navigate through the tree to find the program you want. This is a real time saver.

I am also enjoying Windows Flip 3D, Windows Flip, Live Taskbar Thumbnails, and the Windows Sidebar. If your computer supports Windows Aero Glass, you will be tickled by Windows Flip 3D. It allows you to flip through your open window in 3D. It is fantastic. The only drawback is that you need Aero Glass support to take advantage of this feature. Windows Flip is the ALT + Tab combination but it also gives you a graphical presentation as well. Live Taskbar Thumbnails is also a welcomed enhancement to Windows Vista. By simply running your cursor over the taskbar, you get a graphical presentation of each open document. Windows Sidebar is a sidebar that runs on your desktop that allows you to add gadgets. It is identical to dashboard widgets in Apple’s OS X Tiger. On my desktop, I have a calendar, notepad, stocks, headlines and weather gadgets running. I can also go online and download more gadgets that are helpful to me. This is a feature I am really enjoying.

On the backend, all profiles are no longer stored in documents and settings. You now have a users directory and each profile is stored within this directory. Microsoft has also done away with My….There is no longer My Documents, My Pictures, etc. It has been replaced simply with Contacts, Documents, Desktops, Downloads, Music Pictures, etc.

These are just some of the features I have come to love about Windows Vista. It has so much more to offer. I believe other people might see value in other areas of Vista such as Windows Mail, Windows DVD Maker, Windows Games, Windows Media Player, Windows Photo. These are areas I have yet to explore but as each day goes by that I use Windows Vista, I find myself unlocking more of its mysteries.

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/

Tags: Windows, Vista, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Microsoft

Apple Seeds First Mac OS X 10.5.3 (9d10) Version

Apple issued the first Mac OS X 10.5.3 seed (9d10) to developers yesterday. The latest update to Apple's Mac OS X Leopard addresses dozens of outstanding issues.

Fixes range from Dashboard, Parental Controls, iCal Synchronization, memory leaks and stability issues. All in all, 75 distinct bug fixes are listed in the accompanying seed notes.

A few known issues remain, and Apple typically seeds a number of developer builds for testing before releasing the final update to customers. While these point releases generally provide bug and stability fixes only, the 10.5.2 seed also addressed some user interface complaints. The current version of Mac OS X (10.5.2) was released in February 2008.

http://www.macrumors.com/

Tags: Apple, Leopard, Mac OS, 10.5.3, Update

Dell's new approach to the Vista migration problem

According to at least one Dell official, despite recent debacles with SP1, the business client migration to Windows Vista continues undaunted. A new Dell Client Migration Solution, unveiled this week, includes services and tools designed to ease businesses' migration burden.

Although Windows Vista still isn't exactly everyone's cup of tea, Dell this week rolled out a new set of services and tools "optimized" for organizations moving to the OS that customers who've already made the shift either really like...or really don't.

But who is stepping to Vista right now -- especially in light of recent missteps on the way to deploying Service Pack 1 -- and how will the new "Dell Client Migration Solution" help out customers?

In an interview with BetaNews, Kevin Haynes, Dell's senior manager for product management and marketing, gave three reasons why some of Dell's customers are adopting Vista.

"Some of them pride themselves on being at 'the cutting edge.' Some of them want to stay ahead of the [Microsoft operating system] support cycle," said Haynes. Others want to deploy specific "enhanced features" in Vista, according to Haynes, who cited to Vista enhanced security features, such as User Account Control.

But Michael Cherry, lead analyst with the independent firm Directions on Microsoft, chimed in with a fourth reason.

"There's a certain number of machines that customers are going to replace each year, just in the normal course of things," Cherry told BetaNews. "So here they are, looking at new hardware. The customers consider the compatibility of Vista with their software applications. If they don't see any compatibility issues, they will most likely upgrade to the new OS."

Dell still preloads PCs with Windows XP for customers who prefer XP, Haynes acknowledged. The manufacturer's newly launched Migration Solution could conceivably be used, too, for deploying XP to PC desktops, according to the senior manager.

Since the company's inception, Dell has provided services to customers around installing new operating systems and application on its hardware. Historically, though, Dell relied on its customer to have already done much of the planning in advance.

"Under our old model, customers would come to us after they'd already figured out [application] dependencies and done other [planning] processes. It was then too late [for Dell] to correct things," said Haynes. "In many cases, too, customers hadn't put together baselines of their current costs -- and without that, they couldn't build a business case for migration."

Haynes said Dell first started developing new migration tools for Vista for its own internal purposes. Certainly, Dell already had determined for itself why it needed to make the shift. But this time, during its own migration, Dell realized how much of the process it believed to have been self-explanatory, needed to be communicated to its customers.

So Dell's new migration services, aimed at organizations with 2,500 or more client PCs, differ in a number of ways from its earlier services, for reasons that directly relate to its own experiences with Vista. And because communication is key, Dell is now working with customers directly during migration planning.

One thing that Dell learned right away, especially with Vista, was that customers weren't always giving Dell a "good image" of the OS and applications to be installed during migration, Haynes said. Although Vista also supports traditional imaging tools such as Symantec Ghost, the new OS introduces new technology from Microsoft called ImageX -- part of its Automated Installation Kit, which works with WIM files. That technology can create a bit-by-bit snapshot of an entire, fully deployed Vista environment, complete with the customer's choice of applications.

This time, Haynes noted, the customer's choice has been pretty clear. Most customers who are migrating to Vista are also moving to Microsoft Office 2007, a heftier chunk of software code than previous iterations of the application suite.

The upshot is that, in its new migration services, Dell is using new tools, developed in-house, that are designed to speed and automate either approach to imaging the OS and applications onto PC hard drives.

"Our tools are very slick," he contended. The tools can also be used to customize Vista around "things like your power management preferences, the display you'll be using, what domain to join, and what region of the world you're in," and to encapsulate these customizations into the image before deployment.

Haynes stopped short of finding fault with new Microsoft migration tools such as User State Migration Tool (USMT), telling BetaNews that Microsoft devised its approach with somewhat different goals in mind. Dell's tools are less "script-based" and more "point-and-click" than Microsoft's.

"We've worked with Microsoft throughout the whole buildout," said Haynes. "Microsoft is trying to help automate deployment with some basic tools. An expert might then go in and modify the scripts."

In an assessment done with early customers, Dell found that its new Migration Solution cut migration costs by 62% and deskside time and labor by 88%. In addition, Dell also saw reductions of 70% around "network traffic normally associated with deployments," according to Haynes.

The Dell executive also told BetaNews that the new Migration Solution isn't really geared to upgrades such as SP1. "Ordinarily, customers handle upgrades like that through their usual patch management processes," he said.

But, he added, Dell is certainly willing to use its new service for helping any customers who run into problems with SP1.

Meanwhile, for its part, Microsoft is now offering free phone and chat support to anyone experiencing difficulties with SP1 installation -- a reversal of its usual policy of referring customers who bought systems with Windows preloaded on their PCs to their hardware manufacturers.

"Microsoft keeps saying that the sales of Vista are good. But even if the evidence is anecdotal, it's clear that some customers are continuing to have trouble with it," said Directions on Microsoft's Cherry. "A lot will depend on how Dell packages its hardware and services. If you're Dell, and you've specified some hardware, you should know how to image the operating system.

"It also helps that Dell is controlling the device drivers in the system," Cherry added. "Dell should be able to manage any driver issues, too."

Tags: Dell, Vista, Windows, XP, Microsoft