SugarSync is not really an iPhone/iPod Touch App. Recently there is now a free App available in the iTunes store, but to use it you also need to subscribe to their service. They have a 45 day trial offer, afterwards you'll need to spend at least US$ 2.49 per month, depends on how much storage you need.

So what is SugarSync?

SugarSync is an online backup, i.e. your files will be backed up to SugarSyncs servers. You can access your backed up files with any web browser and they also offer some Apps for iPhone/iPod Touch, Blackberry and Windows Mobile. I have no Blackberry or Windows mobile phone, so I can't take a look at those.

Apart from SugarSync there are many other service providers that offer online backup (e.g. Mozy, idrive, iBackup etc.),  below points apply to all of them:

Good things about online backup

• Disaster proof location, if a thief, fire, flooding, hurricane, typhoon destroys your computer you still have a backup in a location far far away.

Bad things about online backup

• Subscription service, so monthly or annual fees
• Backing up files is slow, many broadband connections offer very fast downloads but uploads can be very slow. Modern hard disks have now a few hundred Gigabytes which might take days or weeks to backup (depending on your connection)
  So for online backups: Always use a free trial first!

What's special about SugarSync?

There are a few things that make SugarSync special:

• Available for Windows and Mac OSX
• Pretty Web-interface
• Pretty and intuitive client for Windows and Mac.
• Support for several PDAs/Smartphones, e.g. iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry, Windows Mobile

Installation

• First you need to go to the SugarSync website to create a free trial account.
• Afterwards download and install the client for Windows or Mac OSX, which is pretty straight forward.
  
• When you start the Windows or Mac client you need to enter your SugarSync account and you have to choose which folders you want to backup to SugarSync. When you try out their service you should use a rather small folder, it might take long to upload your files.

Automatic Syncing

• SugarSync automatically detect all the changes you made to the folder you are synching with them and uploads or downloads all changes.
• Versioning is also supported, so if you change a file you can recover an older version. Either right click on the file in the client software or click on the file name in the Web interface and choose versions.
  
• If you delete a file you can recover it, if you either choose "Show deleted items" in the client software, or go to Deleted Files on the Web Interface.
• On their web-site they also have a nice demo video that shows how to sync Windows and Mac automatically.

Web-Interface

Where SugarSync really shines is the web-interface, it has a sleek look, is fast and functional. In many parts it remembers me to Apple MobileMe, which now seems to work as it should btw.

In the web-interface you can

• access all your files, download them, email them to somebody etc.
  
• upload files, which will be synced to your computers afterwards.
• email a file to somebody, he will get only a download link, where to get this file, so you send very large attachments. When the receiver accesses this file, you also get a notification email.
• play unprotected MP3 and M4A files with the online Music-player.
  

From an iPhone/iPod Touch:

On the iPhone/iPod Touch you can either use Safari to access the web-interface, which has is optimized for the iPhone/iPod Touch or you can use the free App (iTunes Link).

The free App is the better choice because it has a much faster and responsive interface and there is no reason not use it as it's free anyway.

From the iPhone/iPod Touch you can:

• Browse your files
• View PDF, Word, Excel files etc. on your iPhone/iPod Touch
  
• Email all kind of files to somebody
• Play unprotected MP3 and M4A files, but this does not work too well. SugarSync downloads the whole file first, and plays it afterwards.

Summary

SugarSync seems a good Offline Backup service, which has nice intuitive software for Windows, Mac OSX and several PDAs/Smartphones, but compared to other Offline Backup

Pricing

Price: for 10GB storage US$ 2.49 per month. Here is the complete price-list.
Free 45 day trial available,

Alternatives

• Store files locally on your iPhone/iPod Touch: See my Air Sharing vs. Datacase review
• Turn your Mac into a file server: See my iGet Mobile 2.0 review
  

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