It’s time I put a few more operas on my iPod.
It has 20 gigabytes of storage, but I’ve long kept a few gigs in reserve, to copy large data files and tote them between home and office.
We’re talking about files that are far too big to travel as e-mail attachments, so I’ve been slipping them in a shirt pocket instead.
But there’s a better way — a lot of them, in fact. A host of Internet services offer easy ways to store and share large files among multiple computers. Some let users synchronize files between machines, so they can keep identical copies of critical files on all their computers.
Others offer a simple way to send large files to friends and colleagues.
Perhaps the most sophisticated of the bunch is SugarSync, a share-and-sync service with something for everyone. After signing up at www.sugarsync.com, you download and install a piece of software on each of your Windows or Macintosh computers. The software allows you to copy important files to SugarSync’s online storage system. Now you can launch SugarSync on any of your computers, and access any files that were backed up. You can also use any Internet-connected computer to access files through the SugarSync Web site. Even if you’re a thousand miles from home and the dog ate your hard drive, SugarSync-ed files are safe and accessible. And you can send files to other people — just e-mail them a hyperlink that lets them download files, even if they’re not SugarSync users.
SugarSync’s Magic Briefcase feature is truly magical. Use it to store files you frequently change — for instance, a complicated spreadsheet.
The file will appear in the Magic Briefcases of your other SugarSync computers. Any changes in the file automatically show up on all your computers.
If you have got a smartphone, like a BlackBerry,…