If you use multiple computers and mobile devices to create and edit documents, keeping different versions of your files in sync can be a chore. A new service called SugarSync can help cure those headaches.
SugarSync has both web-based and downloadable components; together, they give you access to the most current version of a file you want to work on, no matter which device you use.
You configure the downloadable application, called SugarSync Manager, to monitor certain folders on your PC. Files in those folders upload to your personal SugarSync web page automatically, at which point you can access them with any web browser.
SugarSync excels in handling edited documents. Any time you change a file, the software automatically saves your changes to the prior version of the document on the PC where it was created. For instance, a meeting agenda created on your office PC but later edited and saved on your laptop at home will have the updates automatically saved to your web storage space, and SugarSync will transmit the alterations to the original document on your office PC as well.
One serious drawback: SugarSync does not archive prior versions of synced files. Only the newest copy of an edited and saved file is preserved for you.
Every device that SugarSync is installed on receives its own Magic Briefcase folder. Any file in this folder appears in the Magic Briefcase on all your other devices that are running SugarSync.
Unlike many online storage services, SugarSync isn't free (except for a 45-day free trial). Five plans are offered, at prices ranging from $25 per year for 10GB of storage to $250 for 250GB.
SugarSync works on Windows PCs, on Macs, and on mobile phones with web access. A nifty feature permits cameraphone users to have any pictures they take with their phones sent directly to their computer.
