ZumoDrive: backup/sync online

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Three of the frustrations I’ve been having with the wonderful DropBox are (1) lack of syncing folders outside the DropBox folder, (2) not backing up files/folder (besides the syncing scope) and (3) minimum latitude on the plans/pricing options (free, 50GBs for 10$/month, 100GBs for 20$/month).

Having these problems in mind I decided to try ZumoDrive (which I found totally by accident when I spotted its app on the App Store for iPod Touch). So far I’m stunned with the features… they might make me move away from my strange system of “DropBox(free) + [url=http://mozy.com/]Mozy/url + [url=http://www.sugarsync.com/]SugarSync/url”.

Here are the Pros:

(1) Nice interface. ZumoDrive acts as an external drive (like MobileMe) under Devices in Finder. It also has a menubar that gives info on its behaviour and a Console (app) that informs you on settings, uploads, etc.
(2) Fast upload.
(3) CPU usage is low. No noise on my MBP… I don’t hear any fans like I do with SugarSync or, sometimes, with DropBox.
(4) Allows syncing of any folder in my computer (unlike DropBox).
(5) It backs up files/folders as well; i.e. you can upload stuff to the “cloud” and not keep it in your computer (unlike DropBox).
(6) Downloads are quite fast and easy as well. The Scrivener projects are downloaded as a .zip file that unpacks perfectly (so far as I can tell).
(7) Cool iPod Touch app.
(8) Easy sharing options.
(9) Cool website server viewing options (incl. picture viewer and music listening; note: I have not tested the music feature yet).
(10) Allows installing of the same account in different computers (unlike Mozy).
(11) More pricing options: 1+1GB for free; 10 GBs for 3$/month; 25 GBs for 7$/month; etc.

The Cons:

(1) The trial mode starts with only 1GB for free. One can get 1 GB extra after following some steps. Initially I found this process of 1+1GB a little annoying, however the so called steps (they name it Dojo) have helped me learning how to use ZumoDrive.
(2) It’s kind of embarrassing, but so far I’ve seen no more problems. I’m sure there are some limits, but I have not felt them.

Final notes:

I’m still going to further test ZumoDrive before committing myself, most specially by uploading/download complex DEVONthink files and by checking how openmeta tags behave after being on the ZumoDrive server. I’ll update this review if something interesting pops-out.

Anyway, just wanted to share this info since many people in the forum have been mentioning the need for sharing/moving/syncing Scrivener projects. :slight_smile:

Needless to say, as disclaimer, that I have no relationship with ZumoDrive, besides being a new user. :slight_smile:

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There actually is a way to sync stuff from all over your drive in DropBox, though the solution is a bit geeky. You have to use symbolic links (not aliases). For example, in Terminal.app:

% cd ~/Dropbox % ln -s ../Library/Application\ Support/Scrivener Scrivener_support

That will give you a “folder” called Scrivener_support in Dropbox that keeps your Scrivener templates and so forth up to date between computers.

This task can be made a little easier with Launchbar as it lets you create symbolic links in the same manner you might copy or move a file from one place to another.

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I am using Wuala a distributed online storage. Distributed means that all data is stored encrypted and trunkated on many private harddisks.

It is really a nice concept. You get 1 GB storage for free. If you share space on your private harddisk for other Wuala users you get additional online storage in exchange (how much depends on your online time)

You can buy storage AND you get additional free space if you invite other people to Wuala, …

…what I am doing here, with this link: wuala.com/referral/F5NA73CA47C4A7MGA7FN

If you register by this link, I’ll get some additional MBs for free. hint :wink:

So that’s the disclaimer.

I am using Wuala to exchange large files with others, Wuala nicely integrates into the file system. But the real killer feature for me is, that you can simply mark folders on your system as backup folders. Wuala backups these folders automatically in intervals you can customize. So my desaster backup (house has burned down) is Wuala.