Windows Live Sync

Ajazz Tech

9/14/10 8:00 AM

By: Alex Z.

There are many different services that you can use to sync your documents to the cloud (Dropbox, Carbonite, Mozy, GoAruna, Box, SugarSync). I’ve tried them all. But there is one in particular that I find most useful.

I used Windows Live Mesh throughout college to backup my critical documents and sync them to multiple computers. It was useful to have access to a big paper whether I was on my Mac, PC, or in the computer lab. My live desktop (the online interface) stopped working after a few months of using the service for reasons unknown, so I was stuck using only the syncing service and remote desktop.

Months and months later (6/24/10), Windows Live Sync beta was introduced and I’ve only recently started using it. It’s almost as easy to use as Live Mesh.

It doesn’t include Windows Explorer integration which was really convenient for on-the-fly additions. The new interface is clean but can be slightly annoying to use when it comes to adding folders--it makes you select a location to store the files before adding it to Sync. Why can’t it just sync to the cloud and allow me to choose which device to sync to separately? Also, there isn’t an interface when you right click on the taskbar icon. I liked being able to have a quick visual update about the status of my files to make sure they were being backed up.

The service has also been reduced from 5GB to 2GB in order to keep the service free. Why can’t I allocate space across my Windows SkyDrive--it is part of my Windows Live ID isn’t it?

It seems that there are too many divisions people working on too many different services in the Windows Live environment. They need to start focusing their energy into one golden thread: Windows SkyDrive. If they can already afford to give everyone 25GB of storage (along with unlimited storage for Hotmail) they can design that space to securely store, backup, and sync data across multiple machines, which can also be accessed from the web.

It’s sad that Live Mesh morphed into Live Sync. I know that the service is still in beta but there is no excuse for not taking what they already had, implementing a new look, and building upon the service to make it simply, better.