.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Spb Backup
.AUTHOR James Booth
.SUMMARY After the recent re-install episode with his Verizon XV6700 Pocket PC, Senior Editor James Booth quested for a method to clone his setup. What he found was Spb Backup from Spb Software House. Does it fit the bill? You’ll have to read further to find out.
.OTHER
After the recent re-install episode with my Verizon XV6700 Pocket PC, I began a quest for a method to clone the setup. All that installing and resetting was a major pain, not to mention the possibility of data loss. I figured it would be much easier to just have a clone file that I could install in these situations.
In my search, I found Spb Clone, but this was really more of an enterprise solution, and designed to deploy identical setups to multiple devices. Spb Software House hasn’t forgotten the individual consumer though. For individual use, Spb has created Spb Backup, shown in Figure A.
.FIGPAIR A Spb Backup will save your data and your sanity.
.BREAK_EMAIL Is Spb Backup worth a closer look? Read on to find out.
.H1 What it does
In a nutshell, what Spb Backup does is create an image of your Pocket PC’s system; ROM, registry, system files, and all data at the moment of backup. As you can see in Figure B, this image is then saved as a self-extracting file for later restoration.
.FIGPAIR B Your backup is saved as an easy to use self-extracting file.
Spb has included a variety of options to suit your backup needs. They have included the option for both selective backup and restore as shown in Figure C.
.FIGPAIR C A backup can be full, or custom.
You can even selectively restore particular files from a full backup.
Backups can compressed and password encrypted, saved to main memory (not really recommended), or to an external card (recommended). You can schedule automatic backups for when they are convenient, like shown in Figure D.
.FIGPAIR D Scheduled backups ensure your data is saved on a regular basis.
The Today plug-in you see in Figure E will keep you informed as to when the last backup was performed, and when the next scheduled one will occur.
.FIGPAIR E The Today plug-in keeps you up-to-date on Spb Backup’s status.
And for Pocket PC phones that require a PIN after reset (the device is reset after a backup), as you see in Figure F, Spb Backup will take care of that as well.
.FIGPAIR F Spb Backup will even apply the PIN to activate you phone.
In fact, Spb Backup truly is a set it, and forget it application.
.H1 How it works
So how does Spb Backup work? In a word, perfect.
I’m continually amazed at how much differently the Pocket PC platform works from that of the Palm. And the backup utilities are no exception.
Shown in Figure G, Spb Backup gave me the most flawless, seamless restore I’ve ever experienced.
.FIGPAIR G Restoration is as easy as activating the self-extracting file.
After performing a full restore, the only thing I had to do was set the correct time. This is how it should be.
With other backup applications I’ve used, although my files may have been restored, my preferences and shortcuts were not. Not so with Spb Backup. As a matter of fact, it was completely undetectable that a restore had even been performed. And isn’t that how it should be?
Spb Backup also has a desktop unpacking utility, so that you can unpack an archive on your desktop in order to extract needed files without having to do a restore on your handheld.
I found the support at Spb Software House to be as responsive and reliable as their software. They claim a response time of ”within three business days," but this was the extreme of my experience. Being located in St. Petersburg Russia, any delay in response is likely caused by the time differential.
.H1 Conclusion
You know, not a lot of products around here rate a perfect score. But Spb Backup is one of those that do.
I couldn’t find anything wrong with it, or any way to improve it. It does exactly what it is supposed to, and functions perfectly.
Spb Backup from Spb Software House easily earns a perfect 5 out of 5. I would even go so far as to call it a "must have" utility.
.RATING 5
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
Learn more about [[http://www.softwarehouse.com/products/backup/?en|Spb Backup]].
Learn more about [[http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/clone/?en|Spb Clone for the Enterprise]].
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
