Windows Mobile Louisville

I only make backups every so often, namely whenever I make any changes to the settings or adding new software, e.g. before and then, after I install the program.  I don’t regularly need to back up my contacts, calendar and email because, I have all of that synced to my work’s Microsoft Exchange Server.  Luckily, I had just made a full backup a couple of days ago, before it all went south…

We bought a baby pool from Target a couple of weeks ago, and I finally got it blown up and filled with water on Saturday morning.  In the afternoon, we thought it would be nice to let (our 1yr old daughter) Isabel play in the water and for us to rest and take a soak. My wife Kate and Isabel where already in the pool.

I put my Touch Pro into the pocket of my swimming trunks (I was planning on putting it on the side with the towels in the stroller - ahh, the best laid plans of mice and men!).  I was playing outside the pool before splashing Kate with Isabel’s help, so I didn’t remember I had my phone in the pocket.  Then I got into the pool…

20 minutes later - O Shi……..!!!  I found the phone in my pocket when I began to towel off!  Of course it didn’t work (it sort of did, if I use the second battery, but not 100%).  My mind (and heart) began racing.

I quickly called up Sprint - it was about 4:30pm on a Saturday afternoon at this point.  I was up front with them and told them the Touch Pro was in the water for about 15 minutes before I found out.  They where very nice about it and told me to call Asurion (the company which handles Sprint’s insurance).  After less than 10 minutes on the phone with a wonderful bloke, he told me that a $50 deductible would be added to my next bill, and that my brand new Touch Pro would arrive via UPS by Tuesday (it would have been next day, but it was late on a Saturday, so it would take a little longer).

Sure enough, my replacement Touch Pro showed up on Tuesday as stated.  After opening the brand new phone in the full box (not just in a padded envelope), it only took an hour to activate the phone, change it over to my phone number, and install the full backup.  It was so easy.  It was as if I had my old Touch Pro still in my hands (without the water dripping from the keyboard!).

The only piece of unfinished business is that I have to order a new WriteSHIELD screen protector from Pocket PC Techs.  They simply have the best screen projectors known to Mankind.

Sprint and Asurion were soooooo wonderful and easy to use and talk to.  I’m very pleased with how the whole thing ended up.  It could have been so much worse! 

You never know when disaster will strike, so make sure you have your data backed up, and for heaven’s sake, make sure you have device insurance!

Regardless of whether you use Spb Backup, Sprite Backup or some other version, the important thing is to USE BACKUP SOFTWARE and back up your data regularly!  Read on after the break for an example of how Spb Backup saved my butt, as well as how fast a device can be a useless brick.

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Sprite Mobile Inc has released Sprite Backup 6.5, the latest version of its Windows Mobile backup application - used by over ten million device owners worldwide.

“We’re really excited to release the version we’ve been working so hard on for the last few months” said Sean Connolly, Sprite Software’s Managing Director.  “As Windows Mobile devices become ever more powerful, the requirement for a backup application that flawlessly secures and restores consumers’ mobile data is a must. We feel that with this release, that application will continue to be Sprite Backup”, Connolly added.

NEW in Sprite Backup 6.5

• Brand New User Interface- Brings you closer to key functions and improves workflows.
• Improved Sprite Explorer - Browse your Backup file and extract data – export Contacts as vCards to restore to any device or save them in Outlook or to another mobile phone operating system.
• Powerful Backup PC Manager - Control your backup operations/options from your PC.
• Redeveloped Upgrade Mode - We now guarantee to move your Contacts, Tasks and Appointments, SMS and Email,
• My Documents and Internet Favourites across to a new Windows Mobile device.
• New 1-step Backup - Trigger a manual backup instantly with this feature!
• Performance Improvements - General speed, stability and performance fixes and revisions.

Spb Software House has released Spb Backup 2.0 - a tool for making reserve copies of personal data and system settings for Windows Mobile phones.  Spb Backup safeguards from data loss, eliminates the pain of reinstalling applications after a hard reset, a ROM or device upgrade, and delivers a flawless restore experience.  The new Spb Backup 2.0 is smarter, twice as fast, and makes moving data between Windows Mobile phones as easy as unpacking an archive.

Spb Backup 2.0 will come to the rescue if a hard reset disaster strikes, or if the device is stolen or lost.  Spb Backup Sync makes it easy to keep a recent copy of all data and system settings at a secure desktop PC location.  Spb Backup 2.0 will restore from the archive, even if data has to be moved to a new device or ROM.  The backing up process itself is so easy, that regular backups will become second nature.  Spb Backup 2.0 works for both Pocket PCs and Smartphones and copies the entire device, including contacts, sms, emails, storage card files, and even preferences and shortcuts.

Originally, Spb Backup sprung up from Spb Clone technology - a product, trusted by thousands of enterprises for creating exact copies of “master” PDA devices.  The new Spb Backup 2.0 offers a handy desktop component - Spb Backup Unpack.  The tool allows viewing and exploring the backup archive on a desktop PC and pulling out single contacts, messages, and tasks.  During the restore process, Spb Backup will automatically detect if device or ROM upgrade is taking place and prompt to select the appropriate restore mode. (more…)