App Showcase: Sprite Backup
There are few developers that are able to boast the pedigree of Sprite Software, who have been developing mobile backup applications for the past 6 years. Having used the software for many years on windows mobile devices, I was particularly excited to get my hands on their latest android outing and I am pleased to say it doesn’t disappoint.
In a change from my regular format for the showcases, I have decided to split it up into themes. Here are some of the features that really make this application great.
Simplicity
The key feature of sprite backup is its simplicity. Sprite have streamlined the app to such a degree that even the most novice users won’t need guidance in safeguarding their android data.
When the program starts the user is presented with 2 options, backup and restore. When you click backup, the program walks you through all the options including what and where to backup. Once that’s completed its a simple 1 click every time you want to run a backup.
Backup completeness
The key feature that Google promised us was that if your phone was stolen, then all you had to do was put in your Gmail account username and password and presto: everything would come back. In practice though, there are a lot of things that would be lost in the event your phone went away:
- SMS messages,
- your pictures,
- your MMS
- your bookmarks
This is where Sprite Backup really comes into its own allowing you to backup Bookmarks, Contacts, MMS, SMS, and a whole lot more.
Security
For me the key selling point of the software is that my data is my own. I can back it up to SD card and its down to me what I do with it. I personally wouldn’t trust smaller 3rd parties with my data and knowing that my data is sitting securely in my computer ( not someone elses) makes me sleep a whole lot better at night.
My Test Run
In the name of good blogging, I felt it was only apt that if I was going to recommend something I needed to do a test run of the software to see just how good it was. I know that it worked wonders on Windows Mobile, but just how well would it work on Android???
I took the foolish very brave step of hard resetting my Tmob G1 and restoring the backup I made earlier in the day. After a restore, I can happily say that it everything I backed up came back brilliantly, and the only major headache I had was reinstalling my applications afterwards. The only catch is that some of the 3rd party apps aren’t yet supported- so be sure to check first.
Summary
There are a few other competitors on the market that offer some other features such as online backup, however sprite backup follows the Ronseal school of development in that it does exactly what it says on the tin. If you are looking for an easy to use, reliable backup for your phone and you want to keep control of your data, then Sprite is the way to go.
Sprite Backup is available now from the Android Market.
Here are a few more pictures of the app in action:
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