Backups are a pain to do. I have Acronis True Image. Every month I boot from a CD created by True Image and back up our two home PCs to external USB drives. It takes hours to run, but it's worth it.
Yesterday we accidentally deleted some important photo files, and Acronis was put to the test. I mounted the backed up image as a drive, and got back the files I needed. Didn't have to run a full restore or anything complicated.
We have thousands of photos of vacations, family, scenery, etc. I'd hate to lose all of that. That's why I do backups.
But being able to quickly retrieve a file from a backup is incredibly valuable. I always thought of backups as being something you never (hopefully) have to use. I have bad memories of flaky tape drives that took forever to restore from. True Image has certainly made my impression of backups alot brighter.
June 17, 2006
Nokia BH-200
I have a Nokia 6820 phone, which has Bluetooth. I've seen alot of people with wireless headsets, walking around talking into thin air. If it weren't for the thing in their ear with a blinking light you'd think they're crazy. I couldn't use one in public, but driving would be great. So I started shopping.
Nokia lists the HS-26W and HS-11W on their website, but I had trouble finding it. The local Best Buy had a BH200, which is still Nokia. It looked cool, so I got it.
It paired with phone without problem. You scan for devices with your phone, then enter a key code to lock it to your phone.
It was hard to tell how it would fit on my ear, but it did, and comfortably. It's easy to turn on and off with a single button. It makes different sounds for each so you know which one you just did.
The sound quality is pretty good. It could be a little louder (but maybe that's a good thing). Battery life seems okay, but I haven't used it enough to know. It comes with a charger. The battery is not removable, which is not great.
I'm not sure how this model compares to the others, but it works. That was my main criteria.
Nokia lists the HS-26W and HS-11W on their website, but I had trouble finding it. The local Best Buy had a BH200, which is still Nokia. It looked cool, so I got it.
It paired with phone without problem. You scan for devices with your phone, then enter a key code to lock it to your phone.
It was hard to tell how it would fit on my ear, but it did, and comfortably. It's easy to turn on and off with a single button. It makes different sounds for each so you know which one you just did.
The sound quality is pretty good. It could be a little louder (but maybe that's a good thing). Battery life seems okay, but I haven't used it enough to know. It comes with a charger. The battery is not removable, which is not great.
I'm not sure how this model compares to the others, but it works. That was my main criteria.
Seagate 100GB USB
I carry a home-built USB/FW drive for extra storage. It's fast, but bulky. I also have a 1 GB SanDisk Cruiser, which I highly recommend. But it's not big enough to hold the kinds of work files I'm dealing with these days. I need something somewhere between the two.
My choice: a Seagate Portable HD. It's USB2, powered by USB so no extra power supply to lug around. It's smaller than my clunky FW drive. I would have gone with the Western Digital Passport drive, but the local Best Buy had the Seagate at 100GB and the WD's were 40 and 60's.
The Seagate comes with a double-headed USB cable, which is supposedly required on older PCs that don't have enough power on a single cable. So far I haven't needed it. The speed is good and it's pretty quiet.
I'd recommend the Seagate, but check out the Western Digital- it's smaller.
My choice: a Seagate Portable HD. It's USB2, powered by USB so no extra power supply to lug around. It's smaller than my clunky FW drive. I would have gone with the Western Digital Passport drive, but the local Best Buy had the Seagate at 100GB and the WD's were 40 and 60's.
The Seagate comes with a double-headed USB cable, which is supposedly required on older PCs that don't have enough power on a single cable. So far I haven't needed it. The speed is good and it's pretty quiet.
I'd recommend the Seagate, but check out the Western Digital- it's smaller.
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