SugarSync – Apple iPhone Review

Now that the iPhone 5 requires a different Lightning connector, your iPhone 4/iPhone 4S (or older) accessories will be incompatible with new iPhone 5 ones. When considering an accessory purchase this time around, don’t let Apple force you into getting new accessories every time the iPhone is upgraded. Instead, get wireless accessories for iPhone 4 (and earlier), iPhone 5 and future iPhone cross-compatibility.

3 Wireless Tools for Better iPhone 4 & iPhone 5 Compatibility

Why Wireless? Because they rely on the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi features present on your iPhone and many other devices, wireless accessories are often compatible with many devices, without the need to buy a specific accessory for each phone or device, like a speaker with an iPhone 4 or iPhone 5 specific dock.

Wireless iPhone accessories:

1. Wireless iPhone speakers. Instead of buying new speakers with an iPhone 5 specific dock connector, choose wireless speakers for iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 cross compatibility.

Relevant Product: [amazonjs asin=”B00531DUL2″ locale=”US” title=”Soundfreaq SFQ-02RB Sound Step Bluetooth Wireless Speaker (Black)”]

2. Cloud storage. Cloud storage syncs your computer files to your iPhone, eliminating the need to connect your iPhone directly, thereby avoiding cable incompatibility issues. You can use iCloud or another service.

Recommended Product: ~~SugarSync~~ I began using Copy after SugarSync’s sudden price change several months ago. I am pleased with Copy (a free cloud backup solution with an iPhone app) and will write about it in the future.

3. Wireless FM transmitter. Now that your iPhone 4 car connection will no longer be compatible with your iPhone 5, it’s time to consider getting a Bluetooth wireless FM transmitter.

Relevant Product: [amazonjs asin=”B00BA5YBVI” locale=”US” title=”GOgroove FlexSMART X3 Bluetooth FM Transmitter with Enhanced Clarity Technology for Wireless Handsfree Calling , Audio / Music Playback , and USB Charging in Your Vehicle (Includes Micro USB Charger & 3.5mm Audio Cables)”]

Why Go Wireless

Remember, by going wireless, we avoid future incompatibilities between iPhones as long as Bluetooth remains a standard. Wireless accessories and apps can go a long way to avoiding a headache in the future as technology changes.

Auto Upload Mobile Photos Sugarsync

How would you like to snap a photo on your iPhone and have it automatically backed up online, and accessible from your computer or iPad?

With a cloud storage account, you can upload all your recent iPhone photos to a free online storage account, accessible from your desktop, without ever getting near your computer.

Using SugarSync (the program I use) and/or Dropbox, back up and sync all your important files between your iPhone, your computer, and an online cloud storage account that can be accessed from anywhere.

One of my favorite uses for SugarSync is a tweak that lets me auto upload iPhone photos to SugarSync, so that my Camera Roll is backed up almost immediately after I take a photo.

Whether you use SugarSync or Dropbox, this guide will show you how to automatically upload your Camera Roll photos to your cloud storage account, which can then be accessed from your iPhone, iPad or any computer.

Note this is not a perfect solution, since you need to open an iPhone app to initiate the syncing process, but this tutorial will explain how to make the photo backup process as seamless as possible.

This solution is much better than the SugarSync iPhone app feature which requires you to manually upload your photos or take photos from within the SugarSync app in order for them to be stored.

These instructions explain how to use the CameraSync app to upload photos to Dropbox, and then (optionally) to store these photos in SugarSync. Both solutions require a Dropbox account. Get a free Dropbox account here.

Then, optionally, get a free SugarSync account here. Why SugarSync? I use SugarSync because they offer 5GB of storage instead of Dropbox’s 2GB, and SugarSync is a better cloud storage service and file manager overall, in my opinion.

Dropbox: Automatically Upload Mobile Photos

To automatically* upload mobile photos to Dropbox, you will need:
*Remember, this solution is almost automatic. You need to open an app (and that’s it) to prompt the photo syncing.

A free Dropbox account
CameraSync ($1.99 in the App Store, as of this writing)
Optional: A free SugarSync account, if you would like to use SugarSync.
For those who jailbreak iPhone: Optionally, you may install the Backgrounder app so that you need only to open the CameraSync app one time and it will continue to run in the background.

Syncing Photos to Dropbox

Once you sign up for Dropbox and install it on your computer, create a new folder in your Dropbox » Photos folder. I called this folder iPhone Photos.

From there, I downloaded the CameraSync app from the App Store and linked it to my Dropbox account. Note, you can also sync your photos to other cloud services, such as Flickr, Amazon S3 Bucket, Box.net, or an FTP server.

CameraSync Dropbox

Once you’ve added your Dropbox account, tap the account name (e.g. Dropbox) in the CameraSync Settings page, then tap Edit Account.

CameraSync Edit Account

CameraSync Folder

Now, every time you open the CameraSync app, it will begin to sync up your iPhone Camera Roll to your Dropbox account.

Auto Sync Mobile Photos to SugarSync

If you use SugarSync as your main cloud storage solution, then all you have to do is add your Dropbox » Photos » iPhone Photos folder to SugarSync and it will be backed up there after it is backed up in Dropbox.

Jailbreak

If you have a jailbroken iPhone, then you can download Backgrounder from Cydia and add CameraSync as an Override (with Backgrounding method set to Backgrounder) so that it is always running in the background.

Note: This post may contain referral links, which I use only to recommend products or services that I personally use and enjoy.