Friday, September 12, 2008

Mobile Configuration ....

I think I have finally hit on my working solution to mobility ... let me backtrack and set the equipment stage ... I have a Thinkpad T40 as my desktop replacement that is my base machine and a Thinkpad X61t as my mobile companion and ink solution ... the problem has always been and remains how to ensure that I have all my files and work that I need on a consistent basis. Those of you who have followed by quest know that this has been the source of much trial and error with success close to becoming reality in recent months.

Here is how I am now implementing this mobile situation .... I was using Foldershare until seeing in several blogs the new kid on the block Dropbox ... well Dropbox just came out of beta and this is a killer app as far as I am concerned ... early on in the beta process it proved itself, as I accidently deleted an essential file and I went up to the web application and got back my file with a simple click .. not only can you retrieve a file, but you can retrieve an earlier version if you accidentally save as we all have done ... anyway, I have dropbox on both my machines and put all my files in the directory that is dropbox, so all my files not only are synched automatically on both computers but also reside on the web. There have been times that I needed to work on something and I could get into my folder on the web and work the file I needed ... one other great thing to realize is that you are now backing up to two other sources automatically in the background as you work ... doesn't get better than this ...

A couple of other things I use daily is Evernote to which I will post ideas and website and photos .. it has the same utility as all data is stored in real time on both machines and on the web. This utility allows me to actually set up a new machine rather easily as all my critical data resides and can be gotten by a simple download and the new machine can then be brought into synch. The web based notes are presented in a thumbnail representation that I find really good to use and quick to find pertinent and necessary data.

Lastly, I bookmark into google notebook that you can get from google.com ... I use the firefox add in and it leaves a simple little plus in bottom right corner of the browser with which you can get to your notebooks ... once that is open, just get to the right notebook and hit the clip button, voila ... you are now bookmarked ... these three items are my configuration to keep a seamless workspace on all my computers and on the net ....