It’s inevitable, really. At some point in time you will need to access
INTRODUCTION
some information stored on your phone and it won’t be there. Maybe you installed
a new application that shouldn’t have yet made it out of the testing phase. Maybe your
memory card gave up the ghost. Whatever the cause, you’ll need to recover your data from
a backup source. (Yes, unfortunately, that means you needed to create a backup source before
the data loss occurred.) Can Resco Backup help you reliably backup your mobile phone so
your data is always safe and secure? Read on to find out…
Here’s what is unique about Resco Backup:
WHAT’S HOT
Resco Backup can be installed using a Windows installer that will install An optional desktop tool for unpacking files from a backup archive can be
SETUP
the application to your device via ActiveSync or you can download a CAB file directly to your
device and install it from there.
downloaded from the Resco web site. Since it is a standalone application and does not include
an installer, you will need to copy the file to your hard drive and setup any shortcuts manually.
PRODUCT FEATURES
The key features of any data recovery product are obviously backup and restore.
Resco Backup provides a basic interface (above left) that makes backup and
restore quick and easy. Accessing backup sets and updating and verifying archives can be
done through the Menu attached to the right soft-key. An advanced UI (above right) reveals a few
more features by getting rid of the large backup and restore icons. Both interfaces provide the
same functionality. The only difference is how you access that functionality.
Creating a backup involves defining a backup project. The backup project determines
where the archive is stored and how many archives are kept in storage. If you have applications
that tend to interfere with the backup process because they lock files and prevent them from
being copied into an archive, you can have Resco Backup terminate all running applications before
performing the backup operation.
Encryption settings allow you to protect your backup archives from prying eyes
and compression options let you make trade-offs between backup speed and archive size.
If you don’t need to backup all the files on your device, you can
remove them from the backup project. This can be useful if you have music files or photos that you
already have stored on a PC and having another backup becomes unnecessarily redundant.
Resco Backup keeps you up to date as the backup is being run and provides details on the backup
once it’s finished.
options of comparing it to the corresponding file on the device or restoring it to the device.
archive or you can select only certain files or folders to restore from the archive.
If you’re satisfied with your backup configuration, you can schedule
automatic backups to keep your backup archives up-to-date. You can create a full or incremental
backup at any set interval. I’ve found it easy to run daily backups of my device in the middle
of the night. The Resco Backup scheduler will automatically awaken the device from suspend mode,
run the backup, and suspend the device again.
If you have some information that you only need to backup occasionally, Resco
Backup allows you to define multiple backup projects to handle those needs. Each project keeps track
of which files to backup and can maintain its own schedule that’s independent of other projects.
All the screen captures used in this review were taken during my first use
of Resco Backup. If you look back at the clock in the upper right, you’ll notice that the entire
process of configuring and running a backup took less than 10 minutes – 4:56pm to 5:05pm. Keep
in mind – this includes the time required for me to capture the images and run the backup. (The
one image without the clock was captured at a later date for use in the review.) Using Resco
Backup, you will be up and running in no time and you’ll quickly have your first backup completed
in just minutes.
HELP SUPPORT
Resco offers a variety of support options including a searchable support database,
e-mail support, and
a user forum.
The forums appear to be fairly active and can provide some indication of what problems
other users are experiencing. In addition, they will occasionally reveal features that
are scheduled for future product releases. Using e-mail support indicates it may take a few
days to receive a response, but I received a response shortly after submitting my
problem (see below).
OPTIONS
Resco offers a free add-on for Resco Backup that allows you to
unpack backup archives from a desktop computer.
After opening an archive, you can select files you want to extract to a folder on
your desktop computer.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Resco Backup is available for Windows Mobile Professional
and Palm OS. Windows Mobile Standard (which lacks a touch screen) is not supported.
Windows Mobile installation requires 452KB of storage memory
and a storage card for storing backup archives. The unpacking tool requires a meager
224KB of your PC’s hard drive.
BUGS AND WISHES
My greatest reason for wanting to backup the data on my phone is
to prevent losing the data if I lose the phone. Since the backup is stored on the
device I need to manually copy the backup archive to a PC. I would like to be
able to backup directly to an FTP site for an added layer of backup protection. (According
to a forum posting, this feature should be available in a future release.) It is possible
to store a backup on a Bluetooth storage device, but an FTP site on the web would always
be available for scheduled backups over a phone’s cellular data connection. Ideally, I’d
like to rank backup targets: try FTP; if FTP fails, try another FTP location; if it also fails,
try Bluetooth; if Bluetooth fails, try the storage card.
I really like the scheduler for running automated backups, but it would
be nice to have a little more functionality so I could schedule more than one type of backup.
I can specify whether to run a full or incremental backup, but I can’t do both. I would
find it most helpful to run a full backup once a week, followed by six daily incremental
backups.
I had one problem using Resco Backup that required some intervention
from Resco support. Before restoring a backup archive, Resco Backup attempts to stop
any running applications to prevent any problems during the restore. On my T-Mobile Wing,
one of the applications could not be stopped and the restore operation hung indefinitely
without ever restoring any files. The only way to regain control of the device was to
perform a soft reset.
At the time of writing, I am still in the process of resolving the problem
with Resco support through e-mail. Though the issue is serious, support has been responsive and
I expect a resolution that will allow me to successfully restore data from my backup archive.
Resco Backup is available in the pocketnow.com store
PURCHASING
for $19.95. A trial version of Resco Backup and the desktop unpacking tool can be downloaded
from there as well.
Registered users are eligible for free upgrades within one year of purchase. After one
year, upgrades are available at a 50% discount.
PROS
Ease of use
Schedule daily or weekly backups
Maintain a fixed number of backup sets
Define multiple backup projects
CONS
- Lacks FTP backup and restore
- Windows Mobile Smartphone/Standard not supported
- Possible bug with application shutdowns
| Value |  |
| Ease of Use |
 |
| Features | |
Overall |
|
OVERALL IMPRESSION
Resco Backup allows you to create regular and reliable backup archives
of your mobile device. It is extremely easy to use and configure. I have looked at other
backup software for my mobile phone in the past, but none of it has found a permanent home
on my device. It looks like Resco Backup will change all that, especially after they add
FTP support, and makes a version for those of you with Standard/Smartphone devices.
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