Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Sync Any Folder to Dropbox with SyncToy

Sync Any Folder to Dropbox with SyncToy: "

Would you like to keep a folder synced with Dropbox without moving it to the Dropbox folder? Here’s how you can sync any folder on your computer with Dropbox.


Dropbox is a great service for keeping your files synced between your computers and the cloud. Unfortunately, though, you have to place files and folders in the Dropbox folder for them to sync. You could move folders to Dropbox and create a symbolic link to them in their original location, but this can be difficult to setup. An easier solution would be to sync the folders to a new folder in Dropbox, so everything will stay the same. Here’s how to do this in Dropbox using SyncToy.


Getting Started


First, make sure you have Dropbox (link below) installed and setup on your computer.


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Then download and install SyncToy (link below). Make sure to download the correct version for your computer, as there are 32 and 64 bit versions available.


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If you don’t already have the Sync Framework installed, you’ll be prompted to install it first. It’s already included in the SyncToy installer, though, so you won’t have to worry about a separate download.


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Once its installed, it will automatically launch the SyncToy installer; setup as normal.


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When you first run SyncToy you’ll be asked to participate in the feedback program; select if you want to participate or not and click Ok. Now you’re ready to start syncing files and folders with Dropbox.


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Syncing a Folder With Dropbox


To sync a folder with Dropbox, run SyncToy and click Create New Folder Pair.


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On the Left Folder field, select the folder you want to sync with Dropbox, and then select the Dropbox folder you want to sync this data to in the Right Folder field.


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Now choose how you want to sync the folder. Choose Synchronize if you want to edit the files on multiple computers and keep the changes saved between all of them. For most users, Synchronize is the best option. Select Echo if you simply want to backup your files to Dropbox but not save changes to the files back on your computer. Or, select Contribute to have new files copied both ways, but to never remove deleted files from the folder in Dropbox. Click Next once you’ve made your selection.


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Finally, give your sync pair a name, and select Finish.


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Run the Folder Sync


Once your file pair is setup, you’ll be able to select it from the menu on the left. Click Run to go ahead and sync your files.


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Now the sync will copy all new files and changes to your Dropbox folder, and will tell you if there are any errors.


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You’ll have to run this every time you want to sync the files in the folder, but it will be much easier than copying the files over manually and deciding whether to overwrite the files and changes.


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Conclusion


This trick makes it easy to sync anything with Dropbox. Whether you want to sync draft files for your next book or log files from a diagnostics app, you’ll be able to store them in the default location and keep them synced with Dropbox. Feel free to repeat the steps and keep as many folders as you like synced with Dropbox.


If you’d like to simply send an individual file to Dropbox, check out our article on How to Add Dropbox to the Send To Menu. Or, if your Dropbox is getting too big and you don’t want to keep all of your Dropbox files on your computer, here’s how to Sync Specific Folder From Dropbox With Your Computer.


Link


Download and Setup Dropbox


Download SyncToy



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Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Jailbreak Your iPhone or iPod Touch with iOS 4 the Easy Way

Jailbreak Your iPhone or iPod Touch with iOS 4 the Easy Way: "

In case you haven’t heard the news over the past couple of days, there is now an incredibly easy way to jailbreak your iPod Touch or iPhone running iOS 4. Here we will take a look at how easy the process is.


Here we are using an iPod Touch 32GB device, but it works the same with an iPhone as well.


Note: There is always a risk of “bricking” your device when you jailbreak it. Make sure this is something you want to do and know there are potential risks involved. Also, this may void the warranty with Apple.


sshot-2010-08-01-[22-17-23]


Update to iOS4


If you haven’t done so already…to update your device, plug it into your computer and open iTunes. Then under Devices click on the iPod or iPhone and under the Summary Tab and Version click Update.


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Click the Update button…


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You will get information on the new iOS 4 version.


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Agree to the Software License Agreement…


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Then the update will take place, give it a few minutes while it completes.


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Sync & Backup Your iPod or iPhone


Before we get started with the jailbreak, make sure to sync and backup your device. Under Devices right-click the iPod Touch or iPhone and select backup and Sync.


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You will get a message at the top of iTunes letting you know it has completed.


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Connect to Wi-Fi Network


Disconnect your iPhone or iPod Touch from your computer and connect to a Wi-Fi Network. If you’re a beginner and now sure how to do this, check out our article on how to connect your mobile devices to a Wi-Fi network.


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Now open Safari and navigate to jailbreakme.com.


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Once connected you will get a message explaining JailbreakMe and you simply need to slide to jailbreak.


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It might take a couple minutes for the tool to download and install…especially the last couple of days the site has been quite busy. You won’t need to do anything else, just let it install and wait until you get the message “Cydia has been added”. It will then ask you if you’re a User, Hacker, or Developer to help apply filters.


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That’s all there is to it! This is the easiest method to jailbreak an iPod Touch or iPhone that we have seen yet.


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Troubleshooting


When we first tried this on our iPod Touch, the screen in Safari would freeze up.


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Then we would get a message saying it didn’t work and to try it again. After repeated attempts at trying it again, we finally went in and reset the iPod Touch. Go into Settings and under General select Reset.


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Then select Reset All Settings.


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You will get a warning message verifying you want to reset all settings. No data or media will be deleted, but you might want to make sure to back it up for good measure.


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After we did that, we went back to jailbreakme.com and the process was successful and could access Cydia and enjoy our jail broken iPod Touch.


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Reverse JailbreakMe


If you decide that a Jailbreak is not for you, it’s easily reversible! Just plug in your phone or iPod and then open iTunes and sync it.


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After that is done, under Version click the Restore button.


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You will be asked to backup your settings first…


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Then verify you want to restore it to factory settings. Unfortunately all media and other data will be erased, though you should have the option to restore all your data.


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It will take several minutes to complete and will be shown the status at the top of iTunes.


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And will get a few other screens that come up showing the restore process.


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Now you can set it up as a new device or restore from a backup.


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We still had iOS 4 installed and our screen shots were restored, however our music and apps collection was missing on the device.


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Here we searched for Cydia and it was completely gone.


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We also had to go in and re-add the Apps and our music. We didn’t have a whole lot of music and apps installed anyway so it wasn’t a big deal. However, if you have a lot of data, just keep in mind results may vary.


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Conclusion


This technique is by far the easiest way to jailbreak your iPod Touch or iPhone running iOS 4.0. Other than the first few attempts at installing it, after we reset the iPod Touch it installed perfectly. Remember, you’ll only want to do this if you’re not worried about voiding your warranty with Apple, and want the ability to use apps, themes, and other tweaks not approved by Apple. Once you’ve done a jailbreak you’ll probably want to leave it how it is and not reverse it, especially if you have a lot of data on the device.


What is your take? Have you ever done a Jailbreak on an Apple device before and are you happy you did? Let us know in the comments.


jailbreakme.com



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Monday, August 02, 2010

Cloud Music iPhone App Streams Tracks Uploaded to Google Docs [IPhone Apps]

Cloud Music iPhone App Streams Tracks Uploaded to Google Docs [IPhone Apps]: "
Heaps of music-streaming apps already exist for the iPhone, but Cloud Music has one novel selling point: you upload the music files to Google Docs, and then stream the songs from there. Docs is not just for word-processing anymore, remember? More »






"

iOS 4 On iPhone 3G: A Little Performance Relief

iOS 4 On iPhone 3G: A Little Performance Relief: "

I decided to upgrade one of my iPhone 3G’s to iOS 4 and leave the other one on iPhone SDK 3.1.3 after purchasing two new iPhone 4′s. Realizing that the upgrade did not have much to offer, the fate of the iOS 4 iPhone 3G was to be utilized as more of an iPod touch for my six-year-old daughter.









I followed some of my own advice and started turning off many features that I felt my daughter wouldn’t use like Notifications, Sounds, Vibrations, Bluetooth, Location Services, 3G Data, Cellular Data, Data Roaming, iPod Controls. I even placed the iPhone in Airplane Mode and turned off Spotlight Search. I did turn restrictions on, if for no other reason than just to disable iTunes, Installing Apps, and especially In-App Purchases. I loaded up the iPhone with no less than 100 Apps (almost all were games), her favorite television episodes, movies, music, and family photos. Wi-Fi was enabled around the house and she’s been using e-mail as well as Skype to communicate to family and friends.


What I didn’t realize was that I was unknowingly configuring the iPhone 3G for the best possible performance running iOS 4. The battery life has been phenomenal since the update with the feature configuration I used for her, almost on par with our family iPad (which is also a Wi-Fi only device). Several blogs have reported that simply turning off Spotlight Search (Settings > General > Home Button > Spotlight Search) is all it takes to get back some of the performance lost when upgrading from iPhone SDK 3.1.3 to iOS 4.0. While I haven’t determined if this configuration change alone does the trick, I can say that I have not seen the same severe degradation in performance the others have reported. Keep in mind that I turned off way more than just the Spotlight Search, and have no reason to turn those other services back on in the near future.


iOS 4 Home Button Settings


Now that users seem to have accepted the iPhone 4 issues, attention is shifting to the older iPhone 3G and its issues when upgrading to iOS 4. It is unknown if the just-released iOS 4.1 beta 2 will address any of these performance issues, or if it’s just wishful thinking. I for one will be keeping my second iPhone 3G on iPhone SDK 3.1.3 for a little while longer.


"

Homemade Magic Shell Recipe

Homemade Magic Shell Recipe: " Try this homemade magic shell ice cream topping recipe, and be amazed
at how simple and delicious (and customizable!) it is. Using only two
ingredients, you can make a marvelous crispy chocolate coating for your
ice cream. Stick with basic chocolate, or spice it up with
any flavor combinatio...
By: scoochmaroo

Continue Reading »"