TechPost

You may have heard of the term podcast and are wondering what it is or how to get started listening? The word podcast originated from the combination of iPod and broadcast, and consists of audio or video files that are made available for download through various methods.

Basically, a podcast is an audio or video file that an individual or several individuals create and then put into a format that can be easily played by many devices or software such as the iPod, Zune, iTunes, and Juice (just to name a few). The production quality can vary greatly, you may have a kid in his bedroom recording on a desktop computer or it could be produced in a studio with state of the art equipment.

The topics that are discussed in podcasts vary greatly, just about anything you can imagine is probably being covered somewhere on the internet. I am somewhat of a geek and enjoy technology based podcasts and the majority of my listening material comes from twit.tv. I also enjoy video from time to time, and in those cases I will turn to revision3.com or dl.tv.

Downloading iTunes is the easiest way to get started. Why iTunes? The Apple iPod is by far the number one audio player in the world, which in turn makes the iTunes store the number one place to find podcasts. iTunes makes it simple to find podcasts that you may find interesting. You can narrow the offerings down by category, popularity, or even recommended feeds. iTunes does not require you to have an iPod or an iPhone, it is a standalone application. Find it free here.

Personally I use iTunes, but I find it slow and sometimes aggravating to use with a Windows operating system. Other options are available such as the open source program Juice.  Juice is fast, free, and simple to use. Another option is to go to the website that is creating content and download the podcast directly. If you choose a direct download you can then use Windows Media Player to play the file.

Popular Program Options:
iTunes
Juice
Doppler

Popular Media Players:
iPod
Zune
Zen

A few places to get (technology) podcasts:
DL.TV
Revision3
TWiT

This past weekend the hard drive on my wife Nicole’s laptop decided it no longer wanted to work. What could have been a disaster was averted by a backup I had completed about two weeks earlier. Nicole lost some files for work and about a hundred pictures. Thankfully, several gigs of data were sitting safely backed-up on an external drive.

Local backups are great, but in the event of a catastrophic event or theft they will do you no good. Offsite backups are ideal and can be easily accomplished by many services. I have spent the past several days using many different services and have found that on average you can backup your data for less than $10 per month. They can also automatically run backups on a schedule or when you choose to perform one manually. If you are concerned about security, backups are encrypted before, during, and after the transfer – though some are more secure than others.

The major differences between these services can be found in setup, choosing what to backup, and recovering files. Some services offer wizards and some are far more clunky to use.  Let the breakdown begin.

SOS Online Backup
This service has a simple to use interface and has all the goodies that advanced users would be looking for. SOS would have taken the gold in this competition but on two occasions I had trouble connecting to the server. If the service is fully functioning, it cannot be beaten. Pricing begins at $50 per year; a free trial is available.

IDrive
The user interface is not as streamlined as other services but for advanced users this could be an ideal choice. Several configuration options are available and transfer speeds are top notch. A custom encryption key can be used which increases security. Pricing starts at $5 per month with a 2GB free version available.

MozyHome
Read the IDrive features and you will have an idea of what Mozy is all about. Mozy also includes the 2GB free version.  Pricing starts at $5 per year with a 2GB free version.

HP Upline
Easy to user interface, with abilities such as sharing pictures with family and friends (other files can be shared as well), and local backup options. However, Upline does not allow interrupted transfers to be resumed, previous version access, or backup of files that are being accessed. Pricing begins at $5 per month; a one year limited trial is available.

Carbonite
Setup could not be easier, and recovering multiple files or a single file is accomplished with little effort. Files are encrypted twice before transfer and then encrypted again once on the server. Unlimited storage is $50 per year; a free trial is also available.

Carbonite is the service I recommend, it may not be the best choice for everyone but for the average user it will easily get the job done. If you are feeling adventures, check out the Gmail Drive.