Friday, February 14, 2014

Back it up, people!

We've all seen it. Every couple of months, you notice a post on Facebook from some friend saying "Hey everyone, I lost all my contacts when I got a new phone. Text me your numbers!".

I can't fathom why, in this day and age, people can still lose their contact lists. Keep in mind, the majority of these users have either Android powered phones or iPhones. Both of these systems have built in backup protection. This isn't the days of lugging around your big ass Nokia, which to be fair, would never have broken on you. Those things could withstand a direct shelling from a tank.

Nowadays, with cloud storage and the abundance of apps out there, it's easier than ever to back up your information. Hell, even most carriers add their own backup apps on their version of Android. Apple users can sync their entire devices to iTunes.

This is one of the things I like most about Android, its integration with Google services. Just by having a Gmail account, your contacts are backed up, your calender syncs, your photos are backed up as soon as you take them, all of your apps are easily available and all of your information can sync between multiple systems. If you use Chrome on your desktop, all of your bookmarks will be available on your mobile. If you like music, Google Play Music allows you to upload thousands of songs to your account, all easily accessible from your device. And last but not least, Google Drive and your own bit of cloud storage.

Yet, with all these wonderful features, there are some people out there who don't do this. They claim ignorance, even though you are asked by your phone during the setup process. Even if you don't want to use Gmail as your main email account, having it means that if some bizarre event should claim the life of your precious new mobile device, restoring all your personal information is quick, simple and painless.

Seriously, go back it up!


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