The Great 'Back-up your mobile data' Hunt

MSE_Martin
MSE_Martin Posts: 8,272
First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
Money Saving Expert
It's the scourge of modern living, you lose your mobile and there goes everyone's phone number. Well there are solutions both technical and systematic to easily and cheapily solve this problem, so I'm throwing it open to MoneySavers to find the cheapest solution.

The solutions vary from simply organising yourself to write it down in a book every time, right up to www.synchyourmobile.com which for £13 a year allows you to back up your address book to the Internet at the touch of a button wherever you are.

So what do MoneySavers favour?

Click reply to enter the discussion

threadbanner.gif
Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert.
Please note, answers don't constitute financial advice, it is based on generalised journalistic research. Always ensure any decision is made with regards to your own individual circumstance.
Don't miss out on urgent MoneySaving, get my weekly e-mail at www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips.
Debt-Free Wannabee Official Nerd Club: (Honorary) Members number 000
«13456

Comments

  • I bought a little gizmo, half price at a fiver from Tesco about a year ago and back up the phone book on my sim onto a freebie 02 simcard icon12.gif
  • redux
    redux Posts: 22,976
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Forumite
    I just installed Nokia PC Suite [free], mainly to try Bluetooth and phone used as internet modem. Other phones can be connected with a cable, but some shops want £30 or £40 for a cable - must be cheaper somewhere though.

    The program has the facility to manage the phonebook in the phone, but I haven't yet explored it much yet.

    If a phone has a facility to copy to/from phone and SIM, then an old SIM could be used as backup, with the proviso that the phone may have multiple entries per name, and the SIM only one. I have not done this myself yet, but one or two friends been slightly confused by the results
  • I use my PC (Laptop) to backup all the data. I use the Nokia PC Suite and something similar from sony ericssons website.

    I've used Nokia and Sony ericsson phones. All address book entries (and others which are not so significant to me - todos,etc) are backed up on the PC. I've synced using infrared (bit painful depending on location of infrared port on pc and phone) as well as bluetooth (the preferred way) - not cables as they're not included and they only seem invonvenient.

    You need to set options on the PC software to ensure that all appropriate data is actually copied across.

    I use outlook. That allows specific groups to be copied to specific devices. But even if you dont have outlook, you will be able to use windows address book. obviously, that has no concepts of groups - so its copy all.

    I use a PDA which also syncs to the PC. I also use intellisync (free) from yahoo to backup contacts, etc on the internet (yahoo site).

    So, effectively, I have same synchronised set of data on my PDA, phones, laptop and internet. Obviously, the PDA is easiest to synch - it gets done automatically when i put it on cradle. others, i have to manually initiate.

    very useful i must say. if i update contact on phone, it gets across (and merged) to all other places in due course.

    hope this helps someone.

    Shameless self promotion: thank me if you find this useful!!
  • mr_fishbulb
    mr_fishbulb Posts: 5,224
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    I got a datacable and software with my sony which automatically backs up whenever I put my phone on charge.
  • $17mma
    $17mma Posts: 2,619
    Name Dropper First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    Is that syncyourmobile a free serivce? I have three phones (dont ask) and really need to consider backing them up
    All it takes for evil to succeed is for a good man to do nothing!
  • nearlyrich
    nearlyrich Posts: 13,698
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker Hung up my suit!
    Forumite
    I use my PC (Laptop) to backup all the data. I use the Nokia PC Suite and something similar from sony ericssons website.

    I've used Nokia and Sony ericsson phones.


    Can you have both of these software suites installed at the same time? I have 2 phones and a similar set up to you but the SE doesn't seem to work when the Nokia data suite is installed. It may be the phone, K700i but I have never had issues with nokia.:confused:
    Free impartial debt advice from: National Debtline or Stepchange[/CENTER]
  • $17mma wrote:
    Is that syncyourmobile a free serivce? I have three phones (dont ask) and really need to consider backing them up

    According to site its £12.99p a year.
    PF.
  • MSE_Martin
    MSE_Martin Posts: 8,272
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Money Saving Expert
    Synch your mobile is £13 a year, i've added it to my original post
    Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert.
    Please note, answers don't constitute financial advice, it is based on generalised journalistic research. Always ensure any decision is made with regards to your own individual circumstance.
    Don't miss out on urgent MoneySaving, get my weekly e-mail at www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips.
    Debt-Free Wannabee Official Nerd Club: (Honorary) Members number 000
  • $17mma
    $17mma Posts: 2,619
    Name Dropper First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    But doesnt the Carphonewarehouse offer this as a free service to it's customers?
    All it takes for evil to succeed is for a good man to do nothing!
  • intel
    intel Posts: 6,404
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    nearlyrich wrote:
    Can you have both of these software suites installed at the same time? I have 2 phones and a similar set up to you but the SE doesn't seem to work when the Nokia data suite is installed. It may be the phone, K700i but I have never had issues with nokia.:confused:

    I wouldnt see why not you would just have to have different
    USB cables for each phone as they have different connections...


    P.S I posted the correct web address but my
    post got deleted so well done intel :T for .com not .org
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.8K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.3K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.4K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 606.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.7K Life & Family
  • 247.2K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards