Image via WikipediaI received a comment yesterday in response to my posting about Sugarsync on 1/13/11. The anonymous commentor responded wrote, "Great idea..write a 'review' for a service saying how much "better" it is...and give the URL as a referral to make your own account bigger. Unbiased journalism there :-/"First, thank you for the comment! I'm glad to receive your thoughts whether they are in agreement or not.
Second, let me share what is behind my suggested sites and tools when I make them. The easiest way is to use a real example and that will be my suggestion to use Sugarsync over Dropbox.
When I realize I have a need for a tech tool, my first resource is check the web. If my District or a District I've worked for has used it, I'll use my experience in those situations with the product. If not, as in this case, I start researching. So, I always start with CNET. I've found that their reviews are comprehensive and have not steered me wrong so far whether it be a software product I'm looking for or a piece of hardware, phone, whatever.
In this case, I had knowledge of Dropbox from a presentation at last year's TCEA conference. So, I knew they were a contender. When searching Dropbox, my search brought up SugarSync, as well. The truth is I'd not heard of them before so I researched further. In the meantime, I downloaded Dropbox to give it a try. I also gave Live Mesh a try, as well.
CNET reviewed Sugarsync and they received a 5-star rating and review from the Editor (http://download.cnet.com/SugarSync-Manager/3000-2242_4-10798179.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody;1d). Dropbox received a 4.5-star rating and review from the Editor (http://download.cnet.com/Dropbox/3000-18500_4-10903856.html?tag=mncol;1). This was not enough to sway me one way or the other but I was impressed with what I had learned about Sugarsync. I also checked out Live Mesh, by the way.
I do read through the site of the product and was impressed with this comparison at Sugarsync: http://www.sugarsync.com/sync_comparison.html. For my needs, I was inclined toward Sugarsync because of the syncing capabilities among multiple computers. (I manage 4 and an iPad). Oh, and that's another thing that was a huge plus for Sugarsync, iPad and Android connectivity! And, I have Mac and PC so the ability to sync with all platforms was important! Sugarsync provided that to me!
At this point, I downloaded Sugarsync to give it a try. I liked it! I was able to access from work, home, and mobile! It was an extremely easy set-up. And, it did everything it promised to do! And, I checked prices because, bottom line, I live on a teacher's salary, too! And, I could get more storage for the same cost using Sugarsync.
My final check was to look for comparisons of my top two contenders, Sugarsync and DropBox....here's what I found:
- Sugarsync vs. Dropbox: The Alternative You Never Asked For
- Shoot-out: Dropbox vs. Sugarsync
- Sugarsync vs Dropbox: The Clash of the Cloud Storage Titans
Finally, this blog contains things that I discovered that are based on my own 20 years of experience as a classroom teacher and Instructional Technology Trainer. I am sure there will be others who prefer alternative products or approaches and that is absolutely fine! However, all I can do is make my best recommendations and hope that others are able to gain something positive from them! I do hope that Anonymous will continue to read the blog and share their thoughts and possibly give a name to their comments. However, if they prefer to remain anonymous, that works too! I do value the input from all readers and thank Anonymous for letting me know that I needed to address this issue with MyWeb4Ed readers!
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