Apple iOS
Apple's new service for protecting and simplifying mobile data access is iCloud Storage. The service automatically backs up mail, calendar and contacts information from users' iPhone, iPad, Mac or PC for automatic access across different devices and is free for up to 5 GB of storage. The service pushes information out to devices over the air so there's no worry about docking to keep things in sync. It even backs up purchased music, apps, books, device settings and app data daily over Wi-Fi. All a user needs to do to restore or switch to a new device is enter their Apple account sign-in at setup, and iCloud does the heavy lifting.
Android
If you're looking for a more comprehensive Android backup solution that will save third-party apps, data and settings, the best you'll be able to use without rooting your phone is MyBackup Pro ($5 plus 50 MB online storage for free and $1 to $2 per month for more online storage). The program runs automated scheduled backups, supports a wide range of Android phones and will back up app install files that do not have copyright protections programmed into them. If your phone is rooted, one of the most thorough choices on the market is Titanium Backup ($5.99 for Pro), which backs up all apps, all data associated with them and the Android Market links that show you've paid for them. It also saves most phone settings and data. A free version saves to the device's SD card, but the Pro version will integrate with Dropbox.
BlackBerry
Until very recently, the gold standard for BlackBerry device backup was through SmrtGuard ( $44.99 per year), a fully fledged suite that not only backs up data but also offers anti-virus, anti-spam, an emergency beaconing system, remote wipe and a load of other bells and whistles. But it'll cost you plenty. Though it is still in beta, Research In Motion's BlackBerry Protect (appworld.blackberry.com) gives BlackBerry users a free way to wirelessly back up and restore contacts, calendar appointments, memos, tasks, browser bookmarks and text messages. And folks with a lot of apps can supplement either option with the shareware BlackBerry Swiss Army Knife (free), which saves apps and app data to the device's memory card.
Cross-Platform
The every-other-platform answer to Apple's iCloud Storage, m:IQ (free) works on Android, BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows Mobile. In addition to backing up all the things iCloud does, m:IQ also saves call log, voice mail and texts. Though data won't automatically be synced into a native app on your desktop, it does go into an easily accessible web account and any online changes are automatically pushed back out to the device wirelessly.
This story appears in the August 2011 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
