Android Apps and News

You may have heard that Sidekick users’ personal data “almost certainly has ben lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger.” T-Mobile has since said that they may be able to retrieve some data, but this collosal screw-up has me wondering how best to backup data tied to my Android/Google account.

I would hope a company as large as Google wouldn’t mess up this badly, but Danger/Microsoft aren’t exactly some mom-and-pop corner store operation. Call it paranoia, distrust, or genuine nervousness about cloud computing, but you never know when something could happen.

The great part about Android is that it provides 2-way syncing. Should something terrible happen on Google’s servers, I could still hope that the information stored on my phone would replace it during the next autosync. Still, I want a hard copy available to me.

Back-up Google contacts

1. Sign in to www.google.com/contacts

2. Click “Export” (in upper right corner)

3. Click “Everyone” and export format “Google CSV” (for easily importing back into Google) or “Outlook CSV” (for importing into MS Outlook or other programs

4. Click Export and accept the download.

5. Store your new CSV file in a safe location.

Back-up Gmail

I have used Gmail as my main communication line – both personal and professional – since my sophomore year of college. There are thousands of messages that I don’t want to delete, so I’d have a heart attack if Google lost it. If you’re in a similar boat, use Gmail-Backup, a program that downloads the messages to your PC. Once the information is on your PC, copy it to an external hard drive or DVD’s.

Back-up Google Calendar

1. Sign in to Google Calendar

2. Click “Sync” (top right corner)

3. You’ll get the option of syncing with MS Outlook, Apple iCal, or Mozilla Sunbird

4. Follow Google’s tutorial for whichever method you prefer (I use Outlook) and you should have a second source for keeping your appointments and events.