Sometimes questions come in the most unexpected ways.  This one just happens to be one of them.  I was at a major electronics retailer here in So. Pennsylvania pricing out cameras ( A possible Christmas gift for someone), and next to me was another customer who was asking about mini SD cards for her phone (She has a Treo running Palm OS software) and was trying to figure out what she needed and how to use it.  The store clerk was having difficulty answering her question, so I stepped in (The boy scout in me I guess). Found out that she has been having issues with her phone and that every time that it needs to be reloaded or replaced by Sprint (Her provider and for the record I as well use Sprint), that she ends up having to manually enter all her contact and other data back on her phone.  She wanted to see if by getting the miniSD which her Treo has a slot for, if she could then back up or store her info on the miniSD so that she would not have to keep reloading (Sprint does not back up any data on Palm phones from previous experience).

SO I helped her (with the store clerk asking questions as well, isn’t it fun when the customer helps the staff) to get the miniSD which was not problem.  Then (after she paid for it), I helped her get the card into her phone and made sure that the phone would recognize the card.  However, with not having to support the Palm OS (This is not the PRE software but the older Palm OS software from a few years ago), I told her I would look up the details and post it on TGM.  So for Andrea, and all those still using Treo phones, here is information on keeping a backup of your phone data.

1st option –

Of course, if you have your Treo set up to sync with your pc using the Hot Sync software then your contacts and address book, etc would sync with your pc.  If you phone is reloaded or replaced, the data from your pc can be reloaded to your phone.  However, sometimes people cant sync their phones with the computer on a regular basis.

2nd option –

Using the built in miniSD card to back up your data.  With the cost of SD cards these days, that just seems like such a simple idea (During my trip to the store where I met Andrea, I purchased a 2 gig SD card from Kingston for $6.99), however, Palm in its older software did not have a built in feature to back up to SD. Which makes no sense since the phone has the card slot, but I guess they figured all backups would be with a pc.  With that being said there is an option out there, so that you can backup to the miniSD (using a 3rd party application).  There is a software option called “BackupMan v2.3” from a company called Bits ‘n Bolts Software (http://www NULL.bitsnbolts NULL.com/backupman NULL.php) that will add those features to the Palm OS

Screenshot from the Palm Gear store (http://www.palmgear.com/?fuseaction=software.showsoftware&prodID=46552 (http://www NULL.palmgear NULL.com/?fuseaction=software NULL.showsoftware&prodID=46552)) where you can purchase the BackupMan software.

 

Unfortunately there is NO Free option that TGM is aware of to backup to the miniSD (if anyone is aware of one, please let TGM know) but the BackupMan software give a 7 day trial so you can download and try the software for a week without having to pay for it, so that you can make sure it fill your needs.

Some of the features/benefits in the BackupMan software are

simple to use for both novice and advanced users.

a reliable solution that you do not have to constantly worry about.

a fully automated backup solution.

fast! After each daily backup subsequent operations often take less than 10 seconds.

redundant, allowing you to store many independent copies of your data on a single card.

able to secure your data with powerful a powerful encryption engine

a flexible solution that allows multiple schedules to ensure your most important data remains current

configurable. You choose what happens and when.

• Backups can be triggered after each HotSync operation to ensure your latest conduit-based data is always up to date.
• Daily backups can be scheduled to backup your handheld at a specific time of the day.
• Hourly backups can be enabled to ensure your backup is always current throughout your day.
• Scheduled backups can be enabled or disabled on specific days of the week or times during the day.
• You can create backups on a ridged schedule, or based on system events such as a HotSync operation, when you turn off your handheld, or even when you exit your important programs.

always prepared for the worst, but able to handle day to day problems as well.

• Everything in BackupMan can be automated, even the restore! It’s just a single tap to get you back to work after a hard reset.
• Allows restore of complete device or just a few files, it’s your choice!

designed from the ground up for PalmOS v5 devices.

The software costs $14.95, but since you can try it before buying it, you can make sure it works for you.

Links

Palm Gear.com (http://www.palmgear.com/?fuseaction=software.showsoftware&prodID=46552 (http://www NULL.palmgear NULL.com/?fuseaction=software NULL.showsoftware&prodID=46552))

Bits ‘n Bolts.com (http://www.bitsnbolts.com/backupman.php (http://www NULL.bitsnbolts NULL.com/backupman NULL.php))