Review – Sprite Backup 6.5
Posted by Zealot on 09/28/08 in Mobilitysite Reviews
I have been using Sprite Backup for years now, with by and large excellent results. I have used it on a Palm Tungsten C, a Clie TH-55, an iPaq 2215 and now a Motorola Q, so I have a great deal of experience with the software on a wide variety of devices. In fact I have depending on Sprite backup in a number of dire situations when mission critical professional information has been on the line and it has always come through for me, but that was not quite true in regards to the last version, 6.2. I got burned by 6.2.
After several years of excellent service from Sprite Backup, I ran afoul of a known issue with the Upgrade feature, where a backup could not be restored on a different device without killing wireless, even if they were the same model. As my Q had been drowned and replaced, I assumed that it would be a simple matter of restoring to the new phone from the old MiniSD card, spit spot Bob’s your uncle. It didn’t out work that way, and I had to start my new phone from scratch. I was less then pleased. In fact. for a time I even considered not installing Sprite on my new phone. Therefore, I was very happy when I was invited to see the new version of Sprite Backup, v6.5. The new version includes some interesting new features and a GUI redesign, but also a promised fix for the Upgrade problem.
Thanks to the kind people at Sprite, I got to put it through it’s paces as soon as it was released. Can Sprite Backup regain my confidence and keep it’s place on my device?
The first thing that I noted when I booted up the new version of Sprite backup on my Q was the impressive new GUI. The icons are not only much more attractive, but much more intuitive then they were previously. The old old four panel grid is replaced with a row of five icons, each representing one of the essential elements of the software. Restore, Schedule and Options are still basically as they were in the last version. However, the Backup function has been split into two different choices. Backup and Custom Backup.
The new Backup is the long awaited and much needed single step backup feature. The lack of a quick, no fuss basic backup has been a problem for many Sprite users in previous versions. The older backup style, in which the user is required to select what elements they wish to back up (or just approve the default), is now called Custom Backup. This system of allowing folders to be selected or deselected for backup could be very daunting for a normal user and Sprite was correct to move it aside in favor of a single click system. After all, software backup should be a basic function included in Windows Mobile 5 and 6. The fact that it isn’t means that third party backup applications like Sprite backup have a real responsibility to their customers, most of who will not be power users, to make the process as simple and seamless as possible.
That being said, I am glad they kept the Custom Backup functionality for those of us who like to get under the hood a little more, or have a specific reason to exclude certain files or folders from being backed up or to include others. As long as there is a quick and easy option for those who prefer it, a more advanced process is a wonderful thing to have available and greatly increases the usefulness of the software.
One of my only problems with Sprite Backup v6.5 is that the Options menus can be a little arcane and non-intuitive. Fortunately the help file provided by Sprite is excellent, but sadly it can only be accessed online. Since it is quite possible that you wouldn’t have connectivity if you need to restore a device, it would be nice if the html files, or at least a word version, were installed with the application and stored locally.
NOTE: I was incorrect, the Help file is local, but on the device in the Windows directory. Not an ideal location but better then on the web.
Sprite Backup claims that the Backup process in v6.5 was not only simplified, but speeded up and made more efficient. To check out that claim, I took six backups of my phone using the 6.2 software, before installing the 6.5 version. The length of time it took to backup the phone using v6.2 was on average 4.5 minutes, with an average speed of 168KB a second. I then upgraded to v6.5 and backed the phone up 6 more times with the new software. The average time with 6.5 was a little over 2 minutes, at 220 KB a second. I am not sure if any outside factors could have influenced the numbers (my technical abilities only go so far) but it certainly seems like the new software is indeed considerably faster.
In restoring from backup, the system worked smoothly and unattended as it should. I was happy to see one of my pet peeves from previous versions adressed, namly that each restoration would automatically merge System Settings by default rather then replacing the olds once with the backed up settings. Even once you changed it, the next restore would revert to default. This caused all my certificates to break, and I would often need to repeat a restoration having forgotten to switch the System Settings Restore mode in the Options menu. Now I am happy to say that I set it to Replace once and it remained that way through several restores.
The last element I want to look at in Sprite backup v6.5 is the way it interacts not only with your Windows Mobile device, but the PC it syncs with. Using Sprite Backup you are able to initiate backup and restoration from your PC, and store backup files on your PC as well as your phone or SD card. On top of that, using Sprite Explorer you can open each backup file and actually dig into it, reading and exporting certain key files, such as pim.vol, to other devices or locations. Contacts (assuming they were included in the backup, they aren’t in the one step backup as they are replaced during ActiveSync and therefore restoring them from backup can create problems) can also be exported individually as vCards. This is a great way to be able to more securely backup just the essential information you need, or transfer it to other devices.
What about the Updating bug, that caused me such a headache? Sprite guarantees that they have solved the problem in this version, and as I never hope to destroy my phone again, I will take their word for that. I am only willing to go so far for a review.
All in all, I feel that Sprite Backup v6.5 is a worthy upgrade from v6.2, with a much improved GUI and some excellent and powerful new features and enhancements. If you are looking for a good, well rounded backup and restoration application (and what WM user isn’t?) then Sprite backup v6.5 would be an excellent choice for both neophytes and power users.
Anyone who has had a device die on them knows the importance of a complete and dependable backup application like Sprite. It has always been one of the first applications I load onto a new device, and that is still true today. Sprite has kept me as a loyal customer with v6.5.
You can download v6.5 as a new user or as an upgrade from Sprite.
(Source – Screen caps courtesy of Sprite)
Written by Zealot · Filed Under Mobilitysite Reviews
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Carry on.
I guess we felt its most likely that people would open it from within the application, where it can be accessed via Menu -> Help -> Help
I’ll talk to the dev guys about reviewing where else we could save it for easy access though.
Really good indepth review, thanks for taking the time to evaluate 6.5.
Keep up the good work,
Adam
Sprite Software
I thought the Q bug was supposed to be fixed before this. I had an older version of Sprite (5.2, I think) on my original Q and it had the same problem you mentioned, losing data connectivity. Once Sprite came out with 6.0, they thought it was fixed. Apparently it wasn’t.
By the way, it should be relatively easy to test the new device mode. Find somebody else with a Q, back both devices up, then restore their backup onto your device using new device mode. If it works like the other phone, the restore works.
Then restore your original backup on your phone. (Depending on how it works, a basic restore might work, or you might need to do a new device restore.)
Just a thought….
Steve
Sadly I don’t know anyone else with a Q near at hand (HTC and Nokia are kings here as far as Smartphones are concerned).
If anyone has tried the Upgrade feature with 6.5 or can try Steve’s test plan, please post your findings here. I really want to be sure it is fixed.
You could try taking it to a carrier store that sells the Q and doing the test. You wouldn’t be messing up their Q (other than installing Sprite, which can be removed), so maybe they’d let you do it.
Of course, if you have an original Verizon Q (or any other Q that isn’t sold any more), that may not work.
Steve