The desktop Zumodrive client software also allows folder linking. This useful feature lets you select a folder on your computer, for example Documents, and link it to your Zumodrive. From that point onward, all changes which occur in the linked folder will also cascade through your Zumodrive and into any other computers attached to your Zumodrive. It all happens in the background without requiring you to think about it. You can also share files and folders publicly or privately with edit or read-only privileges.

I recently installed the Zumodrive client app on my Palm Pre. Cloud-based file storage is a natural fit for this always-on, Web-connected device. There are several reasons why you would want to connect your smart phone to a cloud-based virtual disk. Hand-held devices are easy to damage or lose, so having your files hosted off-device is a good form of insurance. Hand-held devices also have limited storage capacity. My Pre has just under 8GB of available memory. Zumodrive can expand that memory dramatically, while also making the same files available to any number of other connected devices.

However, the Palm Pre client app currently has some significant limitations as compared to the desktop software. The Pre client is read-only; you can't upload or edit files with it. This limitation is unfortunate because it would really be nice to be able to take a photo or video with the Pre and then save it into the Zumodrive. It would be nice to be able to record a voice memo and save it to the Zumodrive. Perhaps a future iteration will include this functionality. If you use the app you should by all means request support for any features you would like to see.

As a read-only app, Zumodrive for Palm Pre works well. Music files play through the Pre's streaming media player. Photos are displayed in thumbnail grids or individually. A finger swipe will advance to the next photo in the folder. Major document formats such as PDF or .doc are handed over to the respective viewing apps on the Pre. These are all useful features, but one is left wishing for more. I certainly hope to see more features as time goes on.

Cloud file storage is both a competitive and rapidly developing market. Zumodrive is a decent offering which supports a lot of OS platforms and appears intent on delivering continuous service improvement. They will definitely need to deliver value if they want to survive the competition and consolidation in this market. I give the free service high marks, but the subscription pricing is higher than some competitors and the service lacks features such as in-browser document editing which are offered by competitors. Zumodrive is worth a try, but if you don't like it then you should look at other offerings for the sake of comparison. No one service is perfect, so it comes down to a matter of personal preference. In my case, I will need to see the subscription pricing go down substantially before I commit to Zumodrive. But I admit that I would say the same thing about most of the other cloud storage vendors as well!

                     

Click here to download:

Review_Zumodrive_Cloud_Storage.zip (1727 KB)

If you don't know about LastPass, you are in for a treat. LastPass is a Web-based password management system which allows you to securely synchronize your passwords, form-filling info, and notes across computers and Web browsers. 

LastPass can be used as an add-on to Firefox (install through Tools>Add-ons), IE or Safari. When used with these browsers, it can save and auto-fill your login credentials on secure web sites. It can also generate random, alphanumeric strong passwords so that you don't re-use the same passwords over and over. One of the best security practices is to use a unique strong password for every login. However, in practice that can become a real burden to manage. LastPass solves that problem.

Now there is a beta version of LastPass for the Palm Pre. It will synchronize all your LastPass data to your Pre. But in contrast to other apps I have tried, LastPass will actually take you to the login page when you select a login. It does not yet have the ability to auto-fill, however it will allow you to copy your user name and password to the clipboard so you can paste it into the appropriate field. This is a very handy feature.

Keep in mind, this is a beta build, which means there could be bugs. In my testing, it works well enough to be useful. I already use LastPass for Firefox, so having hundreds of unique logins available in my Pre is a definite time-saver. There are apps for the other major smartphone platforms too, so even if you don't have the Pre, you should have a look at LastPass.

Hit the link below to download the .ipk file for the Pre. You will need a homebrew installer such as WebOSQuickInstall to install it. Check out my earlier post for more info about that procedure.

 LastPass - User Manual

     

Click here to download:

LastPass_for_Palm_Pre_tags_Las.zip (280 KB)

Some of the many useful Patches include: landscape Email rotation, landscape PDF viewer rotation, adding the date next to the time display, ability to forward text messages, ability to download files from links in the Web browser, change default Calendar view, and many more. Click on the thumbnails to view screen shots.

         

Click here to download:

Add_Must-Have_Features_to_Palm.zip (274 KB)

Today I have discovered a very exciting homebrew app for the Palm Pre - in fact, I think this one is the most significant I have yet found. It's called Preware and it was developed by the WebOS Internals group. Preware is an OTA app installer and manager, but that's not all. The really exciting thing is that Preware can install advanced homebrew apps, like the on screen keyboard and the File Manager Service, which previously required complicated rooting procedures.

Additionally, Preware also lists apps from multiple repositories! And you can even add new repositories! How cool is that? But wait, there's more. Preware also checks all your installed apps and lets you know (with a little green arrow icon) which ones have available updates. Now you don't have to waste time going to each app's home page to see if there's a new version out. Sweet!

Preware must initially be installed using WebOS Quick Install. Follow the directions on the page linked below. It's really a very simple and easy install procedure. (Tip: why not copy WebOS Quick Install into your Pre using Drive Mode. Then you will have a copy with you to place on any computer wherever you go.)

Application:Preware

               

Click here to download:

Review_Preware_by_WebOS_Intern.zip (310 KB)

You can download Spaz for free using the Pre's built-in App Catalog. At some future version point Spaz may become a paid app but will probably only cost about $2.

Spaz is an Open Source app, which I appreciate. Also, the support of other microblog services is a nice touch for those who are leery of the infamous Twitter Fail Whale.

If Spaz ever adds background polling for @mentions and DMs, I will probably switch from Tweed which is my current favorite Twitter client for the Pre.

           

Click here to download:

Review_Spaz_a_Twitter_Client_A.zip (220 KB)