UPDATED 13:00 EDT / MARCH 28 2012

Backup Dat Data! Box, Sugarsync Appear Ready for World Backup Day

Cloud storage news and products launches are seasoned fodder as World Backup Day approaches. It was first started  by a few people on Reddit last spring to raise awareness about regularly backing up data (a topic of great importance to SiliconAngle as we cover cloud trends). It was a huge success, so this year they teamed up with a plethora of media outlets to spread the word about data backup.

To start the barrage of cloud storage news this week, Box unleashes OneCloud to compete with iCloud on the iOS platform. It boasts convenient features you won’t find on iCloud, such as round-trip document editing platform that gives apps like QuickOffice iCloud-like capabilities. You can now edit files with just a tap to “Save back to Box” instead of manually popping a document out of Box, edit it in Quick Office and re-import the file. OneCloud also allows users to work with friends or coworkers on other platforms, not just iOS.

Next, we have SugarSync which just launched an update for its app for Android that runs on OS versions 1.6 and later. It automatically syncs your data with all your devices and back them up to the cloud instantly. You won’t have to worry about losing data when you lose your smartphone.

A bomb in the backup scene is the rumored launch of GDrive, Google’s very own storage tool, expected to go public in April. It would compete directly with Dropbpx, Box, SkyDrive and others in the string of similar services. “We’ve already seen screenshots of the service…confirming that the product is, at the very least, being prepped for launch,” one pundit adds.

Special offers and service updates

Mac online storage service Dolly Drive shows its support for the celebration of World Backup Day as well by giving a special offer, a 33 percent discount to Mac users for a one-year Dolly Drive subscription. KineticD also shows its support for the events by urging SMBs to observe the day by ensuring that their data is securely backed up.

And while many companies in the cloud storage industry are prepping for World Backup Day and upcoming product launches, HTC is planning to shutdown HTCsense.com cloud backup services on April 30, along with it deleting customer data, so they are encouraging users to download the data ahead. But the closure is only temporary as HTC prepares for the launch of “new and improved services,” the company says. HTCsense.com enables users to let HTC phone user backup contact, messages, call history and geotagged photos in the cloud.


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