Pocket Lint did a quick review of Carbonite for Mac:
The good
- Runs quietly in the background, auto mode seems comprehensive enough, remote access from any computer
The bad
- Ongoing costs, initial backup can take an age, lacks the gloss of Time Machine
Verdict
- For sheer simplicity and ease of use, we give Carbonite a thumbs up
BestOnlineStorage.com, a website that features reviews and articles on computer backup methods has named Carbonite Editor’s Choice for the Best Online Backup and Storage Solution. Here is an extract from the press reslease:
Although not the first provider to offer online backup services, Carbonite does hold the distinct advantage of being the first to offer unlimited storage for a flat fee. Prior to Carbonite’s entry into the online backup industry in 2006, backup service providers were charging by the gigabyte. Carbonite’s introduction of unlimited backup space not only made the service more affordable but also encouraged more computer users to adopt better data loss prevention methods.
To date, Carbonite has backed up over 25 billion files, retrieved more than 2 billion files for small businesses and home users, and is now available in different language versions including French, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese. Carbonite Backup has also released in March 2009 its MAC version for OS 10.4 or 10.5.
“It’s not surprising that Carbonite has served this many customers and grown so fast in such a short span of time,” said Van Slooten. “The service is reliable, easy to use, and automatically backs up your computer for less than $5 a month. That is a small price to pay for the peace of mind you get from knowing your files are completely safe,” he added.
This is what Kitten on the Keyboard had to say about her PC problems:
I’m so glad I purchased and installed Carbonite. It has all my files (and most of my programs) backed up off my computer so that all I have to do is click a few links to reinstall everything. The first time I had to use it, I was amazed as I watched my folders reappear on my desktop as if by magic. For some reason, lately I’ve had some trouble getting it all downloaded in a reasonable time frame, but I finally figure out how to do it (I should be an expert by now, but sadly for some reason, I can’t get it to work the first time). And until then, my files, photos, music, data, etc are all safe.
I purchased a 350gb portable external drive where I plan to store everything, but it hasn’t come yet. The new drive has a USB connection so I won’t have to keep it connected and maybe have it screwed up, or get a virus, or whatever else might hurt it.
I’ll keep Carbonite as my main back-up for the time being. You know, a sort of belt and suspenders type thing until I figure out whether this is a good idea or not.
This is what Carbonite Australia had to say about backing up tax returns:
If you are using something like eTax to complete your tax return I would really encourage you to look into an online backup service like Carbonite. For just $71.95 pa it offers real peace of mind, because inevitably your PC will die and with it will also go the hours of work you have put into preparing your tax return.
Backing up eTax is really easy. eTax sits on your C: drive. Just find the folder via Windows Explorer. You will also see the files you have created for yourself. Their extensions are .TAX and .BAK. Right click on them and select Backup with Carbonite.
Carbonite is the ideal online backup solution for all user of eTax 2008.
This is what NoiseNotNoise had to say:
Carbonite comes up trumps in all these categories, the storage is “unlimited” I guess they might have something to say if you start storing 100’s of gigabytes but my 70 odd gigabytes have been no problem. Backup speed is rather slow, about 4 gigs a day seems to be the limit regardless of the connections speed, but that’s plenty fast enough once you have completed the initial backup of your machine.
Restoring files is a synch, just open the control system preferences, chose Carbonite, pick a file and restore it to its original location, or a location of your choise. Carbonite is also pretty good at versioning, keeping daily, weekly and monthly backups.
So Carbonite is easy to use, but how safe is your data? Well Carbonite encrypts data with Blowfish encryption and if your super sensitive you chose to manage your own key – so Carbonite physically can’t access any of your files, although that does mean if you loose it you can’t recover your files!
This what Nore Tech Systems had to say:
It is always good to have online photo backup, especially if a person has many irreplacable and memorable pictures on his or her computer. Both the Mozy and Carbonite backup programs are great to have. Mozy has a free version for people who do not need to back up that much data, while Carbonite has a low fee for unlimited storage space. Always look for reviews on both products before getting them, though, because one may have features that the other program does not. To avoid a horrible loss of memories due to data corruption or a PC crash you must backup your digital photos.
I started using Carbonite, the online, automatic backup service, after my computer crashed last year, I lost a bunch of baby pictures and had to pay over $700 to get just some of them back. The service costs next to nothing ($54.95/year) and I love knowing this safety net exists.
Well, I just returned from my vacation and my computer hasn’t been on for the past week. This is the e-mail I received today:
Just another reason to love them. Nice to know they’ve got your back.
If you’re not backing up your computer on a REGULAR (at least weekly) basis, start today! Trust me, the realization you’ve lost important files and photos is one of the worst feelings in the world… especially when you know it could have been so easily avoided.
The Carbonite support is many online services of storage of helps available on the market today which are conceived to ensure the alternative protection in the event of PC failure.
Principal characteristics of Carbonite help
Carbonite charges an annual fee of $54.95 which give you the unlimited capacity of help, quantified storage. The software is easy to use and the customer support which comes in the forms from telephone, live talk and sends them. This software functions on Windows Xp, Vista and Macintosh.
Carbonite employs a simple service type which applies both for the personal use and of businesses. Currently, the service is free for one 15 days trial period without by the credit card required.
The Good
What needs improving
There is a certain number of places where this service can improve. If all is well some of these improvements will come soon.
Firstly, even if the service to the customers ensured by Carbonite is one of the best, the users think that it always required some improvements. The majority of them complained that the questions are not handled as promised and the furnished information is sometimes not enough. The support of phase of offer of talk, telephone and email is a great movement, but in order to maximize their customer’s satisfaction, Carbonite must pay more attention to quality control.
It is most important to know that Carbonite will carry out only the autosavings on documents, photographs, files of music, the email and arrangements. Large various files as well as of the applications and videos must be manually loaded.
Summary of Carbonite review
Carbonite is one of the most reliable online protection services available today. It puts much accent on the facility of use and the safety, which are two of the principal considerations that the domestic users seek. However, it is not perfect but none of these services are. There must be a certain compromise when you ‘about paying less than $5/month the unlimited support on line. The good news is, Carbonite and the services similar to it continue to improve each year.
Summary of Carbonite vs. Mozy Home
Judging from the above feature-for-feature match up, Carbonite and Mozy Home are virtually identical in price and features so it’s difficult to declare an absolute winner. Neither one is perfect but you shouldn’t expect that when you’re getting unlimited online storage for less than $5/month. For every customer that swears by Carbonite, there is one that swears by Mozy Home. The match up is virtually dead even.
The best way to find your right provider is to try their services and evaluate which one suits you best. They both offer affordable, attractive and cheap offers that are easy to test. Plus, Carbonite offers a 15-day free trial while Mozy Home a monthly alternative costing only $4.95. Test their services and decide on your own which one is the best!
Source:articlecity.com
The Pros of Carbonite
Carbonite protects your data by creating back-up of all the files you have in use. It offers you for a very reasonable fee unlimited storage space where you can store any type of file, such as photographs, pdf files, word files, and financial data and so on. It covers both MACs and PCs. This means you can access your files from anywhere – which is a boon for those who travel often.
You will need to load a small program on your computer, but this is something that works in the background without any help from you – so there is nothing new to learn or acclimatize yourself with when you use Carbonite. The installation does not interfere with the function or speed of your computer. The recovery is smooth, trouble free and requires only a few clicks.
The backed up data is not accessible to anyone other than you as it passes through the same type of encryption that banks and secure financial transactions adopt – so your data is guaranteed hack proof. The files are encrypted twice for added safety.
The back-up is fully automatic – so you do not have to do anything to ensure the safety and safe-keep of your data other than setting-up a schedule that suits you.
You can use their 15 days free trial to get a taste of what Carbonite offers and whether you really like such a system on your computer.
The Cons Of Carbonite
You have to install software on the computer, though this does not affect the speed of your system. The access to your back files slows down after you have crossed storing 15 GB or more. Also, the default backup that Carbonite automatically excludes a number of file types such as videos, files larger than 4 GB, programs, temp files and system files. However, there is an option by which you could add these manually to the backup list.
It is not web-based back-up; it can back-up only from the computer where the license has been installed, though you can access the data from any outside system. It offer live chat and email support, but only during office hours. The absence of 24×7 support system is a major minus point. Additional priority phone support is available for extra fee. This too is available only during business hours.
Overall rating
Carbonite is a virtual storage service that provides unlimited storage space for a reasonable fee that is charged annually. The service provided is simple, but is low cost and reliable. I would think this is some great value for your money. The overall rating is 8 out 10.
Source:factoidz.com
This program saved my butt big time! It had everything I needed (even my EC custom filter settings), all my Incredimail contacts, messages and data…all of my scrap kits….EVERYTHING! At least 70 gigabytes of information…all readily accessible to restore! Of course where all the XP files went was a challenge so I have to thank the IM people, the Carbonite people and some great online friends for helping me with that task!
But man, thank God for Carbonite! (I’m sure there are other programs and I am no way affiliated with them, but if you don’t already have something like this…it’s work every penny!!!!)
Source:created-by-jill.blogspot.com
We’ve all heard the 20 reasons why we need an online backup solution. Why? Because by the time you think about needing it, it’s too late. Which is why it’s smart to think ahead, plan for the future, and get started backing up your data now!
The main question is, which service is best? The easy answer is to go with one of the big companies, such as Carbonite. I’ve spent the past 3 months testing out a few different services, including Carbonite, Mozy, Keepit, and ElephantDrive. I’ve come to learn a lot about the levels of customer service, ease of software use, and features provided. My two favorites are Carbonite and Keepit – but that’s mostly because I’m a big fan of an easy to use solution that you never think about.
Here are my scores for Carbonite vs. Keepit:
Ease of use — winner: Carbonite
Carbonite is the easiest backup solution I’ve ever used. It takes just seconds to install, and once you go through the easy setup process, you never really think about it, until you need it. I simulated a data loss and went through the recovery process to get my data back onto another local drive. To my surprise, the process was very easy and all my data was completely backed up. The data recovery was complete and painless. Keepit is also very easy to use, but you do have to interact with it more than you do with Carbonite.
Security — winner: tie
Both Keepit and Carbonite encrypt your data with 128-bit security before transferring it. This is important to give you peace of mind that no one is sniffing your data during a backup over the Internet. I see no fault with either solution – the encryption technology used by both is strong and secure.
Recovery process — winner: Keepit
When I simulated the loss of a full hard drive, both services did well in recovering all of my data. The green light goes to Keepit for the efficiency of the process. Keepit uses a compression technology to transfer and store files so it took about 30% less time to transmit my files back to me, a big difference when you’re talking about hundreds of gigabytes.
Compatibility — winner: Carbonite
The only determining factor with compatibility is Mac support with Carbonite. Keepit? PC only. Fine if you only use PCs, but I use a combination of PCs and Macs, making this a big factor for me.
Price and service — winner: tie
Both services bost $5 per month, and both companies provide great customer service. Carbonite provides weekend customer service – which is nice, but Keepit has longer weekday hours for tech support. So overall, its a wash here.
Overall — winner: Carbonite
At the same price and comparable on so many fronts – ease of use comes to the top of my list as the deciding factor. While Keepit is a solid solution and is a great value, Carbonite is just so easy to use and you never think about it, and in all respects it performs very well. I give it the thumbs up.
Hope this was helpful.
View original review here.
I used to use Mozy a year or two ago, but the service was too spotty. I got errors all the time and it took forever to create the first backup. That is, I left it on 24/7 and I think it took well over a month. Maybe it’s better today. I then didn’t use anything but external hard drives , and then more recently I signed up for Carbonite which I’ve now been using for several months. Other than Carbonite’s lack of support for backing up external hard drives I can’t complain about much, except that I just realized that Carbonite seriously slows down my computer, which is funny because you’d think they would work really hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Now, before anyone says “Well, you can’t use it on old, slow computers” I’m using dual 2.0 GHz processors with 2 GB of RAM. Yeah, I could get a faster machine, but this should be plenty fast to run Carbonite without everything else slowing down to a crawl.
For a few months I had no idea what it was. Video playback was choppy, and many heavier programs like Photoshop and Illustrator were slow the open. But it was off and on. Sometimes things would be slow and sometimes they wouldn’t be. Of course now I know that’s because sometimes Carbonite was backing up and sometimes it wasn’t, depending on whether there was anything to back up.
The solution was pretty straightforward–schedule Carbonite to only run at nights, instead of all the time. I just wish I had known earlier that Carbonite was the issue.
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Carbonite backup is one the many online backup storage services available in the market today which are designed to provide alternative backup protection in the event of computer failures or natural catastrophes. This Carbonite review takes a closer look at the service and evaluates its features to see how it keeps up with the demands of the times.
Carbonite Backup Basic Features
For an annual subscription fee of $54.95, the service offers unlimited backup capacity, encryption technology for secure storage, a convenient backup process, and technical support through phone, live chat, or email. It is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Mac.
Carbonite uses a single type of service which is applicable both for personal and business use. Currently, the service is free for a 15-day trial period with no credit card required.
Pros
Carbonite users are completely impressed and satisfied with many of this online backup service’s features, among them:
Ease of Use – It is easy to set-up and use. The installation is fast and simple and the backup process is easy to follow.
Security – Files are encrypted before leaving your computer and are stored encrypted on Carbonite’s secured servers, completely safeguarding them from unauthorized access.
Background Worker – This online storage backup facility functions quietly in the background without slowing down your computer or causing any disruption to your work.
Automatic Backup – After the quick installation and initial backup, you can practically forget about it. Most file types are automatically backed up so you don’t even have to think about doing the task yourself.
Reliable Service at a Small Cost – Carbonite backup offers a very affordable way of keeping your files secure. At less than $5/month, that’s a small price to pay for convenience and peace of mind.
Cons
Despite its strengths, however, the it is by no means perfect. In fact, there are a number of areas where users hope to see some enhancements on in the near future.
For one, while Carbonite’s customer support is better than most it still needs improvement according to some users. Some have complained that their queries aren’t answered as quickly as they’d like and the information they get isn’t as thorough as they had hoped. The fact they offer phone, chat, and email support is a good move, but they also have to pay more attention to the quality of help that they are giving, say some users.
Restoring files in volume or doing so to another operating system (e.g. Windows XP to Vista) has proven to be a difficult experience for some. Since the main intention of having an online storage backup is to have access to your files anytime you may need them, a complicated retrieval process can discourage users from utilizing the service.
It would also be good to remember that Carbonite’s automatic backup function only works for documents, photos, music files, email, and settings. Videos, programs files, and large individual files need to be selected for backup manually. However, once you select those files, they are automatically backed up from that point forward. This is very important to point out because some users have complained that they lost their videos after their computer crashed because they assumed they were being backed up when they were not.
Carbonite Review Summary
Carbonite is one of the more reliable online backup services available today. It places a lot of emphasis on ease of use and security, which are two of the main considerations that home users look for. However, it is not perfect but none of these services are. There has to be some comprimise when you’re paying less than $5/month for unlimited online backup. The good news is, Carbonite and services similar to it continue to improve every year.
Visit original review here
We had a catastrophic computer failure on one our data bases that house case sensitive data, Carbonite did an outstanding job restoring the data. Keep it in mind folks.