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Smartphones are replacing personal computers for so many things. Devices with bigger touchscreens – such as the iPhone – are great for storing pictures and managing contacts but also good at falling in the toilet or being left behind at restaurants. Backup for your phone is important.
The Iomega SuperHero is a docking station for the iPhone that creates backups of information on the device while it charges. The only information it currently allows you to back up is contacts and photographs taken with the iPhone: so music, calendar data and other information will still have to be backed up when you sync your iPhone with iTunes or make use of cloud syncing services.
Apple’s own iCloud service, to be launched around September this year, will make this product obsolete for subscribers, because it will automatically back up information from the iPhone using the device’s Internet connection.
However, in South Africa users may prefer to use an offline backup solution, even if it isn’t as effective. It’s also worthwhile to have multiple backup sets.
The SuperHero stores backup information on an SD card that can be removed or replaced. It requires you to download specific software to the iPhone that enables the backup process. The iPhone must be unlocked when placed in the dock and then the Iomega software will automatically run once the dock is detected and information will be transferred. It takes some getting used to, as you intuitively place the phone in the dock, hear the sound as it begins charging and expect everything else to happen automatically.
Using the iPhone app you can choose whether to back up contacts, photos or both and the software is also used to restore those to your phone should that be required. The backup process is rather slow, due to Apple placing limits on data transfer speeds for accessories connected to the iPhone. Transferring a large roll of photographs will take a while, although contacts back up quite quickly.
The dock looks good in slick aluminium and makes sense next to a bed, allowing the iPhone to be backed up while charging overnight. Though it would be far more desirable if it also backed up other information on the phone too, it’s a clever idea and you can’t have too many backups of important data.
Review
VERDICT: Backup iPhone photos and contacts while charging.
COMPLEXITY: Requires an application download from the App Store.
PRICE: R650.
ALSO CONSIDER: Apple iPhone Dock connected to a computer.
VALUE RATING: 7/10
The Iomega SuperHero is a docking station for the iPhone that creates backups of information on the device while it charges. The only information it currently allows you to back up is contacts and photographs taken with the iPhone: so music, calendar data and other information will still have to be backed up when you sync your iPhone with iTunes or make use of cloud syncing services.
Apple’s own iCloud service, to be launched around September this year, will make this product obsolete for subscribers, because it will automatically back up information from the iPhone using the device’s Internet connection.
However, in South Africa users may prefer to use an offline backup solution, even if it isn’t as effective. It’s also worthwhile to have multiple backup sets.
The SuperHero stores backup information on an SD card that can be removed or replaced. It requires you to download specific software to the iPhone that enables the backup process. The iPhone must be unlocked when placed in the dock and then the Iomega software will automatically run once the dock is detected and information will be transferred. It takes some getting used to, as you intuitively place the phone in the dock, hear the sound as it begins charging and expect everything else to happen automatically.
Using the iPhone app you can choose whether to back up contacts, photos or both and the software is also used to restore those to your phone should that be required. The backup process is rather slow, due to Apple placing limits on data transfer speeds for accessories connected to the iPhone. Transferring a large roll of photographs will take a while, although contacts back up quite quickly.
The dock looks good in slick aluminium and makes sense next to a bed, allowing the iPhone to be backed up while charging overnight. Though it would be far more desirable if it also backed up other information on the phone too, it’s a clever idea and you can’t have too many backups of important data.
Review
VERDICT: Backup iPhone photos and contacts while charging.
COMPLEXITY: Requires an application download from the App Store.
PRICE: R650.
ALSO CONSIDER: Apple iPhone Dock connected to a computer.
VALUE RATING: 7/10
