Scrappy Gen Gets Organized - Backup Smackdown Meets Lookout

We get lots of reminders in the genealogical blogging community about performing backups. Thomas MacEntee over at Geneabloggers sends out a monthly reminder to be sure to back up your stuff. Seeing that ruined computer every month is just the motivation I need to click save to file.

Backup Smackdown

This month, however, I would like to make a little addendum to his excellent advice about what and how to back up. It all stems from a little smackdown I got on May 22nd when my Droid Incredible decided it was overworked and reset itself. Yes, RESET ITSELF. Back to its original state. It was so original I had to call Verizon and have it activated. Yes, that is correct...activated, not reactivated. 

Smartphone Addict

After upgrading to the Droid Incredible a year ago, I had become a smartphone addict. My phone was beautiful. There was a page for social media; Twitter, Facebook, etc. Another page held stuff to read; Audible, Kindle, Google Reader, Genealogy Gems, etc. The main page had Gmail, Touchdown, contacts and everything else I was constantly checking. I even had Dropbox and Evernote loaded up so that I could take notes and save things with a simple camera click. Having spent so much time with my phone, don't you think I would have done the one thing that would have saved some of the information I put into it? Don't you think I would have backed it up? Nope! I lost it all! Everything I have put into my phone over the last year is gone.

The Verizon Wireless Fairy Does Not Exist!

Sure I can redownload the apps. What a pain! Sure I can reset up the whole phone again exactly the way I liked it. What a super big pain! But I cannot get back all of the pictures, phone numbers and other contact information that I put into the phone and not into Gmail or Touchdown. What a super, duper, big pain! Wouldn't it have been better to have backed up the phone? I have everything else backed up. I even kind of bragged about it, but never thought of my phone. I guess I just thought the Verizon Wireless fairy would save everything for me. Not! 

Lookout to the Rescue

Don't let this happen to you! It turns out there is a simple little app called Lookout available that will automatically backup your contacts, call history and photos. Lookout will even find your phone if you lose it and protects your phone from viruses. You can even go online and see all of the information that has been saved at the Lookout Mobile Security website. It's on my phone now, doing its thing. Of course, there really isn't much to save yet. I can't call or text anyone because I don't have their numbers anymore. Maybe someone will call me today. And I can save them. And then Lookout will save them. And we'll be phone friends forever. 

If you are my phone friend, give me a call. Otherwise you may never hear from me again. 

Happy Friday!

Scrappy Gen

Let's Remember!