Application:Spb Backup 1.5.1Sprite Backup 3.1.4 and 5.1SKTools 3.0.62.0Sunnysoft Backup ManagerArtSSave 1.7ActiveSync 4.5 beta 2
Price$19.95$29.95; 5.1 is half the price for 3.x customers$12.99; free for 2.x users$14.95$25Free (the backup feature is built into all versions of ActiveSync)
Operating system compliance?PPC 2002+3.1.4: PPC 2002, WM2003, WM2003SE; 5.1: WM5WM2003+PPC 2002+ (note that the homepage lists it to be compatible with PPC 2000 too; that's not the case); WinCE .NETPPC's: PPC 2000 (SH3 / MIPS too as can be seen in here (screenshot made on PPC2k E-125)) ... WM2003SE; NO WM5; H/PC's too (starting from WinCE 2.0) All pre-WM5 WindowsCE-based operating systems (with Pocket PC's, Pocket PC 2000, 2002, WM2003, WM2003SE)
Trial version available? Restrictions?+, 5 backups- (!)+ (no restrictions on the backup / restore functionality, only in the file lists in restoring)+; 7 days+; 14 days + no advanced restoren/a
Easy mode vs. advanced mode distinction?+ + - + (easy 1 2; advanced: backup 1 2; 3; restore 1 2 3; location 1 2)+ (Advanced Restore mode)-
WM5 HTC Wizard time / size benchmark tests: Backup time of a given state to the same storage card, under the same circumstances3:35 (incl. 1* reset at the end)2:35 (incl. 2* reset; compress, self-restore) (best)5:30 (incl. 2* reset)3:27 (incl. 1* reset at the beginning)n/a (not compatible with WM5)n/a (not compatible with WM5)
Size; backup file type (separate EXE file / all backup files are EXE files).exe: 6,581,344Exe: 9,463,324.asb: 6,286,381; sktools.exe: 1.3M.bkp: 6,575,612; separate EXE file: .bkp.exe: 34,240n/a (not compatible with WM5)n/a (not compatible with WM5)
Compression rate? (- means no compression at all)+; good+; pretty bad+; best (albeit the Sunnysoft and the Spb apps aren't much worse)+; good--
Restoration time of a given state2:50 (incl. 1* reset at the end)2:10 (incl. 2* reset)4:25 (incl. 2* reset)1:30 (incl. 1* reset at the end)n/a (not compatible with WM5)n/a (not compatible with WM5)
Everything went OK (WM5 databases, PIM etc?)++++n/a (not compatible with WM5)n/a (not compatible with WM5)
Differential backup method? : Yes/No----++
If yes, is it possible to restore a given state?n/an/an/an/a+ (also displays the changes between two states)- (you may, however, manually save the Backup.stg file from C :\ Documents and Settings\ WINUSERNAME \ Application Data\ Microsoft\ ActiveSync\ Profiles\ ASSYNCNAME \ and manually swap it back)
Scheduled backups, general: supported?+ + (1 2)+++n/a (desktop-side - that is, it has no (self standing) Pocket PC-side components). The only thing you can enable is auto-backup every time you connect the device via ActiveSync as opposed to initiating the backup by hand
Keeps the device alive during scheduled backup and powers down the device after it?+/++/++/++/++n/a (desktop-side)
Recurring events?Settable weekdaysDaily / weeklyDay of week / Day of month / Months / Years Daily / Weekly / Monthly / At (each) Power On + (every day)n/a (desktop-side)
Scheduled backups; compatibility with security features / tools: HP ProtectTools compatibility; real-world scheduled backup + encrypted file test+ (everything backed up and restored OK); will try to make another backup when the user logs in, this attempt must be manually stopped+ (everything backed up and restored OK)- (doesn't run)- (doesn't run)n/t (my hx4700 has WM5 on it, which is incompatible with ArtSSave)n/a (you must enter the PIN into ActiveSync to have any kind of access to the PDA, including backing up)
Standard system lock / password tool test- without the reminder hack, + with it + (works great in the background; also see this FAQ entry)+ on WM2003(SE), - on WM5-+ (tested on the WM2003SE PL720)n/a (see above)
Desktop and networking support: Making backups from other computers: Desktop-based backup (similar to the built-in pre-WM5 backup capabilities of ActiveSync) service / agent?-+ (for example, on every cradling); via both ActiveSync and "true" TCP/IP connections---+ (ActiveSync itself)
Desktop-based backup file browser tool capable of selective restoring to both the PDA and the desktop (to extract files if there's no (suitable/compatible) PDA connected), similar to that of STGViewer and HPC Vault +, with a separately downloadable tool, Spb Backup Unpack ----+
Backup directly to network shares?-3.1.4: +, 5.1: -----
Desktop-based backup (auto) synchronizer tool? (MightySync / MobSync will always work if there is no explicit support for this!)---+ (automatically / manually copies backups from the PDA to the desktop and stores there (in the c :\ Program Files\ Sunnysoft\ Sunnysoft Backup Manager\ data\ directory, in index_file 0000000000 .dat files, where 0's are incremented with newer backup files); make sure you download the desktop EXE installer tool to be able to install this)-n/a (backup file is stored right on desktop)
Cross-restoration / device upgrade mode: Cross-restoration?+; prints a warning at start+; displays warning and lets for switching to Device Upgrade mode on the spot 1 2. In QVGA versus VGA cases, using self-extracting backups, the GUI may be messed up like in this case (starting a QVGA .EXE backup on a VGA device)+; no warning at all+; no warning at all?- (not possible to restore to other devices)
Does it display the backup device / OS information?+ (only device info)- (it stores in the backup file though)-- + (no ROM version information though: only device type)- (it's, however, embedded in the STG file and is, to some degree, human-readable)
Device upgrade mode?-+; fortunately, as good & flexible as was in the pre-WM5 times ; also see the separate section on this----
Other backup-related extra features / functionalityBackup file auto-rotation with keeping X old backup files?+ + --n/a (the file architecture is differential; one file saves all states)- (only the latest stage is saved on the desktop)
Automatic file exclusion rules-+ -+ 1 2 --
Battery level triggered backup?-3.1.4: +, 5.1: -+ when scheduled (recurring) backup used along with "Battery life present" in Settings, then, you'll have the functionality (this also means it's a bit more complicated to set up than with the other, battery life-dependent apps). However, as periodic backup (checks) can only be done at least every day, this may prove to be a bit less safe than iPAQ Backup's (and the non-WM5's Sprite Backup's) checking the battery life every hour or Sunnysoft's checking it every 30...180 minutes.+ (1 2 3); check every 30...180 minutes and initiate backup at 1...100% battery level. Uses the notification queue + (not possible to fine-tune the value it's saved at)-
Storage Card backup+ + ++ --
Backup to the built-in memory (not to cards)?++ ; warns about the target's being volatile+ ; by default, when you choose the target, it starts in the root directory and, therefore, it'll be put in the main storage of your device - doesn't warn!+-n/a
Odyssey Client compatibility+ (explicitly shuts it down)+++n/t (my x51v has WM5 on it, which is incompatible with ArtSSave)n/t (I have no WM2003SE x50v and ActiveSync can't back up WM5 devices)
Detailed log++; a much more thorough log is written to \Temp\ BackupLog. txt--+; note that you must switch to Advanced Tree View to be able to see what files / objects weren't restored. Then, you will be able to browse the tree (1 2)-
Selections: Separate backup: WM5 database files- - -+ - (full backup, no selection)- (full backup, no selection)
E-mails?- (only as one entity)- (only as one entity) - (not even as a separate, selectable entity)+ --
Files?+ + (much worse than the alternates: it only lets for backing up entire directories/directory trees 1 2)+--
PIM data?- (only as a whole)- - - --
Selection save/load / revert---Reverting --
Separate restore: any different from separate backup?- (exactly the same configurability: 1 2 3)- +: Files: can be separately extracted / restored. Registry / databases: can only be restored from separate backup files, NOT from a generic full backup- (same level of selectability / separation; that is, databases (one by one!), files (one by one!), registry)+ (you can restore anything in Advanced mode)-