backing up my phone

[tony404]

Please forgive an android newbie How do you do this? My phone didnt come with desktop software.

thanks

 

[MannyZ28]

If you import all your contacts into gmail, you won't have to worry about them anymore, they will get synched to any new android phone that you buy. Any app you purchase in either the Amazon Appstore or the Android market will show up in your MyApps list and you can just redownload them. Free apps are not listed there, just take note of what you want to keep and redownload those as well. Your pictures and other media usually land up on the microSD card or you can move them their manually, or you can just save them on your computer. There are a bunch of backup programs available in the market that also allow you to save app data, I haven't tried any of them yet so I can't tell you which one is worth using, just read the reviews and go with the one you like best.

You don't need desktop software, that goes back to the days of Windows Mobile, or iOS where you had to backup to iTunes, until iOS5 came out.

 

[tony404]

thanks

 

[DAS]

I used to own a Blackberry, and I stored all my passwords in the password keeper app, and would backup the data using BB's desktop software.

Now I backup my data via Dropbox. I have all my passwords input onto an Excel spreadsheet, and uploaded to Dropbox. On the phone I use an app called "App Protector" to secure Dropbox with a PIN which is now required to load the app. This way if I lose my phone and someone finds it, they can't access my passwords unless they also know my PIN.

It's already been mentioned, but I want to echo that you'll want to save all your contact information into Google. I believe when adding a contact it gives you the option to save to phone or your Google account. Always select the Google account. This way if you switch or even replace phones, all of your contact information will automatically be downloaded to the new device.

Enjoy!

 

[g_schrage52]

Now I backup my data via Dropbox. I have all my passwords input onto an Excel spreadsheet, and uploaded to Dropbox. On the phone I use an app called "App Protector" to secure Dropbox with a PIN which is now required to load the app. This way if I lose my phone and someone finds it, they can't access my passwords unless they also know my PIN.

Enjoy!

I would recommend using a password app for securing passwords versus dropbox and an unencrypted excel file. I know you have a "pin", but what if your dropbox account is compromised? That excel file is wide open.

There are plenty of free ones available for Android and many more paid versions that will encrypt your data and offer a dropbox or wifi backup option.

 

[metroff1]

My Backup Pro fromt the market works great. It costs about $5, but if you're going to be switching phones in and out it's a lifesaver. It also gives you the option of saving specific things as well as the data for the apps you download so you still have all of your settings. Titanium backup is also available but it won't do you any good if you're not rooted.

You can also download all of your apps, even the free ones by using AppBrain from the market.

 

[garrettfarnum]

If you really want a full backup on your computer with desktop software, download Samsung Kies here as well as the drivers for your phone. Samsung

EDIT: Be sure to click software, it's next to manuals and the link is blue.