Review: WiFi Media Sync 44
There will soon come a day when wired data syncing will be looked back at as the barbaric and uncivilized practice that it is. WiFi Media Sync ($5.99 in the App Catalog) by 8-bit Development is one of the first steps towards that enlightened future, bringing two-way wireless file sync to webOS powered devices over WiFi (Sorry, Sprint Pixi users).
Installation and setup
The application comes in two parts; the first is a PC/Mac utility that is installed on the computer with which you want to sync with, and the second is the webOS application that's downloaded to the phone from the App Catalog with the initial setup process being generally straightforward on both sides.
On the PC client you create a password and configure which folders you'd like the program to sync with. Handily, The PC client also displays your IP address so that you don't have to go hunting around for it. In my particular case, WiFi Media Sync wouldn't play nicely with my firewall setup, so I was forced to disable it any time I wanted to sync files. 8-bit Development assures me that this isn't a widespread issue.
The webOS client is equally straightforward to get up and running - simply enter the IP address of the computer you're looking to sync with, enter the password, and you're ready to go.
Use
Once everything is set up and your sync folder(s) is configured, the program works like a charm. Syncing isn't as seamless as it perhaps could be, and this is more of a minor annoyance, but you have to manually rescan the sync folders on the PC each time you wish to sync. It would be nice to have the option of automatically syncing between the two clients a la The Missing Sync, but alas. After you have scanned for new files and there are files to be brought over, you're able to browse those files and select which ones you'd like to be synced.
Not only can you bring files from your computer, you can upload files to your computer from your phone. You have to configure turn this option on in the PC software, and once you have, you're able to upload nearly any piece of media from your phone. To select media, you're presented with the file picker that you see across webOS.
In photos, the application creates a new "WiFiMediaSync" area specifically for media that's pulled on to the device.
Summary
WiFi Media Sync works great now, and has continued to evolve and become more sophisticated in terms of feature set over time. It's clear that 8-Bit Development is dedicated to furthering this app, and you can bet that as the SDK's feature set expands (as laid out at Palm's Developer Day), so will the feature set in WiFi Media Sync.
So go then, won't you, and throw off the shackles of wired syncing? Trust me: syncing with your computer while your device is charging atop the touchstone is a sight to behold.
44 Comments
Not a perfect solution but a very good app. I use it to transfer my videos all the time.
I'd love to use it but there is no Linux version....tough for those of us Ubuntu users. Does anybody know if it works on wine?
Get openssh/sftp running on the phone. Create a passwordless key for root (you can use a different user, but I've found this causes problems with software updates. Don't ask me why). I hate using root, but at least everything other than /media/internal is mounted as read-only.
Ubuntu can then 'mount' the phone using sftp over wifi, and drag-drop goodness can ensue.
For syncing, just use rsync. WebOS includes it, so you can sync either direction.
well yea, but dropbox and zumo drive upload first to the internet and then the internet drops the files on your phone so its not direct access and is much slower all though they are the best dependencies from afar
Think of wifi media sync as connecting your 8gb usb drive to your computer, just wirelessly through your router which is giving off a singnal, your usb drive grabbing it, and your router giving it access to your computer.
I think you responded to the wrong comment.
Wouldn't it just be easier to use a service like Dropbox or Zumodrive?
So far I have been happy with this option.
Dropbox and Zumodrive are not "easier" if you don't want to run these files through a cloud server.
rsync over ssh with passwordless keys works well for me.
One thing I've noticed though is that bandwidth over wifi to the phone is really slow to the point of being intolerable at times. Not sure what the fix there may be.
I bought it and have no idea how to install the Mac version. It only says install Windows version. What do I do?
There is no mac version yet.
Did you read the app description at all? It mentions Windows multiple times.
Check out the thread in the forums...
Yea, but whoever wrote the article doesn't mention this Windows and .NET requirement, and even mentioned "PC/Mac" client. The article needs to be fixed.
The article is a highlight on an app.
System requirements are listed clearly and concisely in the app catalog description.
Although I do agree... the "Mac" comment should be fixed.
Even in the video the guy clearly says "after you've set up the host software on your PC or MAC". But whatever, I looked around and found out that mac will be supported later on so guess I'll have to wait.
This actually works nicely out of the box... nowhere near a perfect solution, but very nice for the APIs currently available.
If youve had a tether program installed in the past, be prepared for the possibility of some work.
I do like this solution, I bought it on the half off sale. I just really wish that I could select more than one file at a time.
Works nicely, but damn slow to sync a lot of small files. It takes a while to sync 3-4GB of music of USB (I swear it only works as USB1 mode, maxes out at like 2MB/sec)
But syncing the same thing over wifi it was taking hours to complete.
Is there a way to force the phone into usb 1? I didn't know of any...
"PC" is a hardware platform. The hardware platform can run many operating systems: Linux, BSD, and Windows are three options among many more.
This software apparently only runs on Windows, so while it is something that runs on the PC hardware platform, it is not, strictly speaking, a "PC Utility" -- it is a Windows utility.
I know this probably sounds like nitpicking to 95% of the population, but the other 5% run non-windows operating systems on the PC Platform and find the distinction useful...
When you mention 'PC', although it may not be running Windows, it's easy for most to assume due to the media and/or mass advertising campaigns.
Example, "I am a PC", that's clearly a Windows commercial.
You're right, a Mac is a P.C.
A Linux machine is a P.C. but if you tell somebody you are running Ubuntu (sp?) instead of Windows the first question they ask is "what is that?" The second question is "why?" I run Windows because it's what I've been taught to do, and am learning Ubuntu because I want to learn it (... It's webOS's fault)
hey Robert, your review said pc/mac so I rushed out and downloaded the app only to find out its currently PC only... thanks for the inaccurate review. Your lucky this thing was only $3.00... Now I just have to wait for the dev to make me that Mac version dang it.
Did the same exact thing, guess well just have to wait.
Reminds me of the Wifi Media Sync app spotlight I put in my Precentral writers audition... Especially the "Sorry Sprint Pixi owners" since I put that exact thing :)
The exact comment is in the App's description in the Palm catalog.
There is informative info in the Pre-Central forums about WiFi Media Sync. I've been using it for weeks now to transfer files to and from my Windows 7 64bit PC. It doesn't really work like a syncing program, because it does not delete files. I delete files and folders from the Pre using the Homebrew Internals program, then do the WiFi Media Sync file transfers. I'm getting about a 1 MByte transfer rate. Wifi Media Sync seems to go well for people who assigned a fixed IP address for their Pre in their wifi router setup software prior to installing the WiFi Media Sync Windows client on their PC.
I really wish it was a true sync app that deleted also. Right now I have a great sync app. I plug my usb to the pre and add, update, and delete files in a couple seconds. I'm going to try this app, but hopefully they add more features.
I bought it and the software won't launch on my Windows XP machine. I think it's a .NET issue, but there is no support page that I can find to debug.
I jumped ship after seeing the PreCentral video of the app... But was disappointed to see mp3 album art not get transfered over.
I shot the dev's an e-mail and they replied stating the album art transfered in earlier versions (of webos) and they are working hard to get the album art to transfer again... even stated a time line of two weeks till a workaround/fix is implemented.
I'm happy with the purchase, and thanks for the review!
I've wanted this app for a while, bought it around $2 thanks to palm's sale accompanied by 8-bit's sale, I feel like I got it at an absolute steal!
I bought the app myself and find it useless.
The main reason is something the impressions don't mention at all: it can only sync a whole folder. You can't for example, point to a music folder on the PC and then selectively pick which songs you want. It's all or nothing.
That and the manual rescans amongst other annoyances make it a waste of $2 for me. Luckily, out of the many apps I've bought, only 4 or so have been useless.
This isn't true... You are able to select which files from an entire folder you want to have synced. I'll shoot you a PM.
- 52 seconds into the above video you can select which files you want to sync, and which files you do not.
-(I'm in no way affiliated with 8bit development)
Didn't watch the video, but reinstalled it and see that it's possible. Sorry for the misinformation there, and thank you for letting me know. I'd misunderstood the "Browse Pending Files" button, which doesn't do what the actual button says it does, and honestly I'd suggest a rename of that function if the developer sees this.
Now if only it didn't seem to get stuck when actually trying to connect when my 15,000 file media folder is set as a sync folder... I'm not sure if it's the amount of files, or if there's some other issue, but when I use smaller folders, it works. For this larger folder, the circle just keeps spinning, no matter how long I leave it.
Also, you can just make a separate folder containing the items you want transferred.
That'd require having duplicate copies of all my music, and be much more maintenance than just connecting the cable and doing it that way.
The article mentions it transfers documents but I dont know if that just means docs files saved to your phone but not actually webOS memos. Can you transfer your memos with it and then access them on your PC? I hate that my memos are trapped in the cloud and can only be accessed via another webOS device. At least I can sync my contacts, calendar, and email with Google and access those without my Pre. If anyone has a suggestion for gaining similar access to my memos, that'd be much appreciated.
I already have access to the internals of my iPod Touch through WinSCP and SSH. It's frustrating that someone has not come up with an easy solution to opening up the WebOS file system with a similar set of programs.
I am very reluctant to pay for a program that others offer for free on other devices. It's like paying for YouTube or Google access -- it just seems silly.
Paying $2-3 for an app while iSheep spend an extra $20/month just to use theirs as a phone is a tradeoff I'll make any day (nevermind the difference in first cost on the device).
scp, ssh, wget, and rsync work just fine on WebOS. In fact, Many, many utilities from optware are available, including an httpd server.
Oh, and we don't have to jailbreak our OS to use any of it. Sorry i-whatever users, customization is definitely better and easier over here.
Works great for me and the price wasn't bad after 50% from palm and more off from the developer. Pretty good for 2 bucks.
I use this app almost every day to transfer photos and videos from my Pre to my PC. You must select individual files but can then send them all at once. After a few times it is painless. The UI for the Windows client is pretty crude...but works OK. I'm guessing the developer plans to make it better. Well worth a couple bucks.
I use this app frequently and am very satisfied with it. Great communication from the developer. However, I would like to see it be able to sync ONLY changed files instead of all files every time. But all in all well worth the money.
I'm not terribly impressed. With a name like "Media" "Synch" I expected to be able to set up the software and know that my pictures and videos would be synchronized with my computer. Two key features to this expectation are that all pictures and all videos are synchronized and that it could happen automatically on regular occurrence (say 2 in the morning every night).
Instead I have to manually pick every file I want synched, and I have to manually initiate the function. I can live with the manual initiation for the time being, but manually picking every file is unrealistic.
Not a true sync app. Does not catch updated files or deleted files. Was looking forward to using this app, but now very disappointed. Moved all my files to the Pre fine, but I update doc files often, and if it does not catch them files and update them on the Pre it is an utter waste of time and money. Also the developer does not have a contact page. If anyone has any information on contact page let me know, of if there is a way for it to sync updated files and I am missing it. I have WAY to many files to sync them ALL everytime, NEEDS to do just updated files. If true sync capabilities are added will then be a good app.
I see that I can pick specific files to sync, but I have WAY to many to pick through. So adding an option to sync specific files and ALSO folders from the Palm Pre would be good. Even without true sync, this might work.
had this app for a while.. works fine with my pre minus.. like the look of it and the changes,, for the life of me i can not get it to connect on my tp.. using exactly the same info from the pre.. same ip pw the works.. will not connect.. no i have never had tether on this, i do however tether it to my pre .. if that makes a difference.. let me know folks out side of that nice app