Friday, August 29, 2014

How to back up an iPhone: Use iTunes or iCloud to make an iPhone backup

No more lost data - we show you how to use iTunes or iCloud to make an iPhone backup

With any mobile device, it's hugely important to make regular backups to prevent you from losing data such as photos, text messages, notes, voice memos, contacts and more should something happen to it. Here, we show you how to back up an iPhone using iTunes or iCloud so you don't find yourself without a way to retrieve that precious data

How to back up an iPhone using iTunes

There are two main ways to make a backup of your iPhone. The first is through iTunes. All you need to do is connect your iPhone to the computer that you normally sync with using the USB cable, open up iTunes and then find your device in the Devices menu on the left of the iTunes window. 
In the 'Summary' field (which should be the default landing page when you click on your device), click Back Up Now. It might take a while, but when it's finished, you'll have a complete backup of your iPhone on the computer. Now, if you happen to drop your iPhone down the loo tomorrow, or you lose it on the way home, you'll still have all of the data that was stored on that iPhone stored on your computer. You'll be able to plug in a new iPhone and restore all of that data onto the new device.

Back an your iPhone using iCloud

The second way to back up your iPhone uses Apple's iCloud feature. It will back up your device whenever you're connected to a WiFi network, so there's no chance you'll forget to back up your iPhone, unlike the iTunes backup method. 
If you choose to use iCloud as your method of backing up your data, you'll need to go to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup and then toggle the iCloud Backup switch on. Your device will now automatically back up your camera roll, accounts, documents and settings content when it is charging, locked and connected to WiFi.
You only get 5GB of free storage in iCloud, though, so you may find that you want to pay a the extra to get an additional 10GB per year, 20GB per year or 50GB per year (£14, £28 or £70 respectively). Before you cough up the cash, though, check whether there's anything you can cut out of your backup.
iCloud automatically backs up the following:
  • Photos and videos in your Camera Roll
  • Device settings
  • App data
  • Home screen and app organisation
  • iMessage, text (SMS) and MMS messages
  • Ringtones
  • Visual Voicemail
Backup iPhone with iCloud

Apple also stores the most recent 1,000 photos from your Photo Stream if you've turned on that feature. You can do so by going to Settings > iCloud > Photos and then toggle My Photo Stream. These photos don't count against your storage quota.
What isn't backed up with iCloud, though, is music and apps, though if you've purchased them from iTunes or the iOS App Store you'll be able to easily re-download them for free should you need to restore an iPhone from your backup.
If you find that you are running out of iCloud storage space, it's worth checking that you're not backing up anything you don't really need before you pay for more storage. Go to Settings > General > Usage on your iPhone and then scroll down to Manage Storage. Tap on your device, and go to Backup Options. Here, you can turn off backups for individual apps.

Videocon rolls out VStyle Smart phone for Rs 2950 and 4 other handsets



Videocon has gone full throttle and launched fournew feature phones called the V-Style Mega, V-Style Curve, V-Style Flip and V-Style Mini in India. Apart from these, the company has also let loose the V-Style Smart device running on Android, a competitor to the Intex and Spice Mozilla Firefox OS phones.
The Videocon V-Style Smart works on the very outdated Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread OS and costs Rs 2950. It has a 3.5-inch 320 x 480p HVGA resolution screen and a 1GHz processor. There’s a measly 128MB of RAM under the hood and 256MB of ROM along with 16GB microSD card support.

The dual SIM and dual standby handset is powered by a 1300mAh battery, has a basic 1.3MPback camera and a 118mm x 61.2mm x 9.6mm body. It can connect to GPRS, EDGE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. In terms of looks, you couldn’t ask for any design more generic than the one sported by the V-Style Smart.
The V-Style Mini carries a price of Rs 1299 and a QVGA resolution 2-inch screen phone. It also offers the standard specs you’d expect of it such as a VGA camera, 16GB memory expandability, Bluetooth support, GPRS connectivity, FM radio and a decent capacity 1000mAh battery.

The Videocon V-Style Flip and V-Style Curve are each pegged at Rs 1749. The former has 16GBmicroSD card support, while the latter allows for double the expansion. On other counts, both feature phones are remarkably alike. The first mentioned handset also arrives with a flip cover.
Each has a 2.4-inch QVGA panel, 900mAh rechargeable cell, a 1.3MP snapper, GPRS compatibility and FM radio. The Rs 1999 Videocon V-Style Mega boasts of a 3-inch IPS display, a 1.3MP camera, 32GB microSD card support, FM radio, GPRS, Bluetooth and a 1000mAh battery.