iPhoneBackup

[CyberGreg]

Okay, so let's say we have an iPhone backup utility (I do) and it's customizable (will be, manually set now). And it can backup all your customizations, battery, carrier, sliders and your Notes, Maps, Alarms, phone favorites, etc (maybe even passwords, not sure). All the stuff you can loose if your phone crashes and you have to do a forced restore (although iTunes 7.4.x seems to be much better at restoring all those miscellaneous items).

Anyhow.... you end up with this nice bundle or package, let's even say a PXL package (which it is, ready to be reinstalled ). How do we get this 'package' off our iPhone?

I thought of integrating it with the Send File app, but our email might choke as a full backup can exceed 14MB, even compressed.

Obviously those of us with iPHUC, ssh, ftp, etc can easily copy the backup package off our iPhone but that leaves a whole bunch of people out.

Thoughts, comments, ideas, concerns, questions, who cares?

[N818]

You could try sending all of the info/data to an online repository and then from the repasitory to your computer.
Or you could approach it like the original screenshot where you right clicked and executed and it took a picture, but intead it would back up your iphone and send a zip to your desktop or phonedmg folder

[simonk83]

I'd be very interested in getting hold of this backup utility Are you saying you're currently developing one, or have you already got one but are looking for a better way to utilise it?

It'd be extremely handy Ideally, the backup file would be sent directly to the PC, but I have no idea how feasible this is. I suppose it would make more sense to create a PC program to backup the data, rather than an iphone application

[McCarron]

I'd be very interested in getting hold of this backup utility Are you saying you're currently developing one, or have you already got one but are looking for a better way to utilise it?

It'd be extremely handy Ideally, the backup file would be sent directly to the PC, but I have no idea how feasible this is. I suppose it would make more sense to create a PC program to backup the data, rather than an iphone application

Maybe allow the user to manually configure a FTP server to drop the file to.

The other way I thought of (I had been thinking of making a similar app actually) would be to compress the files to an encrypted password protected archive and then offer a service for a certain $ amount a year to store people's backups securely. The user would specify their password of choice in the app itself.

I have a bunch of storage available to me, and was thinking of going that route if I created the app, but allow people to use their own system if need be because there are also many free storage space services out too.

[Zacko]

I too would like to know if you have an application that backs up the iphone (including all the 3rd party apps etc). Is there one that exists?

[CyberGreg]

I like and appreciate all the comments here, please keep them coming...

Comments so far:
... and please these are just my reactions and comments, by no means are any of the ideas 'bad'
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Yes, I have a 'guts' to an iPhone backup program
Yes, it creates a working 'pxl' package that you can easily install with iBrickr or Breezy (or through a web page with the Safari plugin)

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I hadn't thought of backing up apps, obviously it would be easy to simply grab the 'apps' folder but that alone is not a good strategy at all. It would require backing up the entire, or almost entire OS. We just went from 15MB to close to or over 100MB, compressed. That to me is impractical.

In addition, I don't think it's necessary to backup something that we have like what, at least three maybe four different ways of reinstalling.

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On-line storage: I have serious reservations about the process; the amount of time to 'upload' your backup (need to consider EDGE). The extra 'unix components needed to ftp'. The whole 'security' (user account / password, bleh, I have no want or desire to manage such a thing) issue.

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Email: Obviously, the very same concerns about trying to email a huge attachment (with EDGE).

===========
Given the recent (and future ) changes to DockSwap, now Customize; it will be very easy to "restore" your phone to it's modded glory, very quickly. I think the focus of an iPhone backup application needs to be on backing up personal data and less about backing up modded icons.

[bsonline]

On the jPhone, sorry for errors.

How does the OS expose itself to windows for images?autoplay always asks to import images. Something similiar should work for you. Also, you could back the files up as images. After port, we change baxkup.pxl.jpg to just baxkup.jpg

Consider multiple baxkups. Apps.backup.pxl, contacts.backup.pxl, data. Backup.pxl.

Whatcha think?

[CyberGreg]

On the jPhone, sorry for errors.

How does the OS expose itself to windows for images?autoplay always asks to import images. Something similiar should work for you. Also, you could back the files up as images. After port, we change baxkup.pxl.jpg to just baxkup.jpg

Consider multiple baxkups. Apps.backup.pxl, contacts.backup.pxl, data. Backup.pxl.

Whatcha think?

I love creative thinking like that, nice.....

[one1]

Remember when you could put music on the Ipod, but couldn't take it off?

......Then Senuti came along.

We need a Senuti for iPhone.

[patrickj]

Like many others, I'd love to see a backup app come along. If there was any way to backup apps, that would be spectacular, as restoring them is likely to become a hugely time consuming process (as more and more great apps come out) ...

[dstafursky]

Right now I keep a folder that holds all my mods, so when I do a restore I can go back to it for "1-stop shopping" (with about 50 steps). It would be wonderful to be able to load the folder or similar and be out the door.

[hillie]

I would just use ssh, that's what I'm gonna do. SSH is not hard to get on your computer.

the only other choice is to use an OS X app that talks to the iPhone via iPhoneInterface type thing, which eh.. you have to kill iTunesHelper, etc.. i dunno.

getting a third party involved is too much complication and FTP/etc. is still the problem of users who might not even know what FTP is.

[arthursdomain]

I really really would endorse a backup app, i think it may be the most useful app for all modders.

As far as package downloading, the most logical sense would be to download it via the dock, so when you dock it, it will do a sync backup similar to how itunes does it. and vice versa a restore in dock, so a windows/mac program on the computer. You could also do an iphone app UI, but who would backup their iphone or restore in the middle of nowhere? I could see the coolness factor, but the useability factor is much lower. The only time i would need to restore more or less is if Iam by my computer, i dont think i would ever need to restore on the fly, as will be the case for most modders.

I would also agree that a edge upload would not be a good idea, unless you can do this 'silently' and allow the user to do other things, while it is uploading.

[billouparis]

there is a "tansee iphone transfer" floating around...