Recycled Computing

A Cloud of My Own

- 2011.09.20

Popularity:

Short link: http://bit.ly/nFZhZI

I said, Hey! You! Get off of my cloud
Hey! You! Get off of my cloud
Hey! You! Get off of my cloud
Don't hang around 'cause two's a crowd
On my cloud baby

- Rolling Stones

I was less than excited about Apple's new iCloud services - I'm still worried about what happens to me when MobileMe disappears. When you're still kicking it old school with a PowerBook G4, Apple has left you in the rearview.

I have moved my email to Google Gmail, as well as my Calendar.

I also thought about the "cloud" situation. I don't like online storage that requires me to make monthly payments. Call me cheap, but those charges add up. I was also running out of room on my iPad and iPod. I thought that by synching my songs to my iPod and my movies to my iPad, I sort of solved that problem, but what if I bought an Android device? What it I got a deal on a iPhone 3GS with only 8 GB?

What about getting a cloud of my own? Yes, there are services that set up a hard drive on the Internet that you can access with online device. No fees and no storage limits! And, of course, my local cloud lives on my network and is perched on top of my desk. I can add storage by adding drives to the Pogoplug unit.

Pogoplug

I went with Pogoplug because the local big box store was having a sale on older Pogoplug units - and they are compatible with G4 Macs. (The Pogoplug Mac app, which lets your turn an existing Mac into a Pogoplug cloud drive, requires OS X 10.5 or newer.) I also picked up a 350 GB hard drive, and I was out the door for $100.

Pogoplug for iPhone I am not endorsing Pogoplug, because there are other manufacturers and other devices, but the basic idea is to put a hard drive (or more than one) on your local network and make it available to your computer and mobile devices over the Internet. As along as there is access to WiFi, you have access to all the files on these shared drives.

Pogoplug makes apps for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Android, so you are just about set for streaming audio, photos, and music to your mobile devices. Of course, the interface could use a little work.

I mean, who picks pink and gray as colors that have to go together? It's a little swarm and lacks the polish of many other iOS apps, but it does get the job done.

Having your own cloud is a real advantage in that it is platform independent and software independent. And it sure beats those monthly fees.

Join us on Facebook!, follow us on Twitter, use our Google+ page, or read our RSS news feed

Recent Recycled Computing Columns

Mountain Lion Obsoletes the MacBook I Just Bought, 2012.02.24. John Hatchett just got his first Intel Mac, a preowned MacBook, in December, and now it looks like it won't be able to run OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.
Improving Tablets: Why Not a Slider Keyboard?, 2012.02.20. Perhaps the biggest drawback of the iPad and other tablets is lack of a buil-in physical keyboard. Many phones have slider keyboards....
Which Apple TV Is Right for You?, 2012.02.15. If you own an older TV set, the original Apple TV may be a better choice than Apple's current unit.
More in the Recycled Computing index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Unitron Mac512, introduced 1985. Unauthorized Brazilian clone of the Mac 512K.
May 24 in LEM history: 99: Mac sales up, iMac sales down? - 01: Speeding up digital photography - 02: The Internet, research, and plagiarism - 04: NewerTech TiBook battery - Optical mice from Contour - 06: Power Mac today or Intel tomorrow? - 07: G5: Apple's last fling with PowerPC - G3: From 233 MHz to 1.1 GHz
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Low End Mac, LowEndMac, and lowendmac.com are trademarks of Cobweb Publishing Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Macpokeronline.com will show you how to download and play Poker on a Mac natively on your Mac in just minutes.

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay