Online backup service SugarSync allows you to synchronize files across a PC, Mac, and mobile devices including BlackBerry or iPhone devices. You can also access your files from virtually any device with a web browser. Normally the service costs between $5/month or $50/year and $25/month or $250/year depending on how much storage space you need. But now SugarSync is offering a free plan, where you can get 2Gb of storage space at no charge.

Of course, 2GB probably isn't enough space to backup all the important files on your computer. But the free level makes it easy for you to try the service before deciding whether to shell out some cash for a paid account. And if do only want to back up a handful of documents, nobody will pressure you to pony up any cash.

If you're just looking for an online backup solution, there are certainly other services including Carbonite and Mozy that are cheaper. But as we discovered when we checked out the service last year, SugarSync offers a few services you won't find elsewhere, like the ability to backup files from your mobile phone and access your files from anywhere.

[via jkOnTheRun]

The holiday shopping season is upon us, and if you're trying to think up a few good gift ideas for your geeky or not so geeky friends and family, we're here to help. Over the next few days we'll be bringing you a number of suggestions for Download Squad style gifts.

To kick things off, I wanted to talk about a gift idea for the computer user who doesn't really need any new software: subscriptions. Nothing says I love you like a year's worth of unlimited domestic VoIP phone calls, or the security of knowing your files are securely backed up to an offsite storage space. Well, maybe not nothing, but certainly few things. Here are a few ideas for subscription based services you might want to buy for your loved ones. Feel free to add your own ideas or argue with my choice of services in the comments.

Skype

Skype provides a free way for Windows, Mac, and Linux users to make free voice or video calls to one another. But you can also buy credit or monthly subscriptions to make calls to regular telephones. You can also purchase a phone number that people can call to ring you on Skype.

Prices range from a few cents a minute for domestic calls, to $9.95 a month for unlimited international calls. For less than $36 a year you can buy a plan that will allow users to make unlimited domestic calls in the US and Canada. $60 a year will get you a SkypeIn phone number. If you purchase both an unlimited calling plan and a SkypeIn number, the price is even lower. And there are a ton of other options available.

Skype isn't the only game in town. You might also want to check out Gizmo5 or newcomer VoxOx.

Syncplicity is a new service that lets you synchronize files between two or more computers. The desktop client is extraordinarily easy to setup and configure, and it synchronizes new and changed files pretty much immediately as long as you're connected to the internet. Syncplicity also saves a copy of each file to its server so you can access your files from any computer with a web browser.

So far, it all sounds a lot like SugarSync, right? Well, there are a few differences. Syncplicity is Windows only at the moment (although a Mac client is coming later this year), and has no support for mobile devices. But Syncplicity does have one nifty trick up its sleeve: integration with online services like Google Docs and Facebook. So users can automatically synchronize Office documents or Facebook photos.

Syncplicity is free while in beta, but because the service offers users unlimited online storage, the company will eventually start charging a fee. According to WebWare, we can expect prices to be in the $20/month range.

Sharpcast's SugarSync provides one of the most complete solutions we've seen for keeping your files synchronized across computers, mobile devices, and the web. The service was free while in beta, but we were a bit turned off by the pricing, once it was announced, with prices ranging from $50 a year for 10GB of storage space to $500 for 250GB. At a time when many companies are offering 5GB or more of online storage space for free, that seemed like a bit much, even when you take the synchronization service into account.

Fortunately, Sharpcast allowed beta testers to sign up for 50% off. And now the company has extended that offer to all customers. So now you can sign up for as little as $25 per year or pay as much as $250 per year, depending on your needs. That seems a bit more reasonable.

File synchronization service SugarSync emerges from private beta on Thursday, March 20th. SugarSync lets you synchronize files between multiple computers and portable devices, with clients for Mac, PC, and Windows Mobile devices as well as a web-based interface. We gave away a few hundred invites when the service launched in private beta last month.

If you were one of the folks who signed up for the service, you can save some dough if you decide to sign up for the full service. Under SugarSync's new pricing plan, users can store up to 10GGB of data online for $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. But users who sign up now get 50% off of that price for the first year. And if you're currently a beta tester, you can get the 50% off rate for 2 years.

Users who need a bit more space can also sign up for accounts with up to 250GB of storage for introductory prices of $25 per month or $250 per year. There are also a variety of options available between the 10GB and 250GB levels.

Whether you're looking for a beta invitation code to a hot new service, tips on making the most of your email service, or a Valentine's day present for that special someone in your life, we've got you covered. Here are some of our favorite Download Squad articles from the week that was.

Invites for Digsby and SugarSync

This week we looked at two new services in private beta. Digsby is desktop application that lets you manage multiple email, IM, and social networking accounts. It's sort of like Pidgin plus an email notifier and a desktop client for Facebook and MySpace. And we've got 5,000 invites to give away.

We also have about 500 invites for SugarSync, another new desktop/web service. SugarSync lets users synchronize files between their computer, mobile device, and a web server. Just add contact/calendar sync and we'd be in heaven.

Email user interface advancement - Emailers Anonymous

Google made a lot of waves when it launched an email service a few years ago. The idea of a web mail account that measured storage in gigabytes rather than megabytes was pretty revolutionary at the time. But vast amounts of storage aren't the only thing that set Gmail apart. In this week's edition of Emailers Anonymous we take a look at threaded messaging and how it changes the way we think of email.

There are plenty of services that let you synchronize files between two computers, or between a PC and a web server. But SugarSync goes one step further by letting you synchronize data on your smartphone.

SugarSync has three separate clients: one for your desktop, one for the web, and another for your mobile phone. If you have an unsupported phone or PDA you can also access a mobile version of the web client.

SugarSync is currently in private beta, but we've got about 500 invites to give away. Just visit the signup page and enter the code "DSQ."