I’m terrible at backing things up. I mean, really terrible. I like technology because it makes my life easier, but sometimes it does make you a tad lazy.
Backing up the photos, videos and messages isn’t too difficult if you’re technically aware. You can hook up your Google Drive account, or your Dropbox account .. something like that. However, even if you do register an account and then go through the setup process, there’s that nagging thought that your precious data is “somewhere”. Sure, when you backup your stuff onto the web it’s always billed as a “private cloud” or a “secure cloud”, but you don’t get to physically know where it is, and you never know what will happen to that data.
This, as you’ll see from my video below, is a charging cable with a difference. You use it in the exact same was as any other cable. Plug it into your car charger, wall charger or portable charger and it’ll do just that – charge your device. However, it will also cleverly backup your contacts, your calendar, messages, photos, videos and music automatically.
It does this with the help of an app, which is automatically installed the minute you plug this into your phone. As you’ll see below, I ignore the instructions entirely, which results in my swiping my finger around rather randomly. However, I must point out that there really was no need for me to do much more than enter a PIN number. This PIN secures down the content so, if you wish to restore the content then you’ll need that.
You can, if you wish, find out how much storage is left on the MEEM (16GB is available on the Android MEEM, 32GB on the iPhone version). It’ll do everything else automatically but you can choose to omit certain backups – like not backing up contacts and messages perhaps.
Bear in mind that, in the video below, I’ve not read any instructions and I do stumble a bit, but I wanted to show you how easy it is to get your data backed up even if you do just plug the thing in.
The app, once you have a quick read of the instructions or on-screen prompts, is very easy to use. There’s even an update system which will keep the MEEM device fresh.
Other than that, it’s kinda hard to go into a great deal more detail. You literally just plug it in, it’ll charge and – when you’re not even thinking about it – will create a “mirror” of your previous content. Apart from the download of the MEEM app, you won’t need any internet connectivity and it’ll just backup whenever it’s plugged in. If you want to go a bit deeper then yes, the app will show you how much space each category of data is taking up (photos, videos etc) plus you can restore data really easily by simply plugging the charging cable into a new or existing phone by dragging the MEEM avatar onto the phone symbol. It’s as simple as that and just works.
16GB is, for most people, more than enough, and you can backup two different handsets. Ideal if you and your wife both want to backup those memories stored on your phone. You get to name each phone through the app and you can erase a phone or a category… or reset the whole device if you wish.
Summing up
Overall this is a really excellent solution to a common problem. People know that they should back up, and they know that cloud storage solutions exist, but keeping on top of that and scheduling it or monitoring it should be easier. Here, with MEEM, you really don’t need to do anything different. Just swap your charging cable and you’re done. The photos and videos, plus the messages, music and calendar appointments you value most are stored in a place you trust – your house. There’s no need for an internet connection after the app is downloaded and this is just a brilliantly simple solution to a common problem.
The Android version (16GB capacity) is available for £49.99. The iOS model (32GB capacity) costs £69.99. Get more details at meemmemory.com