As you are by now probably aware, Code 42 Software recently announced CrashPlan+ and CrashPlan PRO mobile apps for iOS and Android.

And the announcement and the apps have been well received! Take a look at some of our favorite publications’ thoughts on our new mobile apps.

“Within the apps, you can view Word, Excel, PowerPoint, JPG, TIFF, MP3, and PDF files; if you have an external app that can read these files, you can also open them in that app using iOS’s Open In feature.”

- Macworld, Access files on the go with new CrashPlan apps

“CrashPlan works across platforms so you can back up both Macs and PC info there. This app lets you select files to download and view locally. You can select multiple files without waiting for the one to complete.”

- Appolicious, Fresh Android Apps for Sep. 26: CrashPlan

“One of our favorite tools for creating an automated, bulletproof backup solution, CrashPlan, now has mobile apps for securely viewing, downloading, and sharing your backed up files from within your iPhone, iPad, or Android device.”

- LifeHacker, CrashPlan iPhone and Android Apps Let You Browse and Download Your Backed Up Files on the Go

You too can enjoy the seamless delivery of your pictures and files to your mobile device with CrashPlan+ and CrashPlan PRO for Android and iOS. The CrashPlan apps are available now on the iTunes App Store and the Android Market.

If you’re a loyal reader of our blog, you already know that we recently released the CrashPlan and CrashPlan PRO mobile apps for Android and iOS. The apps allow you to browse your online backups, as well as download files right to your device for offline viewing.

The social buzz has been very positive, with many of you asking general questions and suggesting new features to add to the apps.  While we’re already hard at work on enhancements that we feel are important, we want to hear about the features you’d like to see in the apps.

We’ve set up special boards, in our Forums, for this purpose.  You can see what other people are saying, add your own request, or vote up features with our new “Me too!” button.

So head on over to the forums and tell us what you’d like to see!

CrashPlan Mobile App Feature Request

CrashPlan PRO Mobile App Feature Request

Have you heard? CrashPlan has gone mobile, so you can access all of your backed up files when you’re on the go.

As a special thanks for spreading the word about our new iOS and Android mobile apps, you’ll be entered to win an iPad or Galaxy tablet.

Now through Monday, October 10, 2011, tweet one of the following messages to enter to win the corresponding prize. When the contest period ends, we’ll choose two winners at random (one iPad, one Galaxy tablet). It’s as easy as one, two, three:

1. Follow CrashPlan on Twitter (@crashplan)
2. Tweet one of the phrases below (with appropriate hash tag)
3. Enjoy the new mobile app for iOS and Android from Code 42

Now I can access all of my personal #backup straight from my smart phone. Thanks, @CrashPlan! Now enter me to #win an iPad! #CPwin

Now I can access all of my personal #backup straight from my smart phone. Thanks, @CrashPlan! Now enter me to #win a Galaxy tablet! #winCP

Remember, you must follow the CrashPlan Twitter account to be eligible to win.

For complete official rules and regulations, see here.

Best of luck to all of those who enter!

When Apple launched the first iPod in 2001, their tagline was ’1000 songs in your pocket.’ It was amazing to have that much music with you wherever you went. Now with the launch of the CrashPlan and CrashPlan PRO apps for iOS and Android, you can have all your files in your pocket (or tablet). How amazing is that?

The new apps let you sign in to your CrashPlan online account and browse, download, view and share (via email) any of the files in your online backup archives.

It’s super convenient (and liberating) to have this kind of secure access to any of your files, anytime, anywhere.

For the past few years, my routine when prepping for a business trip included trying to anticipate (or guess) which files I’ll need during the trip and sync them with my my iPhone or iPad. Quite often, I’d guess wrong or just plain forget a critical file. Consequently, I’ve had to employ convoluted methods for retrieving files remotely: first, using VPN and VNC to connect to my home or office computer, finding the files, then emailing them to myself, so I could finally retrieve them on the iPhone or iPad.

Those days are officially over. With the CrashPlan PRO mobile app, all my data from all three of my computers is securely accessible with just a few taps. When on a recent trip to Austin, I realized it would useful to have my company presentation on my iPad. Literally two minutes later, I had retrieved it from my CrashPlan PRO backup archive and was ready to go.

The CrashPlan apps for iOS have built-in viewers for common documents like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, JPG, TIFF, mp3 and more; while on Android your files will open directly with your favorite apps that you already installed on your device. And if your device has compatible apps installed, you can open the files in those apps as well. You can even email retrieved items with one tap.

Probably my favorite feature of the CrashPlan app is the one-touch update, which will let you know when your backup archive contains a newer version of any file(s) you’ve retrieved, and lets you update them all with one tap. I never have to wonder if I’ve got the latest version on my iPad.

If you’re using CrashPlan+ or CrashPlan PRO, I hope you’ll check out the new mobile apps and see for yourself how great it is to have access to all your files, all the time.

The CrashPlan apps are available now on the iTunes App Store and the Android Market.

“You pull into a park with your kids or dog, and a pile of hardware in the back. After a bit of frolicking, you return and find a hole in your car’s window — and in your life. Your laptop, camera, phone and other electronics are missing. You may never see them again.

There’s something you can do about that. But you have to do it now, while they’re still in your possession.”

- Give yourself a fighting chance to recover gadgets, The Seattle Times

To protect yourself from the effects of catastrophic data loss, IT journalist Glenn Fleishman advocates a multi-tiered backup strategy. For more information including Glenn’s thoughts on CrashPlan backup software, see his recent Seattle Times article.

While you may know that you should back up your laptop, filled as it is with… well your whole life, it can be a chore and who’s got the time, right? Wouldn’t it be great if your computer would just back up automatically every time you changed something? But it was sneaky about it and just did without asking and without you noticing? And wouldn’t it be cool if your friends and you could back up to each other, because if you needed to restore something, they’d be just down the hall or across campus? And wouldn’t it be awesome if it was free?

At Code 42, we know college students are always thinking about ways to save money, and keep friends. And we know school and homework are pretty important too.

And that’s where CrashPlan backup software comes in. CrashPlan lets you take advantage of your social network to back up your homework, movies, music, photos, even your resume and your portfolio so you’re ready for that dream job. You back up to your friends; they back up to you. For added protection (in case something bad happens to your dorm) you can also back up to folks far away, like your mom or your buddies from high school.  It’s everything you want in backup software: automatic, won’t slow you down and best of all it’s free when you’re backing up a USB drive and to friends and family.

Still new on campus? No worries. For a really low fee (that averages out to less than $5 a month) you can upgrade to CrashPlan+. It’s everything that the free CrashPlan is with the additional ability to back up to CrashPlan Central, a super-secure online destination. CrashPlan+ also offers backup sets—so you can back up larger portfolio items to your roommate’s computer for quick access, and back up your files like your resume to your mom’s computer back home, and also online for extra protection… just in case that dream job turns up.

Last week our CEO (Matthew Dornquast) and our director of west coast sales (Bob Casserly) flew to San Francisco for a meeting with a large CrashPlan PROe customer. It was an important technical meeting, with several key people from engineering and management.

Their presentation, which had been refined during the flight out, along with supporting PDFs and video clips, were on Bob’s MacBook Pro. Everything was ready to go.

Or so they thought. Two hours before the meeting, while gathering his gear to leave the hotel room, Bob accidentally dropped his MacBook, which slammed hard onto the granite tiled floor.

It made a sound no one wants to hear.

Opening the lid, Bob saw this -

And on the screen…nothing.

The fall had damaged the hard drive, so the computer would not start up. Ninety minutes before the meeting all the supporting materials were inaccessible.

Fortunately, Bob is diligent about backing up his data. Or more accurately, CrashPlan is diligent (Bob installed CrashPlan on his computer when he bought it last year, and he hasn’t really thought about it since.) But thanks to CrashPlan’s continuous backup feature, the latest changes Bob and Matthew were making to the presentation during the flight had already been automatically backed up while Bob was connected to WiFi in the hotel. He just logged into his CrashPlan account online using Matthew’s computer and restored all the files in minutes.

Bacon saved, Bob and Matthew had the documents they needed (along with a great story to tell) in time for the meeting.

That’s the beauty of CrashPlan – set it and forget it. When you need it, it’s there!

In the wake of an already very active weather season, many are discovering that in an emergency their digital files might not be safe. For example, flooding during a hurricane can easily destroy computers. Rather than risk losing it all, protect your data and gadgets with a few easy tips below from Code 42 Software, a backup solutions provider.

Important numbers – Make sure all important phone numbers and contacts are saved in your cell phone prior to the storm. Having local emergency numbers, hospitals and Red Cross on hand could be invaluable later.

Back up! – You should always use data backup. Before the storm hits, make sure your backup is uptodate. Using automatic, continuous backup software like CrashPlan+ ensures that your data backup is always up to date. And CrashPlan+ allows you to backup your files to CrashPlan Central - a secure, online backup destination – meaning you can access your photos, tax returns and insurance documents from any computer.

Alternative power source – When the power goes out, you’ll want to have a secondary source of power to charge cell phones and other electronics. Purchasing extra phone batteries or even a small generator could save a lot frustration and discomfort.

Unplug – As the storm begins, unplug all your electronics as to avoid a power surge. It is also smart to move computers, TVs and any other electronics away from windows and place them on an elevated surface.

Beat the storm and stay prepared on all fronts starting with your CrashPlan free trial.