Review: Sprite Archie

Posted by: tjchan on Feb 14 2008 - 864 views

Sprite Archie

A couple of weeks back, my mother’s HTC TyTn had to be replaced and I had thought I’d gotten everything backed up using Spb Backup. The problem though was that I had upgraded that TyTn to WM6 and the replacement unit was on WM5 and as Spb Backup does not support ROM upgrade / downgrades. Because of that, mom kissed all her SMS, call logs, as well as everything else bye, bye (sorry, mom).

If I only had Sprite Archie I could have saved at least the SMS and call histories…

Read on and find out why Sprite Archie is an excellent addition to any Windows Mobile Smartphone!

I learned recently that there is a difference between backup and archiving. Backups are duplicates that can be restored. Archiving, on the other hand, is something that is not meant to be restored, but is a large collection of historical information. At first glance, I thought Sprite Archie was a SMS / Call Log backup. However, it is not. Hence it’s Sprite Archie and not Sprite Backup which is another product altogether.

Let’s get started on getting an archive of all of our SMS and call histories put together with a walk through of Sprite Archie.

Installation and Registration:

Just install and run the ActiveSync installer. Registering is simple. Just tap the giant ’Options’ soft button and select ’About’. Then select ’Authorise’ and enter your name and authorization code that Sprite provided you and you’re ready to archive!

Using Sprite Archie:

Using Sprite Archie is a painless process. Simply tap the ’Enable’ soft button (in this screenshot, the button has already been pressed). After that, we can configure the program using the ’Options…’ soft button. The three quadrants for each type of archive can be tapped on to change the method of archiving that will occur. For example, in this screenshot, ’Text In’ is set to “Do Not Archive”, ’Text Sent’ is set to “Email” and ’Phone’ call logs are to be archived to a file.

In this menu, you can set the options for SMS Received, SMS Sent, and Call Log.

SMS Sent / Received and Call Log Events

In this picture, we have selected what to do with SMS Received. You can select the destination: None, Email, or File, the format of the data: Plain Text, Xml, or Csv, and the schedule of when to archive to a file or email you the information in the format you have chosen on a: daily, weekly, or immediate basis. The ’SMS Sent’ and ’Call Log’ portions are exactly identical to this screen.

Email Options

Under ’Email…’ you can enter your email address if you want the information sent to you via email in the format that you have selected. You’ll need to have an outgoing account via ActiveSync or something like eMoze. In my case, I’m using ActiveSync linked to Outlook 2007 which accesses my GMail.

File Options

The file option allows you to select where on the device you wish to keep your archive logs. Checking the ’Append to File’ simply tells the program to not overwrite your existing archival files, but to continue writing the new log at the end of the current file.

Templates

The templates section allows you to customize the way email messages look. At this time, as Sprite has not released documentation over Sprite Archie, it is impossible to know all the various variables that are available to use this feature effectively. You have the choice of setting it up for various events for both scheduled and immediate archiving.

Export

Export is the fastest way to get an archive of everything sent immediately. You can choose between individual events or choose them all and select them to be exported immediately to email or via a file in the format you choose. You’ll also be able to select which dates to backup.

Results:

This is what I got in my text file when plain text was used for call log:

MissedCall Blocked 2007-11-23 03:45:59 00:00
MissedCall Blocked 2007-11-23 03:43:59 00:00
OutgoingCall Blocked 2007-11-23 03:42:01 1:20
OutgoingCall Blocked 2007-11-23 03:35:07 1:18
NoAnswerCall Blocked 2007-11-22 19:47:45 00:00
NoAnswerCall Blocked 2007-11-22 14:53:06 00:00
MissedCall Blocked 2007-11-22 13:30:29 00:00

Here’s a screenshot of my GMail with the letter that I sent to myself via Sprite Archie.

Conclusion:

Sprite Archie is a SMS / Call Log archiver perfect for keeping records of all your calls and SMS messages. As stated earlier, Sprite Archie is not meant to do restorable backups of your SMS and call histories. With this in mind, Sprite Archie shines in accomplishing its task simply, quickly, and effectively.

And for a limited time, get $5 off the $14.95 regular price by using coupon code SAFEB085.

Vital Stats:

Name: Sprite Archie
Version: 1.0.0.22
Platform: Windows Mobile 5 and 6 (Excluding Palm Treos)
Developer: Sprite Software
Available From: Sprite Store
Price: $14.95
Trial: Yes - 10 Days
Devices Used for Review: i-Mate JAQ 3

Technorati Tags: Sprite Software, Sprite Archie, SMS, Call Log, Archiver, Just Another Mobile Monday, JAMM

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