pctechguide.com

  • Home
  • Guides
  • Tutorials
  • Articles
  • Reviews
  • Glossary
  • Contact

Switch & Sync Software Review

Switch & SyncPROS: Switch & Sync is one of the easiest products to use in the synchronization area.

CONS: Wireless users will not be able to use this product.

OVERVIEW: Switch & Sync is a very basic software program; it does no more than synchronize and transfer data from a pc to mac, or vice versa.

Switch & Sync Review

Company: Laplink

Version: Non Disclosed

Release Date: October 3, 2010

Operating Systems:

Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Mac

OS X 10.5 Leopard or 10.5 Snow Leopard

Price: $29.95

What It Does

It transfers all data files, folders, photos, email, contacts, and calendar:  –PC to Mac or Mac to PC.

Product Details

With the long standing history Lap Link has in the software industry, it’s surprising that they would put together a product that is as simplistic as they come, compared to their other offerings.

Switch and Sync is no more than a glorified data transfer program to get files on a PC to a Mac. Using a USB cable, which is included with the package, you copy all your folders on the PC to the Macintosh. Both computers are synchronized if they are located on the same network. There’s no wireless support and that could prevent a home network user choosing this product, for obvious reasons.

switch and sync

Once the connection is made to the Macintosh as the host, a wizard is displayed to walk the user through the first synchronization. This includes selecting the specified files or folders, their target destination. Advanced options include selecting if the files will be placed in locations other than original location of the source files ( ie. A documents folder on PC to an alternative folder on the Macintosh), scheduling, file exclusions and other conditions.

switch & sync

Conflicts between two files are managed by the rules setup by the end user. This will prevent new files being overwritten or duplicates created.

There are two settings that effect the speed of the transfer. The default “Speed Sync” is set to ON. You can make a setting change so that only the files that have been altered since the last sync session will be transferred. Also, you can select to have the data compressed as the transfer occurs.

When transferring email on the PC to the Macintosh, the software will convert the PC email file to one usable in Outlook for Macintosh. There’s nothing worse than having a corrupted email file and no access to today’s critical communications avenues. Having that conversion done automatically for the end user is the first plus I’ve seen so far in this program. Just clicking on the Convert E-mail button takes care of the whole process. There is a limitation on the email programs though, supporting only Outlook 2000 or later, as well a Outlook Express 6, and Windows Mail.

switch & sync

Security

I found minimal security measures within the software. When connecting to the Macintosh as the host, a user name and password can be applied but are not required. The software also supports SSL. Additionally, if the system is on a network and the default port number is in conflict with an IT department’s security policy, it can be changed as shown. However, other security measures such as domain authentication and ACL’s don’t exist.

switch & sync

Installation

Whether you download the software at Lap Link’s website or your make your purchase at a software retailer, you must expand the .dmg file to create an installer package, and then run the actual install.

Knowledge Level

Novice = 3 Intermediate = 2       Expert = 1

Using the software on the Macintosh or the PC is easy. The wizards ensure you take all the steps in order for the synchronization to be completed.

Technical Support

LapLink believes that most of a user’s problems can be resolved by searching through their knowledge base or frequently asked questions. If neither of these contain the solution to your problem, they do provide a user guide for the PC and another for the Machintosh. If all else fails, you can contact the techs using a secure chat session. Support hours are Monday to Friday 9:30AM-8PM EST. Saturday 11-5pm and they do not offer Sunday support hours.

License Model

You are required to have a copy of Switch and Sync on each PC and Macintosh pair. A volume license is available for businesses with large numbers of networked computers.

Extras

A USB cable is included in with the purchase.

Conclusion

Swith and Sync delivers the minimum needed to get data transferred. Although one of the easiest products in the synchronization space, the trade off is the lack of full features provided on other synchronization products. Having no wireless is surprising, given the number of home networks and the computers on them. With limited security configurations, business users should strike this application on their desktop user’s wish list. With the myriad of sync manufactures, look elsewhere for a complete solution for all your phones, computers and home networks.

Filed Under: Sync Software Reviews Tagged With: Laplink Switch & Sync, Switch & Sync, Switch & Sync laplink products, Switch & Sync software, Switch & Sync Software review

Latest Articles

Making Bitmaps with the RGB Colour System, Palettes and Look Up Tables

As an image is captured and a grid of colour samples built up, each grid location's colour needs to be given a representative number. Yes, we're finally getting back to numbers again! Like a painter, when dealing with images the computer uses a palette. The palette contains the colour … [Read More...]

9 More Great Microsoft Word Hacks to Boost Productivity

We mentioned a few great Microsoft Word hacks in our last post. We wanted to follow up and share some more that can help improve productivity. Continue where you were Microsoft Word remembers where you left off when viewing and editing a document, and you can easily return to that place by … [Read More...]

AMD Athlon 64 X2

AMD had been the first manufacturer to demonstrate a working dual-core processor design in the summer of 2004, so it came as something of a surprise when rival Intel brought the first dual-core processor to market in the spring of 2005. … [Read More...]

Gaming Laptop Security Guide: Protecting Your High-End Hardware Investment in 2025

Since Jacob took over PC Tech Guide, we’ve looked at how tech intersects with personal well-being and digital safety. Gaming laptops are now … [Read More...]

20 Cool Creative Commons Photographs About the Future of AI

AI technology is starting to have a huge impact on our lives. The market value for AI is estimated to have been worth $279.22 billion in 2024 and it … [Read More...]

13 Impressive Stats on the Future of AI

AI technology is starting to become much more important in our everyday lives. Many businesses are using it as well. While he has created a lot of … [Read More...]

Graphic Designers on Reddit Share their Views of AI

There are clearly a lot of positive things about AI. However, it is not a good thing for everyone. One of the things that many people are worried … [Read More...]

Redditors Talk About the Impact of AI on Freelance Writers

AI technology has had a huge impact on our lives. A 2023 survey by Pew Research found that 56% of people use AI at least once a day or once a week. … [Read More...]

11 Most Popular Books on Perl Programming

Perl is not the most popular programming language. It has only one million users, compared to 12 million that use Python. However, it has a lot of … [Read More...]

Guides

  • Computer Communications
  • Mobile Computing
  • PC Components
  • PC Data Storage
  • PC Input-Output
  • PC Multimedia
  • Processors (CPUs)

Recent Posts

6 Impressive Ways Cloud Phone Systems Lower Costs

Technological developments have played a very big role in improving the cost-effectiveness of businesses. One of the biggest cost savers is a new … [Read More...]

Core i3

The Intel’s Core i3 was released in 2010 and was a low budget series of processors which was based on Nehalem microarchitecture (Clardale and … [Read More...]

WECA

WECA Definition: The Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance is a non-profit international association formed in 1999 to certify interoperability … [Read More...]

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2025 About | Privacy | Contact Information | Wrtie For Us | Disclaimer | Copyright License | Authors