Portal has evolved a great deal since its first introduction, so I thought I’d take a moment to summarize:
Portal is an application designed to sync files, folders, and applications between two or more Macs. For users with just two Macs, keeping them in sync with today’s applications is far more of a hassle than it should be. Even Apple’s own .Mac Sync falls short (plus it costs too much, and requires an annual subscription). Portal picks up where Apple leaves off, integrating all your syncing needs into one simple window (see mockups here and here). And yet, despite Portal’s flexibility and strength, using it is still as easy as 1-2-3:
Two features set Portal apart from your typical sync utility. First, application syncing is expanded beyond just Mail, Address Book, and Safari Bookmarks. Select any application or system setting you want and Portal will find all the associated files. As Portal grows from version 1.0, it will also expand the customization options for these applications. Users should be able to sync selected iPhoto albums, iTunes playlists, iCal calendars or Mail mailboxes without having to go into each individual application.
Portal also uses Apple’s new Core Animation framework to create stunning full-screen sync animations in a variety of styles. Watch as your files and applications get sucked through a twisting wormhole, or as they get washed away by a massive flood! Scan through your style collection with a turntable of miniature video previews. Select styles feature user editable parameters, so you can customize them to your heart’s content.
Portal is designed for people with two or more Macs: it lets you keep your systems in perfect harmony. But it can do more than just that. Portal can also let you create Ad Hoc groups, where you can share files between systems effortlessly. During these group sessions, if you edit a file, it automatically streams to everyone in the group when you save. Additional Sync modes for Classrooms, Workgroups, Sync to Server, Sync to Public, etc. will be available after the initial release.
While the Portal window is great for managing your Macs, your sync items, and your sync animations, you probably don’t want to have to open it to add each and every file or application to the sync queue. By having a “Sync to Portal” item in the Right-Click menu, you won’t have to. Simply find the file you want to sync in the Finder, and right-click on it. From the menu, select Sync to Portal. This will give you a list of all Macs Portal knows about, and all Macs available via Bonjour. Simply select the one you want, and the file will be added to the queue with all the default settings for that Mac. (If you want to customize it further, then you can use the Portal window). To make Portal even more transparent, the dock icon can be hidden. Bringing up the Portal window would then be done by a predefined keystroke (such as option+space, or whatever the user chooses).
Portal also uses Time Machine to make sure that your important files and settings stay safe. Whenever Portal overwrites an older file, it makes sure that Time Machine has made a backup, just in case. Portal also extends the backup features of Time Machine to applications written before Mac OS X Leopard.
Well, that’s about all I can say about Portal. Nothing above is entirely certain, especially considering how much Portal evolved in the past few days. I’d love to get your feedback, good or bad!
