Decimus Software has rolled out Synk 7, an update of its file synchronization and backup software for the Mac.

Building on the success of the ZeroScan feature introduced in Synk 6, Synk 7 has been rebuilt from the ground up around synchronizing live as files change. This makes it faster, safer, and more convenient than ever before to keep your files in sync and backed up, says Benjamin Rister, Decimus's president.

"Live synchronization means that syncs and backups will always be up-to-date," he adds. "You'll always be ready to pick up the laptop and walk out the door on a moment's notice, and if your system fails you won't lose any more than seconds of work from your backup. What's more, live sync also improves the performance of syncs, and minimizes the window of vulnerability to sync conflicts (when a file is edited on both sides of a sync).

Beyond live synchronization, Synk 7 still includes many features from previous versions of Synk, such as rules, archiving of changed and deleted files, and N-way synchronization. New features added to Synk 7 include a set of templates to make it easy to get started with common configurations, easier exclusion controls, and increased control over attribute handling. Synk 7 also introduces SynkSharing, a new custom filesharing protocol that offers better compatibility and sync behavior than traditional filesharing protocols.

Synk 7 requires Mac OS X 10.6 ("Snow Leopard") or later. It's available through Decimus's online store, and comes in two versions. The standard version of Synk 7 costs US$40; existing Synk users can upgrade for $30. Synk 7 Pro is intended for advanced users and costs $60 with an upgrade price of $45.

The upgrade is free to anybody who purchased Synk 6 after 1 June 2010. Synk 7 may be downloaded and used for 21 days as a fully-functional trial from Decimus Software online (http://decimus.net).