Sync your calendar, contacts, tasks, and notes with Sync on Ovi and your Nokia device
Setup for Sync on Ovi was drop dead simple and all I did was select my device, the E71, and then enter my mobile phone number as I walked through the wizard. A configuration file was sent via text message and then the settings were saved in the Sync conduit area on the device. I then simply selected sync and everything was backed up on the Nokia server. You can acccess and manager your data via a web browser on a Mac or PC (or other device with a browser). My contact photos were not synced over from my device.
If you already use Mail for Exchange or another sync solution you will want to turn it off and be careful or you may end up with lost data or duplicates. The great thing about this solution is that you can easily get your data back on a device if it is lost or you switch devices.
IMHO, the major bummer about this new Sync on Ovi service is that you can't sync to Outlook, Google Calendar, etc. and must use the Nokia services. Data is also only synced when you take action and is not pushed. James posted some more great thoughts on what he would like to see in Ovi.
Sync on Ovi is designed for PIM synchronization while the new beta Nokia Email service syncs your email. Nokia also has Files on Ovi (based on Avvenu technology) that allows you to backup and access files from your web browser or your device and this is a subscription service with a monthly or annual fee.
Share on Ovi lets you manage photos and video content too so with Ovi you can get a complete, yet still a bit disjointed (Nokia Email is a separate client, Files is a fee-based service, the icons along to top of Ovi sites show different modules and should all be the same to easily move through each module), experience for ensuring your most important information is backed up and always accessible.
The new Nokia Ovi Suite for PC application (Outlook-like application) looks like a great way to manage your device and content with a PC based application. The Nokia site states that a Mac client is comine soon, which is excellent news considering there never was a Nokia PC Suite for the Mac before.
If I was only using my Nokia E71 or N95 then I would probably stick with just these Nokia solutions. However, I also use Windows Mobile, iPhone, and Palm devices and think my hosted Exchange solution is still the best for me right now. Since most people are not like me with all of these devices, I think these Ovi services are excellent solutions for consumers and based on some of my initial trials, the services are working quite well.