Rsync is a fast and extraordinarily versatile file copying tool. It can copy locally, to/from another host over any remote shell, or to/from a remote rsync daemon. It is famous for its delta-transfer algorithm, which reduces the amount of data sent over the network by sending only the differences between the source files and the existing files in the destination. Rsync is widely used for backups and mirroring and as an improved copy command for everyday use.
The main incentive for picking up an iPad was to use it as a photo back up device during a long vacation; this post focuses on further woes with iTunes that stem from syncing (or not as it turns out) an iPad with photos that had been imported to the iPad via the official Apple iPad Camera Kit from an SD card.
The initial plan was to use the iPad to import images from a camera's SD card through the Apple iPad camera connection kit and onto the iPad; and eventually syncing the iPad back to a desktop PC running Windows XP to archive the photos. Essentially this would allow me to carry a small amount of flash memory on a long trip. Testing this out for the first time this week I noted that on syncing the iPad it only synced photos that had been transferred onto the iPad originally by iTunes and would not sync photos imported via the Apple iPad Camera Kit; cue big disappointment.
