A new version of Firefox Sync was released as well (Firefox Sync 1.3b5) which offers considerable advantages over earlier versions.

This includes an improved response time, a new production server clusters built to handle larger loads, client user interface facelift and more.

The full list of changes is listed in the release notes.

Take a look at the screenshots below to see how easy it is to configure Firefox Sync to backup browser data that can be restored and synced with other devices. Data can be stored on Mozilla servers or custom servers.

Firefox sync supports continuous synchronization of the bookmarks, Firefox preferences, browsing history, saved passwords and tabs.

Existing Firefox Sync users can log in while new users need to create an account first.

The Firefox Sync server (Mozilla or custom), username, password and email address need to be configured in the Sync account creation window.

A secret phrase needs to be entered which will be used to encrypt and decrypt the data.

The data that should be synced can be selected in the next wizard window. It is possible to sync everything or only specific data sets.

A captcha appears on the screen afterwards which feels a bit strange. The setup completes afterwards and Firefox Sync will appear in the status bar of the web browser indicating that it is performing the initial syncing of data to the selected servers.

The latest version of Firefox Sync can be downloaded from the official Mozilla Labs website. A click on Experimental version next to Download Weave now will download and install the latest beta version of Firefox Sync.

Update: Mozilla has integrated Firefox Sync into recent versions of the Firefox web browser. Users can now configure data synchronization in Firefox with a click on Tools > Options in the Firefox menu, and the selection of the Sync tab in the Options window.

It is necessary to create an account before data can be synchronized between different versions of the Firefox web browser. Once setup, it is possible to sync data such as bookmarks, passwords and soon add-ons with Firefox running on other devices.

The basic Weave client uses Mozilla web servers to store the encrypted information so that all Weave installations can access the data regardless of the states of the other computer systems running Weave.

Weave users need to create an account – or more than one – that needs to be used on all computer systems to authorize the computer system so that the data can be transferred.

The data that gets synchronized this way can be selected in the the options which can be interesting for users who might prefer not to sync the open tabs or the browsing history.

A Weave server was released as well which can be used by companies to implement Weave on their servers so that no third party servers like the Mozilla Weave servers are used for data storage and transfers.

Mobile users can look forward to Weave 1.0 being released tomorrow for Maemo with the likelihood that support for other devices is expanded in the near future once the Firefox mobile developers start supporting those devices in upcoming releases.

Weave can be downloaded from the Mozilla website. The add-on is compatible with all Firefox 3.5 to 3.7x versions.

Update: Mozilla Weave the add-on is no longer available. Mozilla has however integrated its synchronization functionality natively into the Firefox web browser. Firefox users who want to sync data between different computer systems can now open the Options and switch to the Sync tab there to configure the feature. It is necessary to create an account though as data is currently synced using Mozilla servers.

Mozilla Weave is currently an experimental add-on that is only working with versions of Firefox 3.5 which limits the reach of the add-on quite a bit. The data transfer is encrypted which ensures data integrity and safety during the transfer and on the storage server.

Several new features have been added to Mozilla Weave 0.4 including the ability to synchronize preferences, identity support that includes automatic logins and the use of OpenID logins, better support for add-ons using Weave, performance improvements during startup and opening new windows and support for the Fennec which is also known as the mobile Firefox browser.

You can check out our first review of Mozilla Weave dating back to 2008 if you would like to receive additional information. The announcement page contains additional information and the download link to Mozilla Weave 0.4.

The advantage of Opera Link is that it is build into Opera like many other features that can only be added to Firefox with add-ons. Opera Link can be used to synchronize Bookmarks, Notes, Speed Dial and the Personal Bar with an online storage at Opera. That storage can be accessed by other Opera browsers including Opera Mini. As a bonus the personal data can also be accessed directly on the Opera website which is excellent if you access the web from a computer that has no Opera browser installed.

Using Opera Link could not be easier. The feature can be accessed in the File > Synchronize Opera menu and requires an account at Opera. The account can be created right from the menu and the only data that is required is a username, password and email.

The transfer of the data is fast and I was not able to witness any delay in the process. The data will be continuously synced with Opera Link until the user decides to turn that feature off again.

Bookmarks and the other data will be synchronized with every browser that activates the sync feature and provides the same user data that has been entered during account creation.

The online version provides access to the bookmarks and Speed Dial links and even has an option to add new bookmarks.