Sync or Swim LapLink.com's latest file management tool makes online storage faster and easier.

LapLink.com's products have most typically been used to syncone PC to another. But LapLink knows that not all your documents,files and folders are stored on your hard drive or afloppy-they're probably stored on the Web, too.ExpressLoader, one of the first products in LapLink's series ofInternet file management tools, is designed to make online storagea cinch.

ExpressLoader is available through LapLink's online storagepartners, which currently include Driveway, My Docs Online andOracle. Although many of these companies' services are free,the ExpressLoader feature is available as part of their fee-basedenhanced versions, like Premium My Docs Online, which starts at$34.95.

After a quick download, the program resides on your computer.The interface resembles that of Windows Explorer, making it easy tofind your bearings. The windows allow you to navigate your waythrough the contents on your computer and your Web-based storageaccounts. (You can navigate through multiple accounts while runningExpressLoader in just one window.) At its most basic, theapplication allows you to upload and download documents betweenyour PC and your Web storage with a single click. And, although youcan accomplish the same result without ExpressLoader, using it ismuch quicker than navigating through the Web site of your onlinestorage provider.

But ExpressLoader doesn't stop there. One of its most usefulfeatures is SmartXchange, which allows you to sync files andfolders on your hard drive with those in your Web-based storageaccounts. You can upload files to the Internet, download them toyour computer, or select to do both at the same time to ensure thatboth locations will have identical contents. You can scheduleSmartXchange to recur in specific intervals, or you can choose torun it manually. The feature works quickly, even over a slowdial-up connection.

Speaking of dial-up connections, ExpressLoader has anotherfeature that makes life without broadband more bearable: itsSaveToNet feature, which allows you to download files orapplications directly to your Web-based storage by simply clickingon any URL-linked file on the Web, without having to download it toyour desktop. Of course, when you want to access the file,you'll need to download it to your PC-but you can storeit in your Web folders until you have access to a speedierconnection.

The bottom line? ExpressLoader may not be a necessity, but ifyou're a mobile professional, it will certainly come inhandy.

Liane Gouthro, a former technology reporter at PCWorld.com,freelances from her home in Brookline, Massachusetts.