Sync Files on External Hard Drive with Internal Drive

Is there a way to sync the files on a portable external HD with files on an internal HD?
I use the portable drive for a laptop and the internal drive on my desktop. Ideally I'd like to be able to work from either drive and then update the "opposite" drive. i.e. if I work from the external then the internal gets updated or vice versa.
My second choice would be to always work from the external drive and write the updates to the internal.
What's the best application to do this?
Thanks

If it is just a matter of keeping documents synced, there are lots of third party folder syncing programs. For example, I use DejaVu to sync my MacBook to an external drive I use for backup purposes. Two other products I've used and can recommend are ChronoSync and Synchronize X.
But there are two other issues you need to be aware of because mere file syncing isn't the answer. First, you might have a file that you edit on the notebook and also edit on the desktop without having performed a file sync. Some syncing software is 'smart' about this issue and deal with it. Others aren't and you can wind up losing edits.
Second, you probably don't want to use file syncing for things like email, iCal, your address book, etc. First, there's the potential problem mentioned above. Second, these files can get pretty large - especially email, and add lots of needless time to the sync process. For these, Apple's .Mac is a possible solution as is a third party .sync program make by Mark Space

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