Dropbox – Best online service to store, sync and share your files

Computerworld – one if the most reputable sites for the technological reviews – evaluated top online services allowing users to store, synchronize, and share with other their data. Dropbox service is on the top of their list.

Dropbox review by Computerworld

When trying to describe to neophytes what "syncing to the cloud" means, people often cite Dropbox as a prime example. Launched in early 2008, Dropbox has garnered a large following -- the San Francisco-based company announced it had 4 million users as of January 2010.

How it works: The Dropbox software installs itself in the form of a desktop folder. To sync files, you drag and drop files into the Dropbox folder or into one of its subfolders, and the files will immediately be uploaded to Dropbox's servers.

The Dropbox folder can be treated like any other folder on your local drive. For example, if you create or save a document directly to the Dropbox folder, the document file is automatically uploaded to your account on the Dropbox servers. This file will then be instantly downloaded to any of your other computers on which the Dropbox client program is installed.

To share your subfolders with others, you right-click on one of your Dropbox subfolders and select "Share This Folder." This brings up a Web form in your browser where you enter the e-mail addresses of the people you want to share the folder with. They are sent a link that will allow them to access your shared folder through the Dropbox site. (Non-users of Dropbox will be required to register for a free account.)

If the people you've selected have the Dropbox software installed on their computers or mobile devices, then your shared subfolder will appear under their Dropbox folder and its contents will be downloaded to their local hard drives.

What's good: File syncing was fast and instantaneous, and it happened as soon as I logged my remote notebook into a Wi-Fi service.

Dropbox provides client programs for a variety of operating systems, making it an attractive choice if you own a number of devices that run on different platforms.

What needs to be fixed: The client software has a bare-bones set of features. You have to log into your account through the Dropbox Web site for extras, such as the ability to read a log that lists the files that have been updated, uploaded or deleted from your Dropbox folders.

Bottom line: Despite its minimalist desktop software, Dropbox is a very direct and easy-to-use service, abiding by the "it just works" mantra. It's obvious to see why it has become the most popular choice among cloud-based, store-and-sync services.

Product Specs

Website: http://www.dropbox.com/

OS: Windows XP/Vista/7, OS X 10.4 or later, Ubuntu Linux 7.10+ and Fedora Core Linux 9+

Mobile apps: Android, iPad, iPhone

Free Storage size: 2GB

Maximum file size: Unlimited using client software; under 300MB when using Web site

Daily data-transfer limit: None

Paid plans: $9.99/month (or $99/year) for 50GB; $19.99/month (or $199/year) for 100GB

Additional Notes

While there are many competitive free services online offering the similar options to manage your files, popularity of DropBox makes it preferable for use, since people you want to share your files, might already have their own accounts, so no additional actions are required from their side to accept the invitation.

Developed mobile applications for the most popular platforms make it easy and painless to share the data among your own personal gadgets.

Service is highly recommended!

Send large files to anyone with TransferBIGFiles

When you need to transfer really big files to your friends or to yourself, you know, that might be a big headache. The big file of more than 10MB cannot be attached to email (for some providers, this limitation is even at the lower file attachment size), and if you are sending it somebody hidden behind the professional business firewall, your attachment might be stripped due to the corporate security regulations. Definitely, you can use FTP, but here you need available FTP server and special software for uploading.

So, there is a gap, when users needs do not have straightforward solution built in the regular OS software package. As usual, when there is a gap, you can find solution on the Web. There are multiple sites, offering free files storage and distribution. But, in spite of the huge list of providers, it might be challenging to find a right one, which will match your particular needs. In this post, we are going to present solution, offered by Website http://www.transferbigfiles.com/.

Service Advantages:

• Service is simple and straightforward. There's no registration required to use the website. You can just go to the home page and start uploading your files. Next, select the files you want to send and TransferBigFiles will email the recipient with a link to the download page.
• TransferBigFiles does not limit the amount of space your account can use on our servers.
• You can add message to the email recipient.
• You can protect the data, if you wish, with password for better security.

Service Disadvantages:

• Your files may not be larger than one (1) GB.
• Files are stored for a limited time – for up to 5 days or
• There is maximum amount of file downloads permitted – file is removed when limit of 20 downloads is reached.

Summary: The service will not fit to any purposes. If you need to store your data for a longer period, or if you need to broadcast your files with a big amount of recipients, that is not for you. Otherwise, give this service a try.

Website access: http://www.transferbigfiles.com/

Use GMail Account for Big Files Transfer between Computers

GMail Drive shell extension description                                                                                                               

GMail Drive is a Shell Namespace Extension that creates a virtual filesystem around your Google GMail account, allowing you to use GMail as a storage medium.You can save and retrieve files stored on your GMail account directly from inside Windows Explorer.

GMail Drive literally adds a new drive to your computer under the My Computer folder, where you can create new folders, copy and drag'n'drop files to.

Ever since Google started to offer users a GMail e-mail account, which includes storage space of a 1000 megabytes, you have had plenty of storage space but not a lot to fill it up with.

With GMail Drive you can easily copy files to your GMail account and retrieve them again. When you create a new file using GMail Drive, it generates an e-mail and posts it to your account.

The e-mail appears in your normal Inbox folder, and the file is attached as an e-mail attachment. GMail Drive periodically checks your mail account (using the GMail search function) to see if new files have arrived and to rebuild the directory structures.

But basically GMail Drive acts as any other hard-drive installed on your computer.

You can copy files to and from the GMail Drive folder simply by using drag'n'drop like you're used to with the normal Explorer folders.

Because the GMail files will clutter up your Inbox folder, you may wish to create a filter in GMail to automatically move the files (prefixed with the GMAILFS letters) to your archived mail folder.

Or you can create totally new account, dedicated exclusively to the data transfer.

Using the first approach, you can create a rule that puts all your stored files into the Gmail Archive instead, which will keep the Inbox clutter free. All files uploaded using the GMail Drive have a subject that contains the text GMAILFS. Using this text we will create a filter that automatically places any messages with that subject into the Archive.

1. Logon to Gmail. 
2. Click on the Create a filter link which is next to the Search the Web button at the top of the Gmail screen. 
3. In the Create a Filter dialog, enter GMAILFS into the Subject: field. Then press the Next Step button. 
4. Put a checkmark in the Skip the Inbox (Archive it) checkbox and then press the Create Filter button.

Now when you upload a file using Gmail Drive, it will automatically bypass your Inbox and be stored in the Archive. To view the files in the Archive, simply click on the All Mail link in the left hand navigation menu.

Please note that GMail Drive is still an experimental tool. There are still a number of limitations of the file-system:

• Total filename size must be less than 40 characters.
• English characters only in the file names.
• You can't create and edit files directly on the drive - it is only meant to copy or move files there.
• It doesn't make full use of the secure internet protocols available.

Developer Web Site: http://www.viksoe.dk/code/gmail.htm

Video Presentation:

GMail Drive as Free Online Storage

FTP at Hand: Overview for New Users

What is FTP?

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is the simplest and most secure way to exchange files over the Internet. Whether you know it or not, you most likely use FTP all the time.

The most common use for FTP is to download files from the Internet. Because of this, FTP is the backbone of the MP3 music craze, and vital to most online auction and game enthusiasts. In addition, the ability to transfer files back-and-forth makes FTP essential for anyone creating a Web page, amateurs and professionals alike.

When downloading a file from the Internet you’re actually transferring the file to your computer from another computer over the Internet. This is why the T (transfer) is in FTP. You may not know where the computer is that the file is coming from but you most likely know it’s URL or Internet address.

An FTP address looks a lot like an HTTP, or Website, address except it uses the prefix ftp:// instead of http://.

Most often, a computer with an FTP address is dedicated to receive an FTP connection. Just as a computer that is setup to host Web pages is referred to as a Web server or Website, a computer dedicated to receiving an FTP connection is referred to as an FTP server or FTP site.

What is an FTP Site?

An FTP site is like a large filing cabinet. With a traditional filing cabinet, the person who does the filing has the option to label and organize the files how ever they see fit. They also decide which files to keep locked and which remain public. It is the same with an FTP site.

The virtual ‘key’ to get into an FTP site is the UserID and Password. If the creator of the FTP site is willing to give everyone access to the files, the UserID is ‘anonymous’ and the Password is your e-mail address (e.g. name@domain.com). If the FTP site is not public, there will be a unique UserID and Password for each person who is granted access.

When connecting to an FTP site that allows anonymous logins, you’re frequently not prompted for a name and password. Hence, when downloading from the Internet, you most likely are using an anonymous FTP login and you don’t even know it.

To make an FTP connection you can use a standard Web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.) or a dedicated FTP software program, referred to as an FTP ‘Client’.

When using a Web browser for an FTP connection, FTP uploads are difficult, or sometimes impossible, and downloads are not protected (not recommended for uploading or downloading large files).

When connecting with an FTP Client, uploads and downloads couldn’t be easier, and you have added security and additional features. For one, you’re able to to resume a download that did not successfully finish, which is a very nice feature for people using dial-up connections who frequently loose their Internet connection.

What is an FTP Client?

An FTP Client is software that is designed to transfer files back-and-forth between two computers over the Internet. It needs to be installed on your computer and can only be used with a live connection to the Internet.

The classic FTP Client look is a two-pane design. The pane on the left displays the files on your computer and the pane on the right displays the files on the remote computer.

File transfers are as easy as dragging-and-dropping files from one pane to the other or by highlighting a file and clicking one of the direction arrows located between the panes.

Additional features of the FTP Client include: multiple file transfer; the auto re-get or resuming feature; a queuing utility; the scheduling feature; an FTP find utility; a synchronize utility; and for the advanced user, a scripting utility.