Recently, I've been testing a series of currently available File Sharing Applications (client side) and Services (server side). At the end of the race, there were four candidates left: Pando, Zapr, BoxCloud and Box.net
It turned out that, today, Box.net offers the best combination of requested features and options to synchronise with Trilobite House:
* It's a Web based Service; my PC doesn't need to be online for users to access my files (unlike Zapr & BoxCloud)
* No need to send e-mails to potential users to provide them with an access-link (unlike Pando, Zapr & BoxCloud)
* No need for users to register in order to have access to my Public Pages (unlike BoxCloud)
* No need for users to download & install the client (unlike Pando & BoxCloud)
* Very nice and handy automatic post-to-blog flash widget for direct file access (see integration in the right-hand menu, orange box >>>>>
Conclusion: Box.net is very user friendly, highly configurable and has a dynamic developers team. They offer several pricings, including a free version if you don't exceed the Space 1GB/mo and Bandwidth 10GB/mo limit. RSS subscription, .zip file support, sub-(work)groups and collaborative document writing are all available in the paid versions... very cool.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
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2 comments:
Thanks for taking the time to review BoxCloud...
Just a couple of quick comments:
1. By default, yes BoxCloud requires your PC to be online but we're now offering a server caching option (on the paying accounts) which will mirror your files for you.
2. Users do not need to register unless they wish to access your files beyond 7 days when the alias link expires. We do this to prevent leaving a non-password protected link to your machine.
3. Only sharers need to download the application. but viewers do not. Yes, the download is an extra step, but it provides simpler and more reliable file transfers by taking advantage of swarming and torrents.
Cheers,
Ash
---
Founder, WiredReach (makers of BoxCloud)
company: http://www.wiredreach.com
email: ash@wiredreach.com
Ash is of course quite right in point 3 when he writes that "only sharers will need to download the application". However, this blog being in the first place kind of a limited "sharer platform" for family, friends and other "buddylike" contacts (and yes! it's also public), I think a web based service like Box.Net is more user friendly for a target group like this... all different contacts having their own sharing preferences, so I think the best is not to bother them with any additional downloads/installs/conditions whatsoever for my blog. Swarming and torrents are not really this blog's everyday fare ;-)
My target group expects files to be available for at least several weeks, if not months. Box.Net offers time-unlimited access to their servers without additional registration, which is a great deal from my users' perspective.
Last but not least, I'm very happy with the Box.Net flash widget functionality for direct file access; technically, it integrates very well in the blog and in my opinion it's an attractive design, also from the artistic point of view.
BoxCloud's strong point, no doubt, is it's overall design quality (it doesn't renounce its origins for creative professionals!).
In my analysis, focus was on functionality available in free versions. Comparisons of paid versions may give different results.
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