Without going more back into history, I started with computers when Floppy Disks were the most effective way to transport information between computers. The Floppy was able to store up to 1.4 MB of information on each drive, then the ZIP drive arrived without too much success because it was expensive, but it was able to hold 100 MB in a single disk. It lasted enough to receive the CD at a much lower price per disc, holding 650 MB. Then till not so long ago, the DVD holding 4.7 to 9 GB of information was something very common to see, and you could frequently find a DVD recorder in almost any desktop or laptop computer.
Almost in parallel with the DVD the USB flash drive started to become something very common to see and very affordable, nowadays you can get a 64 GB flash drive for just USD 50. And you can store, delete and save again almost anything you want in it. The latest ones with USB 3 are very fast and it has been till now, the most preferred way to transport middle amount of data between places. Some people also use them as a backup media, although I don’t think is the best way to save things for backup on a USB flash drive, yes it better than nothing, but because it can get easily lost, so if you are using a flash drive to copy your stuff, make sure to keep it in a safe place. Also external hard drives which offer bigger amounts of storage for a friendlier price (1 TB for USD 70 aprox), are being used sometimes for backups, and to carry big amounts of information. Although some flash drives or pendrives (the bigger ones) will still be used for a while, the time of the smaller ones has come to a practical end. (more…)
Its been some months since I started my testing of BitCasa, during all this time I´ve been exchanging emails with the BitCasa team providing them feedback about problems, errors of their overall functionality and Windows/iOS apps. They have been sending me early versions of their Windows client to test, and gosh I spent hours doing it (and still do). No, I didn’t got paid, but I believe so much in the concept that I want to see the product stable and working nice.
While BitCasa has been polishing several aspects of the software and service, they are still not implementing the Dropbox/Copy main sync functionality. Yes they have a “mirror” function but its very limited and works strangely. Although several users are asking a lot of specs through feedback.bitcasa.com I guess eventually they will add it together with a lot of great things the service could offer.
I think I am getting obsessed with testing online storage platforms, maybe its because I just don’t conceive that there is not one single player that is willing to provide all the things I am looking for. Some weeks ago I wrote a post about 18 features the ideal online storage service should have and Dropbox is far, far away from filling the check boxes I mention there.
Since a lot of years ago I know that one of the best ways to improve IT stuff is to listen to what the customers have to say, but this doesn’t seem to apply to Dropbox, or they might have a different agenda for their service…like being sold to a bigger player?
The blue box online storage service has an excellent way to gather information about what the users are suggesting and desiring for their products, its called Votebox. The way it works is very simple, people write ideas about what they want and other just vote them if they support them too (I think the guys at Uservoice copied this model and created a profitable business around it, but that’s another story). So Dropbox has a great platform to gather feedback, so whats the problem? (more…)
Update Feb. 6th 2016: Copy has announced that will discontinue their service on May 1st 2016. You can read the post here.
Continuing with my “crusade” to find the perfect online storage platform, its now the turn of Copy.com, a freshly launched service by Barracuda Networks a well known network and anti-spam security player in the market.
The first thing that catches your attention to try Copy.com is their incredible referral system. Because they are new on this segment, they want to be sure everybody tries Copy.com, and to do so they had the brilliant idea of giving away a 15 GB free account, and if you register through a referral link (like mine here) you can get 20 GB of free space. But the good part doesn’t stops here, for each person you recommend and registers to their platform through your own referral link, validates their email address and installs the client software, Copy.com will credit you 5 GB of additional space. For the moment, they are not limiting how much space you can get for free, so take advantage now if you need online storage, I already have 250 GB 535 GB:) (Update: I already passed 3 4 TB of free storage!!!) (more…)
I recently found out about Copy.com. Its like a new Dropbox, but tries to be better, I am still testing it and once I do all my testing I will write a review here.
But for now, there are two things that I found very interesting:
1) Because they are starting and they want to get themselves known, they are giving away a lot of free space. For example if you go to Copy.com you get 15 GB of Free Space online. If you go through the link on this post you get 20 GB. So this means that their referral system its really great, they give 5 GB for each person you recommend. (Dropbox only gives 500 MB per referral) and even they limit it to 18 GB. I already have 115 GB 535 GB of free storage on Copy.com because all the people I referred. You can refer as much people as you want (no limit) 🙂
Its an application that enables an online virtual drive on your computer that works the same way an external hard drive connected to your computer would but with steroids. It adds all the benefits of having all the information you put on this drive securely backed up online and available to access it from any device you have (PC, MAC, Tablet, Smartphone) no matter in which part of the world you are. You can choose to move, copy or mirror folders you have on your computer to the BitCasa drive and if you choose to move them, those files wont take space on your computer.
BitCasa explained by Tony Gauda, CEO and Co-founder
How much storage space BitCasa offers?
When I heard for the first time Tony Gauda´s statement “We are killing the hard drive” it immediately got my attention. (more…)