Dropbox pc sync, file sharing and online storage

Dropbox is a relatively new service. It does require software download and installation, unlike the purely Web-based file transfer sites. The GUI is minimal with only a simple tray icon that launches the Web site or alternatively you could use the standard Windows Explorer to the view the Dropbox folder residing in your documents folder.

When you drag files to the Dropbox folder they are automatically uploaded online. A file uploaded online via the Web will be synchronized and show up in you local Dropbox folder too. 2GB are free, with 50GB available for $9.99/month.

Sharing involves sending an invitation to the other party. The other person then needs to install Dropbox, so this is not the easiest method perhaps. Once installed, the shared folder is copied and synced with their Dropbox folder. If the other party don't want to install the software, he or she can access files via the online Web using a unique URL. Installing the full software does enable automatic transfer of all shared documents, so that's a big advantage for some.

Rapidshare, MegaUpload and YouSendit file transfer

Rapidshare, MegaUpload and YouSendIt are free file hosting services where you can upload and download arbitrarily large files. Once the file had been uploaded, a link will be sent to the recipient. Following that link enables downloading the sent file. Some plugin and PC clients are available to automate this manual web upload process.

Sending large files

Sending large files via email is still very difficult. Often either the sender, the recipient or both have restrictions on their accounts and they email is likely to bounce. Various Web sites and applications provide ways to send large files and address this issue. Some tools offer additional security and tracking for documents. This blog is about that...