It's been years since I last logged into my Windows Live account. Yesterday, I was browsing some tech news and was interested to learn more about SkyDrive, a service from Microsoft's cloud offering that supposedly offers 25Gb of free online storage.

At first I thought: wow, for a long time in years Microsoft seems to be ahead of the competition! Being used to seeing strong players such as Dropbox and Mozy offer 2Gb for free, Microsoft's offer seemed very compelling. Boy, I was so wrong.

I logged into my MSN account (now called Windows Live) to test it out, and quickly realized that the only way to upload files (even your photos) is by selecting them manually 1 by 1! And, by the way, maximum size per file is 50 Mb, in case you were considering it as a backup for your videos.

I really wish someday Microsoft will demonstrate better skills to create a better experience for their web users. I might wait another 5 years to check again if they learned something from the other companies that gets how the web works.

Loading mentions Retweet

Easy to use, quanp enables consumers to upload, store and access online a variety of
data including digital photos and a variety of computer file formats. Users can access files
through quanp.on, a dedicated client software for 3D view and intuitive operation as well as
quanp.net accessible through web browsers. Since its Japan launch in May 2008, quanp
has expanded its offerings including quanp photo print for online orders of photo printing,
and quanp drop enabling customers to drag and drop files into a desktop widget for upload.
quanp will add new dimensions to file usage by providing customers with the capabilities to
share their photo memories with their friends, safely share files with business partners, or
order photo printing online.

Sign up for the private beta here.

Loading mentions Retweet

Yes, you read it correctly. FREE, unlimited online storage. Well, since there is no free lunch, the free version is ad-supported. Still, it seems too good to be true: unlimited bandwidth, downloads and uploads, image galery, and a nice interface.

Once they hook you with this irresistible offer, I guess they will try to push you the MediaPro plan, that goes for USD $6.97 a month (if you pre-pay for a year, they are currently offering 3 months for free), which is also a good deal, and give you the extra features described below:

On one hand, it is great to feel that I can have this free unlimited account. And, honestly, I don't mind the ads at all - in the end, someone have to pay the bill. On the other hand, though, I have this strange feeling that trusting a free service to hold all my files might not be a good idea. Perhaps I still need to adapt to the idea.

Anyaways, it's great to see the industry evolving so fast and strong competition already creating great options for users, as the one provided by MediaFire.

Loading mentions Retweet

These are the rules posted on their blog:

1. You must be following Mozy before 11:59 PM Friday evening.
2. Sometime between 12:01 AM MST Friday morning and 11:59 PM MST Friday evening, you must retweet the following message: Just entered the Mozy Free Account Friday contest! You can win by following @mozy and RT! http://is.gd/kf0F #mozyfaf

Mozy offers worry-free online backups for home and business users. You can get 2 Gb for free or pay USD $4.95 per month for unlimited storage.

These are the main features:

* Open/locked file support: Mozy will back up your documents whether they're open or closed.
* 128-bit SSL encryption: The same technology used by banks secures your data during the backup process.
* 448-bit Blowfish encryption: Secures your files while in storage, providing peace of mind that your private data is safe from hackers.
* Automatic: Schedule the times to back up and MozyHome does the rest.
* New and changed file detection: MozyHome finds and saves the smallest changes.
* Backs up Outlook files: Disaster-proof email protection.
* Block-level incremental backup: After the initial backup, MozyHome only backs up files that have been added or changed, making subsequent backups lightning fast.

Today is a Friday, so start following Mozy now. Who knows if today is your lucky day?

Try Mozy here.

Loading mentions Retweet

There are 2 plans available: the free plan gives you 2 Gb of storage, while the 10 Gb plan costs USD 10,00 per month.

Compared to Dropbox, that is also compatible with Linux, you get less storage on the paid plan - Dropbox offers 50 Gb for the same price.

Perhaps the experience of Ubuntu One will compensate for this difference? Ubuntu users, please request your invitation here and let us know your impressions.

Loading mentions Retweet

Since early 2006, Amazon S3 has been enabling companies of all sizes to take advantage of Amazon's infra-structure through affordable pay as you go storage solutions.

The service has been an important catalyst for the development of new web based solutions, and is also attracting other companies that aim to offer a better experience to S3 users. CloudBerry Lab is one of them.

As you can see in the video, the CloudBerry Explorer (Windows only) makes it dead simple to move files around, and you can go wrong, since it's free. You might also want to sign-up for being a beta tester of their Online Backup software that provides a new way of exploring your S3 account.

Download CloudBerry Explorer here.

Loading mentions Retweet

Available for Mac, Linux and Windows, its effective syncing capabilities makes your files available from any computer linked to your account. You can also use the web interface in case you need to access your files while away from your computers. Apparently there is no mobile interface available for now.

Dropbox also offers good sharing solutions, so you can colaborate on a project or share your videos and photos with friends. Speaking about photos, it automatically generates a gallery whenever your drop pictures on a shared folder.

Dropbox offers a free 2 Gb plan. There is also the Pro account, which costs USD $9.99/month or $99/year and you get the same features plus a 50 Gb virtual drive.

Create your free account here.

Loading mentions Retweet

Whether you need to access a document you have stored on a remote computer, synchronize two photo galleries between a home Mac and work PC, share important business documents with different sets of clients, or just rest easy knowing all of your data is safely, securely, and automatically backed up - SpiderOak does it all.

SpiderOak offers a different approach to online backup, synchronization, and sharing. This difference is not just measured in our zero-knowledge privacy policy - the first one ever employed in this setting - but also in our flexible design in handling data from all platforms (Mac, Windows, Linux) and locations (external drives, network volumes, USB keys) in one centralized account.

SpiderOak offers 2 Gb of free. If you chose the Pro account, you pay USD $10 per month (or $100 per year) per $100 Gb increment, which makes it a very compeling and affordable service.

Try SpiderOak here.

Loading mentions Retweet

With storage prices going down and broadband speed increasing, we are seeing many new companies offering robust services for those who want to store files online. Diino is a great option, with reasonable prices.

These are the features listed on their website:

Automatic Backup
Set up Diino once and your files are automatically backed up to your personal Diino account.

File Sharing
Any files you have stored with Diino, big or small, are instantly available for you to share.

File Storage
Wherever or whenever you need it, you can easily access and store your files with Diino.

Web Access
With Diino you have access to all your backups and stored files from any web browser.

Edit & Publish
Diino enables you to edit and publish slideshow with your stored photos directly in the web browser.

The personal account costs USD $49 / yr and offers unlimited backup and 100Gb of online file storage. The enterprise account goes for USD $ 250 and you get 500Gb of storage.

You can try it free for 30 days here.

Loading mentions Retweet

Try Carbonite (15 days free trial available) here.

Loading mentions Retweet