SOMEWHAT FRANK

Hard Drive Full? Try Online Storage via Amazon S3

I do a lot of multimedia work on my Mac Book Pro and with all the videos, photos and other content I am constantly trying to shuffle content to backup storage drives to keep from filling up my hard drive. I back up my computer via a portable drive which I carry with me as well as with the an Apple Time Machine. But I recently was concerned with the overall wear and tear and dependency on other hard drive devices. To help minimize the risk of data loss I decided to seek out a solution that uses the Web to back up my files. In doing some research and asking around a bit I found JungleDisk which I initially tested. JungleDisk is only $2 month and can hook to Amazon S3 to store all your data. It even encrypts your data if you so desire.

I also looked at Mozy, Box.net, Chronosync and a few others but I since I was looking for a simple interface for connecting to an Amazon S3 account these solutions were a little too feature rich and heavy for what I was looking to do. I wanted a little more control similar to an FTP client.

While I was testing out JungleDisk, my friend Jimmy Gardner suggested I giving, Transmit 3 by Panic for Mac OS X, a try. In doing so I found just what I was looking for. Transmit 3 allows a simple FTP interface for connecting to Amazon S3 storage. It allowed me to connect and drop 22 gigabytes of .AVI video files over in a matter of hours. The cost was only $29 for the software and then you pay Amazon directly for transfer and storage. My first bill was $2.31 for 22 GBs. Not too bad at all. So I think I found a solution that I will be able to use for clearing up my hard drive space from anywhere I can access an Internet connection. If you are in the same situtation I was in you might want to give Transmit 3 a try. This cloud solution works better with my on-the-go digital nomadic lifestyle than carrying a hard drive at all times.

I am curious, what products or services do you use for online storage?

Xdrive Releases Desktop Lite Via Adobe AIR

Xdrive, an AOL owned storage company, today released a new desktop offering built using the Adobe AIR technology. The product called Xdrive Desktop Lite offers an enhanced user interface  which allows users to easily upload files and folders right from the hard drive, desktop, USB devices, or removable storage drives directly into your Xdrive web storage. This marks the first time that Mac users will have an opportunity to leverage Xdrive.

Docstoc Launches Pro Documents Hub

Have you ever needed a particular type of document like a contract of lease but did not know where to start? If so, you might have looked to order templates online or purchase them at an office supply store. Docstoc, a Los Angeles-based startup, might be able to help as it just launched at TechCrunch40 to offer a repository for user contributed documents.

Clipperz An Online Password Manager

We all know that remembering passwords can be a real pain, but Clipperz is an online password management site that tries to remove the pain associated with remembering online passwords. Clipperz enables users a repository for all your online password information.

Clipperz offers a bookmarklet that makes quickly saving login information into "cards." The bookmarklet enables users to login directly to any saved account. Clipperz also offers users the ability to download an offline version of password information. In addition, Clipperz is working on making the sharing, printing and exporting secure information an easy process. For an another perspective on Clipperz check this recent review by CenterNetworks.

Interestingly, Clipperz uses passphrases rather than passwords to login into the site. Unfortunately, if you forget your passphrase Clipperz will not send you a reminder to help you get back into your account - you are pretty much out of luck! This could be problematic but it makes some sense since high-jacking a Clipperz account could lead to a hacker gaining control of a number of other site as well.

Bottom-line: Clipperz makes it easier to manage all your password information from one place.

Krun.ch: Compress and Send Files Fast

Krun.ch is an online tool that allows you to compress, store and send files online. Krun.ch is unique in that it is only a temporary storage solution as files expire after 24 hours. Prior to expiration a user can send files around as they see fit  not to mention users will be able to keep track of your krunched and unkrunched files and easily access.

Krun.ch is the latest creation of the young and talented developer Kailash Nadh who also created the popular ping engine Pingoat and splog search engine SplogSpot before selling them both in March 2006. I find that all of Kailash projects are simple to use which is a characteristic I thoroughly appreciate in his work. While I understand there are a number of similar services like DropSend (highlighted previously) and Whale Mail among others I would recommend giving Krun.ch a whirl. For additional details on Krun.ch be sure to check out the Krun.ch Blog.

Microsoft 'Driving' Into Online Storage

There was a stir recently as plans of a Google GDrive surfaced and Amazon marketed grid storage options but it appears that they are not the only ones with online storage plans as Microsoft Live is said to be preparing a similar service. According to a recent report, the project is called Line Drive and Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's CTO, was recently was quoted in Fortune Magazine as saying:

“Microsoft is planning to use its server farms to offer anyone huge amounts of online storage of digital data … With Live Drive, all your information—movies, music, tax information, a high-definition videoconference you had with your grandmother, whatever—could be accessible from anywhere, on any device.”

With Microsoft, Google and Amazon diving into online storage the competition may make it difficult for the crowd web 2.0 startups trying to survive in the space.

DropSend When It's Too Big To Email

DropSend offers an easy to use solution for anyone who is looking to send large files over the Internet. DropSend allows you the ability to move files up to 1 GB and store these large files online. This could be useful in sending music, video and other file types that hog your hard drive space.

The use of DropSend circumvents the need to setup an FTP account to send large files. Simply brilliant! The best part is that you do not need to be tech-savvy to send large files with DropSend since it is easy enough that anyone can use the service. For example, if my sister had a copy of her wedding video online and it was less than a 1 GB she could send it to my mother without having to setup and use FTP. I think DropSend is a great idea which addresses a big need in the online world.

DropSend was created by Carson Systems. Ryan Carson, founder of Carson Systems, recently spoke at Carson Workshops Summit about creating an enterprise application online on a budget. According to Ryan, Carson Systems launched DropSend with only $30,000 which is almost nothing when you compare it to the amount millions of dollars venture capitalists threw together back in the technology boom of the 90’s. You can download and listen to Ryan for yourself here - it will be worth your while. If you would rather just read than listen you could check out the notes from the session here.

For more information on DropSend check out the Carson Systems blog.