More Bling to Microsoft Bing with Video Homepage
After Apple announced their cloud storage platform - iCloud, I was wondering if there is anything similar for Android and Windows Phone 7 as well. Looks like there are lot of them offering free and paid options to choose from, here are the ones I liked (which have some sort of free option):
Box.net:
You get 5 GB with the free plan, and you can then upgrade to 25 GB (~$10/month) or 50 GB (for ~$20/month). Unfortunately WP7 users will have to wait a bit more for the official WP7 app, which will be launching soon (till then use m.box.net, and also read this if you want some kind of work around). The free personal accounts don't support auto-syncing among devices (though that's possible with a paid account), and there is a file size cap of 25 MB per upload; if these are ok, then give this one a try. Read the full list of features for each type of account, here. Get the app for Android devices from here.
You get 5 GB with the free plan, and you can then upgrade to 25 GB (~$10/month) or 50 GB (for ~$20/month). Unfortunately WP7 users will have to wait a bit more for the official WP7 app, which will be launching soon (till then use m.box.net, and also read this if you want some kind of work around). The free personal accounts don't support auto-syncing among devices (though that's possible with a paid account), and there is a file size cap of 25 MB per upload; if these are ok, then give this one a try. Read the full list of features for each type of account, here. Get the app for Android devices from here.
#Tip: Get 50GB free storage on Box.net, by downloading the Box.net app from iTunes to an iPhone or iPad. It is a limited period offer, ends in Dec 2, 2011. It also increases the file size cap to 100MB. (You can get a friend who owns an Apple device to sign in from one, and avail this offer).
Dropbox:
#Tip: Get 250MB free storage on Dropbox, by inviting your friends and get upto 8GB more space. For students, 500MB with every invitation and upto 16GB more space with the basic plan.
Google Docs:
The cloud storage service from Google -Google Docs recently added the ability to upload any type of file. Their upload filesize limit is 1GB and you get 1GB of storage for free. There is unlimited storage for Google Docs formats (and they don't add up to the 1 GB cap) and the 1GB is on top of your Gmail and Picasa storage (7GB and 1GB, respectively). If you want more space then there is a yearly pricing scheme (starting at just $0.25 per GB) or you can buy 20GB of storage for your entire Google Account at just $5/year. Get the app for Android from here.
Windows Live SkyDrive:
SkyDrive is a Microsoft’s answer cloud storage. It is the one service that works best in WP7 devices (obviously). The file size cap is very measly at 50MB max. But if offers a whooping 25GB for free. You can install SkyDrive Explorer in Windows and can make up for the absence of a desktop client. You won't find an app in WP7 market place, as it is integrated into the OS itself (Including sync, available in the Mango update) . If you are an Android user, you can view/download using the SkyDrive mobile web interface.
Here's a little feature that Microsoft quietly sneaked into Mango -- you can stream music straight from your SkyDrive account. With the latest WP7 update comes some nice integration with Redmond's cloud storage service, but it's not just for pulling up spreadsheets. You can navigate to any folder and, if you tap on an compatible sound file, it'll start playing the tune in the music app. It's not a full fledged streaming and syncing service like Google Music or a tightly integrated ecosystem such as iTunes and iCloud, but it is a pretty neat trick. -engadget
Ubuntu One:
It is built into the latest version of the Ubuntu, and offers 5GB free storage.You can upgrade to 20 GB at ~$3 / month or ~$30 / year. If you want music streaming then it is $3.99 / month or $39.99 / year with 20GB free storage. Client for Windows is also available, and you can get it from here. With the Ubuntu One Free account you can store, sync and share your stuff from anywhere. If you are an Ubuntu users then go and get the app for Android from here.
(I particularly like their music streaming option, just like what is offered by Amazon on their cloud service, which is sadly available only for US customers, and hence is not listed in this article).
SpiderOak:
SpiderOak gives you 2 GB free space(online backup, synchronization, sharing, remote access, and encrypted storage storage..hmm that is a lot). You can buy more for $10/month for every 100 GB increment. Also clients for Windows, Linux and Mac are available along with Android and iOS mobile clients, if not there is web client for other devices. You can get the Android app from here.
