1:00 AM
Paul B
A few years back when Bauer-Power was still pretty new, I was approached by SugarSync to write up a review about their product. In return I was going to get a free account with them. Me being the lazy slacker that I am never got around to writing said review. Mainly because, at the time, I didn't have a need for that sort of product. I feel kind of bad now because i could have gotten in on the ground floor of a pretty awesome product of the type that I now have a need for.
A few weeks back, Google Drive came out, and I decided to try it. Although I pretty much like most of Google's products, Google Drive just wasn't blowing my skirt up. Maybe I was doing it wrong, but I placed files in my Google Drive folder, and it synced to the cloud, but it didn't sync to any of my computers. If I was doing it wrong, please let me know in the comments. Also, another thing I didn't like was when I deleted files, they stayed in the cloud in a recylce bin, which took up space. I placed a 5GB Truecrypt volume in it, and it wasn't long before Google started squaking at me for not having space, and how I needed to purchase more. When I removed that volume, and tried to replace it with a 2GB Truecrypt volume, it said I didn't have enough space. I had to login to the web interface and delete my recycle bin. Too much of a pain in my opinion.
Right now I am using Windows Live Mesh. So far I really like it. The interface is simple, and it's syncing my files and folders seamlessly. Plus it comes as a part of the other Windows Live Programs I use regularly like Windows Live Writer and Windows Live Movie Maker. It syncs any folder I choose between any computer I choose, and to Skydrive if I want. Skydrive is limited to 5GB of free storage, but there are no limits to sync between my own computers. If I want to share a 1TB external drive to my parents house, I can. I just would leave Skydrive unchecked in the settings for that particular folder. Interesting enough, you can get Windows Live Mesh for Mac, but there doesn't appear to be a client for Linux. Also, according to ZDNet, Live Mesh might be getting phased out, so there is another draw back.
I want to know what you prefer. Do you like one of the programs mentioned above? Is there another one that I didn't mention that you like the best? Let me know your favorite in the comments.
del.icio.us tags: free, file, sync, cloud, storage, service, comparison, sugarsync, dropbox, live mesh, google drive
