Which Online File Storage Service Is Best For Smartphones?
I think that everyone should have an online file storage service account in their technology tool box. You can use such a service to backup important files and to share files with others. While you might backup data files on to a portable hard drive or a DVD, if you keep the them in your house they don’t protect you from a fire, which is why online, off-site storage is so valuable.
As a smartphone user, I want to be able to access the files I store online from my phone. Consequently, I decided to take a look at the various online file storage services to find one that I think is the best for smartphone users. My key criteria are price and accessibility. I want to be able to get as much storage as possible for as little possible, and be able to use the service with any of my smartphones and desktop computers. All of the services provide desktop and mobile web access for viewing, uploading, and downloading files, but I think the best services provide client applications for synchronizing files and ease of use.
I am currently using DropBox, which may be the most popular of these type of services primarily because it offers 2 GB of free storage and has Windows, OS X, and Linux desktop client applications. Anyone can make use of 2 GB of free storage, so I recommend the service. If you need more than 2 GB of storage, DropBox can be expensive as the minimum amount you can buy is 50 GB that costs $9.99 per month. DropBox has a native iPhone app and is developing an Android app, though there are a few third-party DropBox apps in the Android Market. Blackberry, Windows Mobile, and Palm Pre users can use a mobile web site.
SugarSync has the highest number of client applications, with clients available for Windows, OS X, iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile. Unfortunately, while SugarSync has a 30 day free trial, it does not have a free storage option. To continue using SugarSync after 30 days the minimum cost is $49.99 per year for 30 GB of storage.
Microsoft’s Live Mesh provides the highest amount of free storage at 5 GB, but it only provides clients for Windows, OS X, and Windows Mobile. Live Mesh is in beta and does not have a pricing plan for additional storage. Microsoft also has another online storage service called SkyDrive that provides 25 GB of free storage, by far the most free storage available. SkyDrive is designed to work primarily with Windows Live programs and there are no clients for OS X or other platforms, though you can access files via the web.
DropBox, SugarSync, and Live Mesh all provide file synchronization, which is valuable for transferring files between computers. For example, I have DropBox clients on all of my Windows desktop computers and my Mac Mini. When I copy a file into the DropBox folder on any of those computers, the file is automatically uploaded to DropBox’s online storage and automatically synchronizes to every desktop client when it connects. Any changes that you make to the files are automatically updated across all of your computers.
Based on price, the decision between DropBox and SugarSync depends on whether you need more than 2 GB of storage. Once you need more than 2 GB, SugarSync provides the lowest price at $49.99 per year for 30 GB of storage. If you are a Blackberry user and want a native application, SugarSync is the only option that has a Blackberry app, and in fact, if you were choosing based strictly on number of client apps, SugarSync is the clear winner in that category. If you only use Windows Mobile and want to synchronize files between a Windows or OS X desktop and the phone, Live Mesh is a good option, though because it is a beta there is always a risk that Microsoft could discontinue the service. I’ve personally used Live Mesh to synchronize files between Windows Mobile and Windows desktop and find it works very well.
You may be aware of other online file storage services that I have not included in this article. I’ve looked at Box.net and FilesAnywhere, both have iPhone apps and provide 1 GB of free storage, but neither have desktop client applications. You primarily access Box.net and FilesAnywhere using a web browser. If you are aware of an online service that I did not cover in this article that you think is a good fit for my criteria, post a comment and I’ll check the service out.
