In the same week that AOL announces it's going to give the AOL services to the broadband masses for free (dial-up will still be a paid service), they announced that anyone with an AIM account can get a free 5 GB web space account on Xdrive. This is way ahead of box.net and other services, who provide only 1 GB of free service, and challenges Google (the rumored Gdrive) to bring to the table something of the same. The big question will be file size limits, since that currently limits box.net's use in even transfering large powerpoint documents from the office to home. On the other hand, if i can upload a zip of 200 pictures and give my friends permission to download it, all for free, uncompressed, that is something market changing. What's known so far:
- 5 Gigabytes (GB) secure online storage at no cost
- No charges for uploads or downloads
- Ability to store any type of file, including photos, music, video, and documents
- Drag and drop interface between online storage and hard drive
- Access to files through any Web-connected PC or mobile device
- Permission-based file and folder sharing
- Online collaboration via shared files
- Scheduled automatic backups
- Automatic upload of e-mail attachments from providers including AOL Mail, AIM Mail, or any non-AOL POP3 or IMAP-compatible mail providers
- Full-resolution photo storage
- Easy access to AOL Pictures for professional prints and photo gifts
Technorati Tags: xdrive, aol, storage, free, gdrive, aim, broadband, filesharing
