TechThisOut!

A few months ago, I got an email from the owner of Box.net requesting that I try out his new product and review it. I was skeptical at first, I must admit. But I got my demo account setup and I’ve had a few weeks to experiment with Box, and really test it out. I’ve tested out the uploading, photo galleries, public folder sharing, and many many more features of Box. And to be honest, I’m very satisfied!

Box.net is an AJAX website allowing you to upload files to your own personal storage bin online, and access it from any internet-enabled computer in the world.

Box has three basic plans. Basic, which includes one gigabyte (1 GB) of storage, Premium, which includes five gigabytes (5 GB) of storage, and Pro, with which you will get fifteen gigabytes (15 GB) of storage space.

The Premium and Pro plans include premium features, such as public sharing of any of your folders. and much more, including mobile access, phone support, unlimited file size limit, custom logo, zip folders, more bandwidth, and blog posting. But please note, these features vary by the type of account you get, meaning certain features are available on Pro but not on Premium. The Basic plan is free, while Premium is $4.99 a month and the pro is $9.99 a month. You can also sign up yearly.

Upon signing up, you will be given your allocated space and a user account (obviously). From there, you can login and start uploading. Box allows for two methods of uploading. You can select files, or you can drag and drop. The drag and drop method requires Java, but is extremely cool and lets you know how long until the transfer is completed. If you have above a Basic plan, such as Premium or Pro, you can enable public sharing of folders. Public sharing of a folder enables a link to the folder that anyone can visit and see the contents, even if they arent a Box member.

Box also has a new photo gallery system. Once public sharing is setup, go to a public folder that has photos in it. You can open a photo and browse through the different photos, like a photo gallery. If this doesn’t satisfy you, there is an even better photo gallery for members. If you login to your box, find a folder that has photos in it, press the arrow near the folder name and select slide show, and you will get a nifty little flash slideshow. Pretty cool, no?

Box also supports blog posting, a premium feature of the Premium and Pro plans. This allows you to select any file in your box and post it to any livejournal, typepad, or blogger blog on the internet. I was talking to Aaaron, the owner of Box about this and he has said that they are working on developing support for more types of blogs, such as Wordpress, and Movable Type. Very nifty feature if you ask me.

Something else that really caught my eye was the ability to create sub users, a Premium and Pro feature. You can create a sub user account and let them have their own little box, a sub box of your own, or you can let them access your whole box. You can customize their read & write priveleges so that you have control of what they can, or can not, do.

Box Mobile, a Pro only feature, is one of the coolest features of Box. This allows you to visit m.box.net on any internet enabled mobile device and access all of your files, share files, show off images, preview files, etc. It literally lets you do everything you can do in the full box, plus more, on a mobile device. Here’s how Box describes it:

Box.net now lets you access your documents, photos, and files from any mobile device with a web browser. Box.net’s new mobile website (m.box.net) is easy to use and does not require any additional configuration on your mobile device. Every file from your Box.net account will be available through your mobile browser, which means you can instantly share files, view documents, and browse photos when you are on the go and away from your office.

Private Sharing allows you to share any files or folders with any Box.net user. You choose the file, type the message, put in their email, and it will send it to them. If they dont have a box.net account, It will tell them how to acquire one.

Box.net now allows you to share your files and folders privately with others Box users. By sharing directly with individuals, you can ensure your files are downloaded only by trusted recipients. Those whom you share with will receive your shared file(s) in their Box.net account. If you share a file with someone who doesn’t have a Box.net account, they will receive an invitation to register in one simple step. Once they do so, your file will be there to welcome them to their Box. There’s no limit to how many friends you can have, and adding more is easy!

If you have read this far and you still dont get it and you still dont understand what Box is, read this simple paragraph from the people at Box:

Box.net is a virtual storage space for your computer files. With packages starting at just $4.99 per month for 5GB, you will have enough space to hold thousands of Documents, Photos, Music Files, and Video Clips. Try us out for as long as you’d like by signing up for our 1GB free account. Whether you want to move files among multiple computers, backup important data in the event of a computer crash, or share documents and photos with friends and colleagues, Box.net is for you.

Overall, I am extremely satisfied with Box and I believe that in the soon future, I will be purchasing a full account.

Box is hosted on several dedicated servers, so you know that your files will always be safe and quick to access.

Box.net

Sign up

Example of a Public Folder

Enjoy…

Devious