OpenDrive is another online storage service that has been
around for several years. It has been modernized and updated though, so it's
improved with age and is now better than ever. It offers similar features to
SugarSync and Wuala, but there are a few differences too. A useful 5GB is
offered for free, but if you need more space there's a 100GB plan for $5 a
month and more space for business users. Unlike the other services, there are
some limitations with the free account: the maximum bandwidth is 200Kbps and
the maximum file size is 100MB. This would only be a problem if you wanted to
back up large video clips to your online space. Online drives aren't ideal for
this even without size and bandwidth limitations.
www.opendrive.com
Software is available for Windows, Mac OS X, iOS on the
iPhone and iPad, and Android phones and tablets. Only Linux is missing from
this list and the only way of accessing it would be through a web browser. No
syncing of Linux files is possible.
OpenDrive works in a slightly different way to the other
services and it's more integrated into the operating system. When the software
is installed, it adds a new drive. This is your online storage space and there
are folders for documents, music, pictures, trash and a public folder. It can
be accessed using Explorer and by software for saving files just like a local
disk drive, only it works more slowly if you have an internet connection that's
always on, you could simply use OpenDrive as a network drive. However, you can
also link online folders with local ones on the disk. You could link the
Pictures folder online to the Pictures folder on your PC, for example, or you
could create a new folder online and offline and then link them.
Folders online can be linked to folders on the disk and then either backed
up or synced
There are two options when linking online and offline
folders and the contents can be synced or backed up. Both options are
available, so you could have a unique backup folder for each computer and a
synced folder that is synced across all your computers. Backing up is very
easy: you just right-click a file or folder and select 'Backup to OpenDrive'.
Files or folders can be shared and like Wuala, there are
three options. Private folders can only be accessed by you or by people you invite.
Hidden folders are accessible by anyone through a URL, but it's impossible to
guess, so only people you give it to can access it. A folder can be public,
which means that anyone can access its contents.
The OpenDrive mobile app is good and it's very easy to use.
You can navigate your folders, view photos, text files and even Office
documents. It's not quite up to SkyDrive's standard, though. Photos can be
uploaded, although you have to do it one at a time, which is a pain if you've
just shot 50. This is a good service if you don't use Linux and it's cheap if
you need 100GB.
“You could simply use OpenDrive as a network drive”
Details
Price: Free
Manufacturer: OpenDrive
Website: opendrive.com
Required spec: Windows XP or later, Mac OS
X 10.6 or later, 5GB HDD space
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