Box.net Review

A while back we gave away three box.net storage accounts to our readers. Heck, we even used box.net to host our NYC PSP launch photo album.  The reason we gave three away two months ago was because we thought this seemed like a pretty neat service, so we took it for a more in depth look ourselves to tell you more about it. We provide a look at box.net after the jump.

What Is box.net?
Essentially, box.net provides online storage to its customers.  You might ask yourself, “what the heck could I use that for?” Well, have you ever forgotten your floppy/zip/USB keychain disks?  I have. It always happens in the least most convenient time, too. This is probably the main reason to use the service, but certainly not the only one. Let’s explore, shall we?

Easy Does It
As mentioned, file storing is the main reason to join this service. The system is so incredibly easy to use; a non-techie can navigate through it very efficiently.  To prove this, I recruited Meaghan, a self proclaimed non-techie, to navigate through the system.  She was able to upload a file, create a folder, navigate and send a file sharing link without any of my help.  All she normally does on her PC is Instant Message and surf the web. She was particularly impressed with how easy it was for her to share and album online and stated that this was the feature she would most likely use.  She went on to mention that this would be particularly useful for work as she is always in need of documents to and from home and work.

Upload This
I wanted to illustrate the simplicity of the uploading but it is better to show you using some screenshots of me uploading the photos for the PSP launch party. As soon as I log on I’m at the “My Box” main screen. I already had created a folder for the pictures to be used:

Then I decided to try both browsing for files. I could pick the files individually or for even more simplicity use the Javascript “drag and drop” feature.  Both are equally easy and useful:

Then, viola, the pictures are nicely placed into thumbnails.

Link Thyself
So you want to share your pictures? All you have to do is click on the little “people” under your folder (or files). This little window pops up and as you can see everything is self explanatory from there:

This feature is not only available to pictures but to files as well. So there is no limit to what document you can share with family, friends, and coworkers.

FINAL VERDICT

Overall, this is very convenient and it cost less than my morning latte.  At $2.99/month for 1GB of storage, box.net really provides better service and more bytes for my buck than my $40 USB drive (256 MB).  I definitely recommend it for personal use.


~ Edwin Soto