Company offers 10GB of Net storage, for free

A company called Streamload is offering consumers a free 10 gigabyte online storage locker for multimedia files, potentially raising the stakes for larger companies such as Yahoo and America Online.

Streamload typically provides online storage space for a price, making it one of the few companies to survive in that business through the dot-com shakeout. However, it is increasingly competing with larger companies that offer online homes for digital photographs, and even the huge archive space provided by Google's Gmail service.

Company executives say the offer of big online storage lockers, once used only by advanced computer users, is now more relevant to a broader public that has large collections of digital photographs and MP3 files.

"It seems to have come to appeal not only to the hard-core early adopters, but to mainstream users," Streamload CEO Steve Iverson said. "It's no longer a novelty to have an MP3 player, and even having a place online to store MP3 files so you can fill up your iPod on the road has become more common."

Iverson's argument illustrates one side of a race between falling prices for data storage, such as computer hard drives, and the increasing ease of storing data on a network.

Some computer experts have argued that when all devices are connected to the Net, storing data locally will be unnecessary. Others note that cheap hard drives that are expanding to hold hundreds of gigabytes mean that it will be more efficient to store data locally whenever possible.

Streamload's service does allow its customers to share files stored on the system, much as Yahoo Photos allows subscribers to provide access to photographs to friends. In the past, this has led to online storage lockers being used to hold and distribute pirated music, movies and software, but Iverson said his company had guards in place against this.

People who sign up for the free 10GB service can only download 100MB a month and can only upload files of 100MB at a time. Customers who pay about $10 a month have much looser restrictions.

The free offer will go into effect Monday, the company said.

Last week, AOL confirmed that it plans to offer its subscribers a free 100MB storage locker. Rival Xdrive offers 5 gigabytes for free during a 15-day trial, and then charges $10 a month.

Bossti

Lep pozdrav!

[NWLB]

Sure you can store 10 GB, but if you need it all in a hurry, you'll pay.

They let you store 10 GBs, but only download 100 MB a month? So if you did stick a ton of data on their system, you would either have to pay to get it back, or get stuck downloading it over a year.

Sounds more like a marketing effort than serious free online storage.

NWLBnet.blogspot.com

thanks

thanks

agreed ok

i agreed that you can display it

[Meletios]

Streamload Service Availability

I have been a Streamload user now for just over 1 year and I am sorry to say that the service is down more that it is up. Right now, I am on my 3rd straight day of no service... and the technical support team - while very polite - can not explain why the service is not working. The offer a standard apology and say that their engineers are working out the problems. As part of a worldwide group a Streamload users - I know from them that the issues are network wide and are severe. Streamload does a great job of billing it's customers, but does not deliver service. Over the last month I have tracked their service availability at 60%. I would like to warn anyone thinking of doing business with this company that they are not delivering on their promise.

[s0c0]

another good one mp3crib

I use www.mp3crib.com to store some of my rare music that I don't want to lose and that I want to play for friends when I don't have my mp3 player.

http://www.mp3crib.com

It's free and with a no bs sign up.

[durgasingh]