file-sharing

The Pirate Bay tosses all torrents

If you go to The Pirate Bay's Web site, you'll now see the words "The Magnet Bay." As of tomorrow, the popular Swedish torrent tracker will no longer be offering users torrent files, but instead will be posting magnet links.

On its blog today, the Pirate Bay wrote that even though this "marks the end of an era," users should not notice much of a difference.

"It shouldn't make much of a difference for the average user. At most it will take a few more seconds before a torrent shows the size … Read more

Box offers 50GB of free cloud storage to Android users

Looking for free, reliable cloud storage? Dropbox offers 2GB, while SugarSync gives you 5GB. Microsoft's SkyDrive raises the stakes even higher with 25GB, though for the moment it lacks any official companion apps.

Not enough? Check out Box, which is currently offering 50GB of free cloud storage to Android users who install the Box app on their smartphone or tablet. (The promotion also extends to owners of the HP TouchPad, RIM PlayBook, and other devices. See the FAQ page for details.)

Although Box positions itself primarily as a provider of business storage solutions, this deal is for personal use … Read more

Automatically upload photos with Dropbox Android beta, get free space

After the recent desktop beta release,allowing users to earn up to 5GB of additional space, Dropbox has released a beta version of its Android app, giving users to potential to claim the same 5GB of space another way.

Before you get all excited and think the 5GB of space along with the 5GB you earned from using the desktop beta, sorry, you can only earn 5GB total.

To get started with the Dropbox Android beta you will need to visit this Dropbox forum post to download and then install the APK.

After installing Dropbox version 2.0.9 for … Read more

Get an extra 4.5GB of Dropbox storage for free

Dropbox rolled out a beta version of the popular file-sharing service a while back that allowed users to automatically upload photos to their Dropbox accounts.

Following the recent release of the latest beta, Dropbox is now giving beta testers the chance to earn up to 4.5GB of additional space in their Dropbox accounts. Here's a brief rundown of how it works.

To get the additional space, you need to download and install the latest beta build from the Dropbox forums. Make sure to create a backup of your Dropbox folder before installing the beta. The easiest way to … Read more

FileSonic disables file sharing in wake of MegaUpload arrests

Following the MegaUpload shutdown and indictments last week, FileSonic, one of the Internet's most popular file-sharing services, has disabled its sharing functionality.

The service can "only be used to upload and retrieve files you have uploaded personally," according to a note posted on the site's home page. FileSonic also suspended its affiliates rewards program, which paid users when people downloaded their files.

Some users on Reddit say the online digital locker has already begun deleting files and even accounts, as ZDNet's Zack Whittaker notes.

TorrentFreak called the development "a pretty big deal. Filesonic isn'… Read more

Unable to disable SMB file sharing in OS X

In addition to offering file sharing using the Mac-native Apple Filing Protocol (AFP), Apple also includes an option for the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol so you can share files with Windows machines.

Unlike the AFP option that is enabled for the whole system, the SMB service is enabled or disabled for individual users in the Sharing preferences pane. Unfortunately, in some instances after upgrading from OS X 10.6 to OS X 10.7 Lion, some people who have had the SMB service enabled are finding they cannot disable it for their accounts. When they enter their passwords at … Read more

YouSendIt debuts on Android, Mac

Popular file-sharing and cloud collaboration service YouSendIt finally brings its services to Android and Mac platforms.

While Android and Mac users have long been able to access YouSendIt through the company's Web site, native apps have only been available on Windows and iOS--until today. With the new Android and Mac apps, you can send files, share folders, and sign documents from outside a browser. YouSendIt for Mac is still in beta, but is publicly available for download now.

If you haven't used YouSendIt, it's an all-in-one suite for managing documents through the cloud. Different from services like … Read more

How to get more work done in Google Docs

Not many people use only one computer. In fact, most of us hop from machine to machine in the course of a workday.

The best way to make sure you can access your important files from any of the various machines in your digital life is to store the files online. If you use Google Docs as your online file repository, these tips will help shorten your workday.

Send a zipped copy of all your Google Docs files to your hard drive Most PC users back up their important files by copying them to an optical disc or USB storage … Read more

Dropbox woos business users with new Teams service

Dropbox is trying to capture more business customers with a new service that lets corporate employees share and sync documents.

The new Dropbox for Teams works the same way as the free Dropbox service, allowing people to save files in the cloud and sync them with their PCs and mobile devices. But the Teams service offers options designed specifically for businesses.

IT administrators can manage their Dropbox for Teams users through a central set of controls. Dropbox is also offering phone support and centralized billing to cover all users. The service costs $795 a year for five users, with each … Read more

How to share files via Web browser

Some of your friends use Dropbox, some use AIM, others use GTalk, and you're tired of keeping track of these preferences when you want to send them something.

Now you can use a service that works within both your Web browser and theirs. There's no wondering if you're both using the same file-sharing client because it's done through a peer-to-peer (P2P) connection right inside the browser. Here's how to get started sharing your files much faster:

Step 1: Open up http://www.justbeamit.com in your Web browser.

Step 2: Drag … Read more