Testing MediaMax Online File Storage / Backup

Playing these last days with MediaMax online file storage / backup site mentioned in a recent article by David Pogue (tech writer for the NY Times). While searching for the relevent post, found this page in Pogue's vlog (yes, now it's a vlog) where you can subscribe to David's videoblog.

Yup.

Pogue's actually a darned good vlogger - in the sense of the vlog a lot of vloggers have come to prefer: personal and yet universal in its appeal. He's got a sense of humor and three talented kids. Sweet. Were I to offer David a wee bit of directoral advice, I should advise him to take the comedy effort back about 15%.

One of the online file storage products - MediaMax.com - seems too good to be true. And despite the fact that I've been testing it for a few days and find its Java-based upload tool sometimes buggy, I still say, "Wow."

Why?

1. Let me point you to a Valentine's Day gift - one of my favorite love songs. That link will get you to a stream of the tune that should open in your default streaming audio player.
2. This link will (perhaps) take you to a download of the same file and would make this service truly too-good-to-be-true.
   

Apart from whether option #2 works, MediaMax still rocks because:

• 25 GB storage comes with the free account
• Auto-categorization on upload by music, video, tv/movie, photograph and file
• Uploads via browser or application
  

Downsides:

• 1 GB download / month limit
• When you cease to pay, the account goes away
• The in-browser Java interface takes too long to load and re-load
  

No worries about the 1 GB download limit: in the unhappy event of a mass download situation due to hard drive crash, you may download all your 25 GB of stuff in one fell swoop by means of a month's upgrade. Per-month upgrade costs are totally reasonable at $5 / 10GB download, $10 for 25GB and $30 for 100GB.

I've just downloaded their upload program. So far; so good. First impressions:

• Looks like it's got synch and backup functions
• Drag-and-drop files for upload
  
• Upload/Download progress meter
• Upload of 1.3 GB file hung up. Under the 'Transfers' tab one may remove pesky files from the cue. That seemed to work.
  

Updates as necessary.

Tags: Faux Press Tools