Review of the Box cloud service: using the cloud online, on PC and mobile. devices


What to do if your smartphone or tablet does not have enough built-in memory, and a memory card is not provided for in the design? Moreover, it is impossible to clean up space by deleting old data. That's right, in this case the only hope remains is cloud storage.

The last review was devoted to such services as Google Drive, Yandex.Disk and Cloud Mail.Ru. In the new material, we will look at three other applications in a similar way: Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox and Box. And the logical conclusion of the cycle will be summing up the study of cloud storage for iOS devices.

The following devices were used as test equipment:

  • Smartphone Apple iPhone 6 (operating system installed iOS system 11);
  • Smartphone Apple iPhone 5S (operating system iOS 11 installed).

Microsoft OneDrive

Acquaintance

Microsoft usually makes fairly high-quality products, one of which is the popular free cloud Microsoft storage OneDrive.

Functionality Microsoft utilities OneDrive:

  • Quickly open and save OneDrive files in Office applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote;
  • Easily find photos thanks to automatic addition tags;
  • Receive notifications when a shared document changes;
  • Share albums with your favorite photos and videos;
  • Highlight important text, annotate and sign PDFs in OneDrive;
  • Work with important files offline.

Beginning of work

For Microsoft work OneDrive you need an account Microsoft entry. As a rule, everyone who owns a computer running Windows 10 or uses the package has it Office applications 365. However, registration is as simple and unpretentious as possible.

Immediately after launching the application, we will be offered to purchase advanced features for Microsoft OneDrive. On this moment they cost 460 rubles per month and mean full Office package 365 and about 1 TB of cloud memory. Agree, not bad, considering the “online office”. And for 600 rubles they give us 5 TB of memory. In my opinion, the maximum package has best ratio price/volume on the market.

It should be noted that with free basic package we get 5 GB free cloud storage.

Next, we will be told about the utility itself and its functions, including automatic synchronization photo. As the MS developers point out, you never know what can happen to our bright photographs, and in in this case they will be in complete safety– on cloud servers.

This function is available in many applications and, as practice shows, it is really useful and can help out more than once.

The cloud interface is presented as simply as possible: everything available files They are simply located on the main screen. For convenience, you can choose to display it as a list or large icons, and also set your own sorting option. Comfortable? Certainly!

Additionally, there are separate tabs with photos, recent and shared files. This is so that everything is located in the appropriate categories. There is also a search and a basket - also very necessary things.

Microsoft OneDrive allows you to store any type of file and opens pictures, music, videos and office files. To edit the latter, you need to install the appropriate proprietary MS Office applications, which is logical.

Exists separate section With personal information, where the total number of our files is displayed, statistics on free space in our cloud, data on shared documents, and so on.

Settings

If we talk about installations of the Microsoft OneDrive utility, we can say that there are practically none. There are only five parameters here: automatic sending photo, secret code to launch the application, preview documents, download files via mobile network and clearing the file cache. That's all.

Or . But you, our readers, are faced with tasks that we simply do not see, or simply do not have such needs. Our friend Arseny Finberg @myshyak told us how, having upgraded box.net to 50GB, he encountered the problem of mounting the resulting “cloud” in file system your desktop OS.

My wife put it in front of me yesterday interesting task. She has accumulated 20 gigabytes of photographs over many years and they are all stored only at home: “Please upload them to me somewhere in the cloud.”

First of all, I started looking for where. My favorite dropbox, even after upgrades, gives up to 10GB for free, but for this task this is not enough. I found an interesting option. Box.net - when registering from any smartphone (Android, IPhone) it immediately gives you 50 Gb for free.

One problem - the desktop client is only available in paid version. But, having delved into the depths of the Internet, I found a mention that free users protocol access available WebDav. Then the matter is simple - as it turned out, both Windows and MacOs have built-in support for this protocol, and external storage from Box.net can be connected as a regular network drive. I'll tell you how I did it on Windows 7.

1. Right click on network environment→ Add a network drive. We get a window like this

In the path field, enter http://box.net/dav (or https://box.net/dav). Click “Next” - we get a window for entering your login and password:

We enter the data that we used on box.net. And voila - another disk appears in the standard “My Computer” window.

It can be connected to several computers at once and used simultaneously. Windows XP may require a special patch from Microsoft to function properly.

It's easy on macOS too: In Finder, press Command-K (or Go -→ Connect to Server). In the Server Address field, enter https://www.box.net/dav/ and click Connect. Next, enter your username and password, and everything will be fine too!

I really prefer to use Total Commander, to which there is also

To exchange files between computers and mobile gadgets, cables and flash drives are no longer needed. If devices have Internet access, files can “fly” between them “on the cloud.” More precisely, they can “settle” in cloud storage, which is a collection of servers scattered around the world (combined into one virtual - cloud server), where users post their data for a fee or for free. In the cloud, files are stored in exactly the same way as on a computer’s hard drive, but are accessible not from one, but from different devices that are able to connect to it.

Every second or third Internet user has already taken the technology cloud storage data into service and uses it with pleasure, but some people still save themselves with flash drives. After all, not everyone knows about this opportunity, and some simply cannot decide which service to choose and how to use it. Well, let's figure it out together.

What are cloud storages from a user's point of view and how do they work?

If you look through the eyes of an inexperienced user, cloud storage is normal application. All it does is create a folder on the computer under its own name. But not simple. Everything you put into it is simultaneously copied to the same cloud Internet server and becomes accessible from other devices. The size of this folder is limited and can grow within the limits allocated to you disk space(on average from 2 GB).

If the cloud storage application is running and the computer ( mobile gadget) connected to global network, data on the hard drive and in the cloud are synchronized in real time. At battery life, and also when the application is not running, all changes are saved only in local folder. When the machine is connected to the Internet, access to the storage becomes possible, including through a browser.

Files and folders uploaded to the cloud are full-fledged web objects, the same as any content on Internet sites and FTP storages. You can link to them and share links with other people, even those who do not use this service. But only those to whom you have authorized it will be able to download or see an object from your storage. In the cloud, your data is hidden from view prying eyes and are securely password protected.

The majority of cloud services have additional functionality - a file viewer, built-in document editors, tools for creating screenshots, etc. This, plus the amount of space provided, creates the main differences between them.

is a cloud data storage service that needs no introduction to Windows users. Of course, in latest issues In this OS (in the “top ten”), it literally climbs on top of everything on the screen, since it is configured to autorun by default.

Advantage for Windows users Microsoft service OneDrive has, perhaps, only one thing over its analogues: it does not need to be installed. You also don’t need to create a separate account for it—to log into the cloud, you just need to enter your Microsoft account information.

The owner of one Microsoft OneDrive account provides 5 GB of free disk space to store any information. To get additional volume, you will have to pay extra. The maximum is 5 TB and costs 3,399 rubles per year, but this package includes not only disk space, but also the Office 365 application (home edition). More affordable tariff plans are 1 TB (2,699 rubles per year - storage and Office 365 personal) and 50 GB (140 rubles per month - storage only).

Additional features of all tariffs:

  • Support for other operating systems - Mac OS X, iOS and Android.
  • View and edit documents using built-in Office applications.
  • Remote access to the entire contents of the computer (not just the OneDrive folder) on which the service is installed and your Microsoft account is used.
  • Creation of photo albums.
  • Built-in messenger (Skype).
  • Creation and storage of text notes.
  • Search.

Paid versions only:

  • Creating links with limited time actions.
  • Offline folders.
  • Multi-page scanning and saving documents to a PDF file.

In general, the service is not bad, but sometimes there are problems logging into your account. If you are going to work with the web version of the storage (via a browser) and log into it under a different IP address than you used before, Microsoft sometimes runs a check that the account belongs to you, which takes a lot of time.

There have also been complaints about user content being removed from OneDrive when Microsoft suspected it was unlicensed.

is one of the oldest cross-platform cloud storage services. Unlike the previous one, it supports all major operating systems, as well as some less commonly used ones, such as Symbian and MeeGo. The service is very easy to use, works quickly and stably.

For free DropBox user Only 2 GB of disk storage space is provided personal files, but this volume can be doubled by creating and attaching another account to your account - a work one (which can actually be personal). Together you get 4 GB.

Switching between personal and work disk space on the DropBox website and in the application is carried out without logging out of your account (no need to enter your username and password each time). An account is created on the computer for both accounts. separate folder— 2 GB each.

DropBox, as expected, also has several pricing plans. About free it was said above, Paid ones are “Plus” (1 TB, $8.25 per month, intended for personal use), “Standard” (2 TB, $12.50 per month, for business), “Advanced” (unlimited volume, $20 per month for 1 user) and “Enterprise” (unlimited volume, individually set price). The differences between the last two are in the set of additional options.

In addition to storage, free users have access to:

  • Service collaboration with DropBox Paper documents.
  • Ability to share links and create public folders.
  • Log of file changes with the ability to restore them to previous version(up to 30 days).
  • Commenting on files - both your own and other users, if the file is available for viewing.
  • Search function.
  • Receiving notifications about events (customizable individually).
  • Automatic uploading of photos from the camera (by the way, DropBox provided users with additional space for enabling this option some time ago).
  • Select full or selective synchronization.
  • Encryption of data during storage and transmission.

Possibilities paid tariffs The list could take a very long time, so let’s just mention the main ones:

  • Remotely destroy data from DropBox on a lost or stolen device.
  • Limit the link's validity period.
  • Two-factor account authentication.
  • Setting access levels to different data.
  • Enhanced HIPAA/HITECH class information protection ( safe storage medical documentation).
  • 24/7 technical support.

DropBox, if not the best, is a very worthy service. Despite the small volume by today's standards free space, it is used by millions of people around the world.

Mega (Megasync)

As is clear from the description, Amazon Web Services is aimed only at the corporate sector and is not intended for storing albums with photographs of cats, although it is possible that someone uses it for this too. After all, cloud file storage - Amazon Glacier, like Yandex disk, provides users with 10 free GB. The cost of additional volume is $0.004 per 1 GB per month.

Comparing Amazon Glacier with the web resources described above is perhaps incorrect, since they have several different purposes. The functionality and capabilities of this service are determined by business objectives, including:

  • Uninterrupted operation, increased reliability.
  • Compliance enhanced protection data.
  • Multilingual interface.
  • Unlimited volume (expansion for an additional fee).
  • Ease of use and flexible settings.
  • Integration with other Amazon Web Services.

Those who are interested in Amazon's capabilities can read the complete documentation for AWS products, which is located on the official website.

Mail.ru

It ranks second or third in the popularity rating of file web storage among Russian-speaking audiences. In terms of its range of capabilities, it is comparable to Google Drive and Yandex Disk: it, like them, contains web applications for creating and editing documents (texts, tables, presentations) and a screenshot (a utility for taking screenshots). It is also integrated with other Mail.ru projects - mail, social networks “My World” and “Odnoklassniki”, the “Mail. Dating”, etc., has a convenient file viewer with a flash player and is also very affordable (for those for whom the allocated volume is not enough).

Free disk space size cloud Mail is 8 GB (previously this figure changed several times). The premium tariff for 64 GB costs 690 rubles per year. For 128 GB you will have to pay 1,490 rubles per year, for 256 GB - 2,290 rubles per year. The maximum volume is 512 GB, which will cost 3,790 rubles per year.

Other functions of the service are not much different from similar ones. This:

  • Shared folders.
  • Synchronization.
  • Built-in search.
  • Ability to share links.

The Mail.ru client application works on Windows, OS X, iOS and Android.

Cloud storage is a proprietary web service for owners of smartphones and tablets of the same manufacturer. Designed to store backup copies of data from mobile devices— multimedia content, OS files and other things at the discretion of the user.

Client Samsung app Cloud comes pre-installed on phones and tablets released later than the second half of 2016 (more precisely, after the release of Samsung Galaxy Note 7). Registering an account on the service is only possible through it, apparently to weed out outsiders.

Volume free storage is 15 GB. An additional 50GB costs $0.99 per month, and 200GB costs $2.99.

iCloud (Apple)

- a favorite among cloud data storage users of Apple products. Of course, it’s free (though not very spacious) and integrated with other Apple services. The service is designed to store backup copies of data from iPhone, iPad and iPod, as well as user media files, mail and documents (the latter are automatically synchronized with the contents of iCloud Drive).

Free capacity iCloud storage is 5 GB. Extra space retails for $0.99 for 50GB, $2.99 ​​for 200GB, and $9.99 for 2TB.

Client iCloud app supports operating Mac systems OS X, iOS and Windows. Official application It has not been developed for Android, but owners of devices based on this OS can view mail from the Apple cloud on their device.

Completes the top parade of cloud storage Chinese service. As you can see from the screenshot, it is clearly not adapted for you and me. Why is it needed then, if there are domestic, European and American analogues that are more familiar to Russian-speaking people? The fact is that Baidu provides users with a whole terabyte of free disk space. For this reason, it is worth overcoming translation difficulties and other obstacles.

Registration on Baidu Cloud is significantly more labor-intensive than competitors. It requires confirmation with a code sent via SMS, but SMS from the Chinese server does not arrive to Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian numbers. Our fellow citizens have to get by with the help of rent virtual number phone, but that's not all. The second difficulty is that an account cannot be registered for some addresses Email. In particular, on gmail services(Google is blocked in China), fastmail and Yandex. And the third difficulty is the need to install the Baidu Cloud mobile application on your phone or tablet, since this is what 1 TB is given for (when registering on a computer, you will receive only 5 GB). And it, as you understand, is entirely in Chinese.

Aren't you scared? Dare - and you will be rewarded. Information on how to create an account on Baidu yourself is available on the Internet.

Users and businesses will continue to move away from bulky and expensive servers and instead choose the cloud to store files. Given the variety of storage options available, you should choose carefully.

Lifehacker suggests paying attention to services that provide maximum free space with reliable protection data and quality service. Prices shown are for starter plans only.

  • Price: 2GB free, 1TB for $8.25 per month. The standard Dropbox Business subscription costs $12.50 per month per user.
  • Applications:
  • Russian language support: There is.

Initially, this cloud storage giant only gives you access to 2 GB of free space. But it can be expanded up to 16 GB without much difficulty: just link your accounts to in social networks and offer a referral link to several friends.

A Dropbox Business subscription allows you to use your corporate account for collaboration, and also gives you unlimited space for personal use. account. Moreover, you get a number of advanced features like file recovery and customization of access levels.

  • Price: 15 GB free, 100 GB for 139 rubles per month.
  • Applications: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • Russian language support: There is.

One of the most obvious options for owners of devices running Android control, since the application is initially installed on smartphones and tablets based on Google OS. However, due to the considerable amount of free storage, the service may also be attractive to owners of other devices.

Among the disadvantages is that the interface of the browser version is not the simplest. But Windows users and macOS can download a much more convenient application.

3. Mega

  • Price: 50 GB free, 200 GB for 4.99 euros per month.
  • Applications:
  • Russian language support: There is.

Another service with a generous free plan and an interface that supports drag-and-drop files. Mega has a convenient mobile app for downloading files, as well as desktop clients for synchronizing them.

According to the company, all data is encrypted on your device before it ends up on the servers. Source Mega client is available on GitHub and can be reviewed by any expert. Therefore, the statement inspires confidence.

  • Price: 10 GB free, another 10 GB for 30 rubles per month.
  • Applications: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, LG Smart TV.
  • Russian language support: There is.

The cloud from Yandex works quickly and stably, and is constantly acquiring new functions. The service has high speed synchronization The platform's capabilities are built into some third-party applications.

Despite the presence of clients for all popular desktop and mobile platforms, the Yandex.Disk browser interface is also very practical. The service also has very good opportunities to expand space through partnerships with companies. For example, if you are a Muscovite and use the OnLime tariff plan from Rostelecom, then the disk capacity increases by 100 GB.

  • Price: 5 GB free, 50 GB for 140 rubles per month, 1 TB for 269 or 339 rubles when registering for a personal or family subscription on Office 365 respectively.
  • Applications: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Xbox.
  • Russian language support: There is.

The former SkyDrive is built into the standard Windows Explorer 10. There is no need to download the application - everything is already downloaded for you.

Built in operating system The Photos app can use OneDrive to sync all your pictures between devices.

When installing a client for macOS, there are some things to consider: positive reviews about him.

In addition to the regular pricing plans, Microsoft has Office 365 Personal and Office 365 Home. Both subscriptions include 1 TB of cloud storage, full versions Office applications for Windows and macOS and a whole host of other benefits. The second option gives 1 TB to five users at once.

  • Price: 8 GB free, 64 GB for 69 rubles per month.
  • Applications: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Windows Phone.
  • Russian language support: There is.

The closest analogue of Yandex.Disk in terms of available opportunities, web version interface and supported platforms. Loses to its main competitor due to its extensive referral program. Among the advantages - larger volume free storage.

Among other things, the service has a tool for quick creation and saving screenshots to the cloud.

  • Price: 5 GB free, 50 GB for 59 rubles per month.
  • Applications: Windows.
  • Russian language support: There is.

5GB of free space may not be enough, but iCloud is the most convenient way create backups photos from iPhone.

The service is integrated into Finder on macOS - the desktop of all MacBooks. Documents created through the iWork office suite are also saved in iCloud and can be synchronized between devices. The platform also has an official client for Windows, with which you can keep files on your PC up to date.

8.Box

  • Price: 10 GB free, 100 GB for 8 euros per month. Business subscription costs 12 euros per month.
  • Applications: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • Russian language support: There is.

The platform quickly gained popularity and is supported by a number of popular services for work, such as “ Google Docs” and Office 365. Box desktop clients allow you not only to synchronize, but also to edit files.

The company is actively promoting business subscriptions. It is the one that appears in the center of the screen when you click on the registration button. Tariff plan Gives you access to advanced collaboration features and unlimited cloud space.

  • Price: free setup and usage, space prices vary by hosting providers. Nextcloud Box costs 70 euros.
  • Applications: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
  • Russian language support: No.

The company itself is not a cloud storage provider, but offers free software to configure the cloud on your own server. The main advantage of this option is speed. You can also enable encryption and not worry about files leaving your home network.

If you do not have experience in setting up servers, you can buy a pre-configured option - Nextcloud Box. Inside the device - HDD for 1 TB. It easily connects to an inexpensive single board computer. True, in order to get a mini-server in your hands, you will have to use the services third party companies: There is no direct delivery to Russia and CIS countries.

  • Price: 2 GB free, 250 GB for $9 per month.
  • Applications: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
  • Russian language support: No.

Another English-language platform that has long operated under a zero-knowledge protocol. It was implied that the company interacts with user data without disclosing its content in any way. It was recently revealed that there are some caveats here and SpiderOak has abandoned its main feature. But this did not stop us from striving to provide files.

The repository has clients for all popular desktop and mobile platforms. You can use the web client, but for privacy advocates this is the least preferred option since it exposes your password to SpiderOak employees.

  • Price: 5 GB free, 2 TB for $52.12 per year special offer, then - 69.5 dollars.
  • Applications: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Windows Phone.
  • Russian language support: No.

The product keeps all your files in constant sync - even those stored on network drives. The web interface allows you to share data by mail, Facebook and Twitter.

The advantage of IDrive is that files deleted from the computer from the cloud do not automatically disappear. The company also has a service called IDrive Express: if you lose all your data, they will deliver a hard drive to you for quick recovery.

  • Price: 10 GB free, 500 GB for $3.99 per month, pCloud Crypto encryption price: $3.99 per month.
  • Applications: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
  • Russian language support: There is.

The service has restrictions on the speed of downloading files, but there is no limit on their size. The storage can be used from any platform - through an application or website.

The company is registered in Switzerland, a country known for its strict privacy laws. For an additional amount, you can use the pCloud Crypto service to encrypt individual files.

Box is an online storage for notes, documents, presentations, videos and images. With the platform, all team files are stored in the cloud so everyone can access, edit, comment and share them in real time from any device. The system works with any web browser, as well as iOS and Android for mobile and tablet devices.

The service will be of interest to both individuals and representatives of large enterprises who need increased privacy information. It will be useful for traveling employees due to mobile access and teams thanks to collaboration features. Content is a key element of digital business, so the system can be used in any field of activity, regardless of the size of the organization. Developers offer ready-made solutions for healthcare, science, media, consulting, construction and retail.

Provides third-party integrations with many popular services, including: Slack, Symantec, MobileIron, SalesForce, GSuite, Office365. File and folder sharing is available using a custom URL. You can mark meetings in a shared calendar, leave notes and comments for them, and also “scan” documents, photos and videos to automatically save them in your account. A history of working with elements is provided so that you can roll back the process to a previous version. Majority standard elements available in preview without the need to download (Word, Excel, PDF, photos, as well as 3D, HD, 360 or DICOM files). The system offers an original option to return a file if it was sent to the wrong recipient by mistake. Box also offers an open development platform with an API and SDK known as the Box Platform, which developers can use for a variety of purposes.

Key Features


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