Cloud Services.

[chagle]

I've started doing more research and using Cloud services more and more. I'd just be interested in your thoughts on the Cloud services that are available.

They are much improved compared at a year ago.

I've noticed iDisk has improved and currently have iDisk enabled on my Mac and seems to work very well - Still a little slow. It's also good to see the iDisk App on the iPhone available which I have tested.

I have tested with placing a file in my shared iDisk folder, it got Sync'ed then on the iPhone App shared it. A neat little email is sent to the recipient and .. hey, it just works!

I also use Dropbox which is going from strength to strength. What I do like about Dropbox is it integrates into Finder nicely, plus it's available on other platforms too. It's free too which a paid upgrade option.

I've been using Dropbox for a few months now with various 'Shared' folders with friends and family. It's so nice to be able to 'drop' a file into a share and it appears in your friends Dropbox - It's just neat!

(BTW, I have an refer-a-friend linky, we both get 250MB extra - PM me for info.. can't blame a bloke for trying. LOL)

I've also l looked at SugarSync - Has a few more features than Dropbox with it's own 'Manager Software' - But looks to be very powerful with the ability share/sync any folder. Again, there's a free version. Just a bit of a pain and a little bit more work involved as you need to use the Manager Software to set shares/sync folders up.

Overall, my vote goes to Dropbox - It's free and I like the fact it integrates into Finder Windows Explorer.

Would I trust my sensitive data in the Cloud? - Probably not, but they certainly do have their place.

Searching Google, you'll find many, many Cloud services but the same names keep popping up, namely, the above.

As they are free, it's worth checking them out. So for me, it's Dropbox and I certainly couldn't be without Evernote - For your 'Brain Dumps' :-)

[Hands0n]

Good luck with your quest chagle. An interesting one at this period in Internet history, possibly a pivotal point, or a completely irrelevant one. I'm not entirely sure in my own mind where this is all going.

An interesting resource for your delight could be Jolicloud's Blog here --> http://www.jolicloud.com/blog/ that lists a bundle of cloud apps that they are assimilating into their new Jolicloud OS for Netbooks. The blog itself is a handy resource of the best of breed (as defined by Jolicloud).

Soon we will have Chrome OS which will also be entirely reliant upon the cloud for its resources. More and more the emphasis is to move away from the independent computer.

I remain to be convinced - while I like the idea of cloud, I am concerned that the recipe for disaster is sewn. We do not [yet] have anything like the ubiquitous availability and affordability of mobile data networking to make cloud as viable as the disconnected PC.

I would hate to need a resource only to find that I cannot reach it because I am in a radio blackspot. And there are plenty of those around the UK, despite anything that the mobile network coverage maps will lie to you about.

[gorilla]

I've voted 'other' because I class google apps as being a cloud service and I couldn't survive without them now.

I have used many file sharing systems as well, but that is not something I do regularly so I have no particular favourite, although I did use SkyDrive yesterday!

While the cloud infrastrucutre may not quite be there yet, I would trust them with my data over the lay man any day of the week. Also I believe there is less chance of the cloud failing compared to my internal hard drive breaking. Maybe I'm naive

[Ben]

Indeed, I also use Google Apps (well, ish) and it's good. As a MobileMe user I also have iDisk, but I don't exactly use that much either - but I avail myself of all the other cloud-based services it includes.

Our banking software has moved to the cloud, though, and for anyone who's interested Barclay's corporate grade online banking solution (BIB) is now fully Mac compatible. Unless you want to use Safari in Snow Leopard =D

I think cloud based services are here to stay. They make more sense for some things than others, though.

[chagle]

I have to admit, I have just started using a few Google Apps - I do like them. Trouble is.. there's far too many things to play with now!

Mac, iPhone, Cloud Services, Google.. I really should give up work! Don't have time for it!