GeekSugar

How-To: Send Large Digital Files

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 07:16:25 PDT

The convenience of USB drives and burning CDs only go so far. When you need to send large pictures, videos, or documents immediately, these relatively antiquated solutions just don't go the distance. Large file sharing requires the extra power of web services that send multi-MB data in a flash. Though there are dozens of file sharing sites available on the web, these are the ones we find to be the easiest and fastest solutions.

Adobe SendNow - Adobe's file sending software offers free uses up to 100MB, but paid plans start at just $10 and offer many premium options. With a paid plan, send multiple files at once, up to 2GB, and the service provides a confirmation that the file was received, so you're not fretting from your side of the Internet. An optional desktop app is available to easily drag and drop files to share.
Box - Sign up for an individual free account to store 5GB of data on the web and send files up to 25MB. Multiple-user business accounts start at $15 per month and offer higher data sending options.
DropSend - A free plan offers five transfers per month up to 2GB while premium options range from $5 a month for 15 shares and web storage to $99 a month for a business-friendly plan for unlimited shares and higher security.
YouSendIt - The site offers a free 14-day free trial to send high-quality videos, whole albums of music, and a ton of high-resolution photos at once, up to 50MB in size. Paid accounts start at $10 a month and allow or file transfers up to 2GB.
Dropbox - This service for Mac, Windows, and Linux, allows you to share files with authorized users who have also installed Dropbox on their machine. Dropbox is free to use for up to 2GB of storage, and subscription rates start at $10 a month for 50GB of storage up to $20 for 100GB, or more with a custom quote.

Is File Sharing Illegal If Rights Owner Says It's Okay to Share?

GeekSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:30:47 PDT

I go back and forth on the file sharing debate, unable to find solid footing on just one side of the issue. But when I heard that Michael Moore was releasing his new documentary online as a free download, and was even encouraging watchers to "share it or show it in any way you see fit," I thought "Okay, that works." But unfortunately, after the film showed up on torrent sites, letters of cease-and-desist were delivered to many users, sparking a geographical sharing debate.

Since Michael only owns the North American rights to the film, anyone trying to download the film from across the pond will be subjected to copyright infringement. Michael's reasoning on the file sharing issue is this: "What are 'geographical rights'? I'll say it for the hundredth time: If I buy a book and read it, and then give you the book to read, I have broken no laws. Why is that not true for all media?"

I tend to take Michael's side on this one: he made the movie, why can't he distribute it as he sees fit? Maybe I just don't understand the inner workings of movie making, but hey - that's why I'm behind a computer and not a camera!

Source

Geek Tip: Share Big Files With File Dropper

GeekSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:45:53 PDT

If you need to send a large file and want an alternative to YouSendIt (which I find great, too!), check out File Dropper.

They claim it's the "simplest file-hosting website ever" and I must admit, it's pretty easy. All you have to do is upload your file (it can be up to 5GB) and send the url you generate to whoever you want to share the file with. You don't have to sign up for an account, or share your email address.

Most File Sharing Happens at Night

GeekSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:15:31 PST

If you do most of your legally questionable (or totally legal and legit!) file sharing at night you're not alone. According to a recent article from the Times Online most file sharing - which commonly takes the form of downloading movies, music and TV shows via peer-to-peer programs like Limewire, BitTorrent and KaZaA - happens at night. In fact about eight million people are on file-sharing networks at any one time. Here's more:

There are more than 900 million illegal music files available for download on file-sharing networks. File-sharing was the most used service on the internet last year. The heaviest usage was observed during the night, when the percentage of file-sharing traffic rose to up to 95 percent of total internet traffic.

The numbers shocked me a bit. I'd assume more than eight million people are on networks at any given time and I certainly thought more people downloaded documents, programs, music and movies during the day while at work. I guess managers can stop worrying all their employees are downloading and watching movies instead of working. When do you do most of your file sharing?

Photo courtesy of NBC

Geek We Love: The MPMan With a Plan

Anna Monette Roberts — Fri, 18 May 2012 03:11:03 PDT

The MPMan was short-lived, but the first MP3 player mass-marketed in the US paved the way for the portable media player revolution. Now that we've gotten to know Kane Kramer, who developed the first MP3 player, and Nathan Schulhof, who created a precursor to iPod and iTunes, it's time to take a look at the history surrounding the MPMan.

Korean electronics company Saehan created and distributed the player in 1998. Michael Robertson, CEO of MP3.com, imported the MPMan into the US and sold it on the MP3.com website. Around the same time, Eiger Labs also imported the player and rebranded it (pictured).

The MPMan came in two versions: the MPMan F10 ($299), which held 32 megabytes, or 35 minutes of music; and the MPMan F20 ($459), which held 64 megabytes, or 90 minutes of music. The player was palm-sized and featured a small LED screen on the front, with the headphone jack and control buttons on top of the device.

Read more about the MPMan after the break.

Style Guide: What to Wear to Prom

Lauren Conrad — Thu, 03 May 2012 07:59:07 PDT

We are thrilled to share this story from Lauren Conrad! The TV personality, writer, designer, and style maven has started LaurenConrad.com, a social networking site that features daily posts by Lauren on all of our favorite topics - fashion, beauty, food, party planning - and Lauren will be sharing her latest fashion finds with Fab every month. This week, she's sharing her dress picks for prom.

If you're in high school, there is only one thing on your mind right now: Prom! It's one of the quintessential high school experiences that will stick with you for a lifetime. For most of us, it's the first time you really get to dress up like a princess for a night. And because it is such a special night, it calls for a very special dress.

Back when I was in school, gowns were the go-to dress of choice. (Let me tell you, gowns can get pretty pricey.) Thankfully, prom trends have broadened and shorter hemlines have been embraced.

Without further ado, here are a few of my favorite looks for prom along with my top picks for each look listed below . . .

Alice + Olivia Tibby Petal Dress
LC Lauren Conrad Ruffle Chiffon Dress
Paper Crown Wilde Tiered Mini

For all of Lauren's perfect prom picks, keep reading

7 Strategies to Build an Emergency Fund

Kiplinger — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:15:32 PDT

Build up your emergency fund with these tips from Kiplinger.

You know you need an emergency fund - easily accessible cash to pay for unexpected expenses. Without one, you could find yourself looking around the house for valuables to pawn, racking up credit-card debt or maybe even considering a payday loan to cover the costs of an emergency.

But you may be wondering how you can find enough spare cash in your budget to set aside for a rainy day. If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, I’m sure the thought of saving up enough money to cover six months’ worth of expenses (as is usually recommended) is especially daunting. The good news is that you don’t have to stash that much cash at once.

The key is to start setting aside a little each month to build your emergency fund. And that doesn’t require a big salary. After all, saving is a function of discipline, not income.

Here are seven ways to find enough money - and motivation - to create an emergency fund.

Save - don’t spend - your tax refund. About 75% of taxpayers received a refund last year, and the average amount was $2,913. A refund of that size can get your emergency fund off to a great start. Open an interest-bearing savings account and have the money directly deposited into it so you won’t be tempted to use it.

Pay yourself first. Rather than wait until next year for another refund to stash in your emergency fund, adjust your tax withholding by filing a revised W-4 form with your employer (see How to Adjust Your Withholding). This will put more money in your paycheck each month, and you can set that amount aside in your savings account so it can earn interest and grow. (That money won’t be earning any interest during the year if you leave it with Uncle Sam.) If possible, have your employer deposit the designated amount directly into your savings account so you don’t see the money in your checking account and aren’t tempted to spend it.

Read on for more.

Google Drive and 4 Other Cloud Storage Solutions

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:48:01 PDT

After years of speculation about a storage product, Google announced today its cloud storage solution - Google Drive. In an effort to seamlessly blend use for those already entrenched in Google Docs, documents are automatically built into Drive so that files can be collaborated on in real time. Users can give feedback on anything shared, including PDFs or video files, not just Google Docs; all users are then notified of the latest comment.

Drive can be installed on both Mac and PC platforms and a Drive app is available now for Android phones and tablets. We're hoping the iOS app is on its way. The cloud industry standard of a free 5GB of storage is the basic Drive account, with paid upgrades of 25GB for $2.50 per month, 100GB for $5 per month, or a huge 1TB for $50 per month. Any upgrade to a paid account includes the storage in your Gmail account boosting to 25GB.

Of course, Google Drive is only the latest product for cloud storage needs. Here are four more solutions for storing budget files or photos from your around-the-world vacation.

Dropbox - Arguably the leader in cloud storage, Dropbox has won customers with the user-friendly ability to sync files across multiples devices and act as a hosting tool for large media like hi-res images when sending them through email isn't an option.
iCloud - Stores 5GB of anything and everything for free for all iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Mac users. It has some limits and only stores media purchased through iTunes, but for Apple devotees it's an effortless option.

Discover two more cloud solutions after the break.

How-To: Easily Organize Your Google Docs

Anna Monette Roberts — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 03:12:02 PDT

"I'll start a Google Doc." You might hear it every day, because volunteering to share documents via Google is almost an instant reflex these days. Most people are shifting away from sharing documents via a flash drive or network, because Google Docs makes it so easy to view and update files. But with so many schools and offices making the Google move, it can be overwhelming to keep track of all your personal and professional files. Luckily, Google allows you to organize files into neat little folders, so here's our simple and efficient how-to.

6 Top Web Tools Small Business Owners Should Rely on

Emily Co — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:31:14 PDT

Starting a business ain't easy, especially if you're working on it alone. Thankfully, there are a lot of handy tools on the Internet that will make your work life easier. Here are a couple you should check out:

BookFresh: Referred to as the OpenTable for small business owners, this online scheduling website lets customers schedule their appointments on the web and even make payments online. Using this tool will help you keep track of other details, such as client history and calendar syncing, and it will help you customize emails for customers.

Dropbox: Dropbox lets you store files such as photos, docs, and videos online, which means those large files won't take up space on your computer. It makes it easier for you to share files with others as well. Other benefits include accessing the files from anywhere in the world and the ability to access it when you're offline.

FreshBooks: Not to be confused with BookFresh, FreshBooks offers up a different service. The site helps manage invoices and automates several steps in the record-keeping process, making it easier for you to keep track of and create professional-looking invoices.

Read on for more helpful tools.