Easily Share Large Files over the Internet

Easily Share Large Files over the Internet

If you are to share a large file with someone over the Internet, there are generally two options – you can either attach the files to an email message or, if the files are too big to fit in an email program, you can upload them to an online storage service and then share the download links with the recipient.

Let’s now explore some of the popular services that’ll make it easy for you to transfer large files over the Internet without any hassles or costs.

A: Share Large Files over Email

The Gmail service cannot handle email attachments that are larger than 25 MB but the recently-revamped Hotmail service is a much better alternative as it lets you send email messages as large as 10 GB.

The maximum size of an individual file that you can attach to an Hotmail message is only 50 MB but you can use a file-splitting utility like HJ-Split to break a big file into smaller chunks and then attach them all to a single message. The recipient can then join these chunks to restore the original file and he can do without requiring external programs.

B: Share Large Files without Email

The downside with email attachments is obvious - most ISPs and web-based email programs (including Gmail) will reject incoming messages that have big attachments and therefore, if you are sending a bulky file via email, the recipients also have to be on Hotmail as well in order to receive that file.

One of the best options for sharing large files without email is Dropbox. Once you install the the Dropbox utility on your (Windows, Mac or Linux) desktop, you can upload files of virtually any size to the Internet - it’s only limited by the size of your Dropbox storage which is 2GB in the case of free accounts. Alternatively, if you don’t want to install Dropbox, you can upload files straight to the Dropbox website from your browser but the limit in this case is 300 MB per file.

You can even consider using Google Docs to share those big files over the Internet. Google Docs lets you upload files up to 250 MB in size and they can be in any format. You have 1 GB of free storage space for storing all the non-Office files on Google Docs but you can alsobuy more space for a reasonable fee.

Unlike FTP servers, services like Google Docs and Dropbox don’t support resumable downloads. That means if the connection breaks while the recipient is still trying to download your “huge” file, he or she will have to resume the download from scratch. That can be a deal-breaker for lot of people.

SkyDrive, part of the Windows Live family, can solve this problem in a way.

The service offers 25 GB of free online storage, with individual files limited to 50 MB. To upload a large file, split it into chunks of 50 MB each and then upload them all to a single folder on SkyDrive. The recipient can download the entire folder as a ZIP or, if he’s on a flaky connection, he can download files one by one and then join them all at his end.

C. Share Files without Registration

Finally, if you are looking for something quick and simple that doesn’t even require registration, talk to YouSendIt or WeTransfer (if the file size is really big). Just upload the files via the browser, enter the email address of the recipient and hit send. WeTransfer lets you send files up to 2 GB in size while the maximum allowed limit is 100 MB in the case of YouSendIt (free version).

Chart: Comparison of file sharing services

iPad 3 could make Apple the world's top PC vendor next year

Apple's iPad

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Apple is likely to outshine Hewlett-Packard as the world's top PC maker before the second half of next year, says research firm Canalys, but it'll need some help from the iPad 3.

Currently the world's second-leading PC vendor, Apple has seen its share of the market jump to 15 percent from 9 percent over just the past year. That growth is largely due to heavy demand for the iPad, which Canalys considers a personal computer.

But fourth-quarter iPad shipments in the U.S. may take a hit from Amazon's Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble's Nook tablets, which are launching at consumer-friendly prices. As a result, Canalys believes that HP and Apple will duke it out for the top spot this quarter but that Apple will ultimately grab the lead after the iPad 3 debuts next year.

Rival tablet makers are still fighting to compete with Apple, with many starting to get the hint by selling devices at cheaper prices. The debut of Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich, should help Android vendors as developers can finally push their existing smartphone apps to run on tablets. But the timing of updated Android operating system is less than ideal, says Canalys.

Most tablets being sold during the holiday-shopping season will still sport some version of Android 3.x. And Android hasn't been known for a speedy upgrade cycle. Savvy consumers waiting for devices equipped with Ice Cream Sandwich may actually put off purchases until next year when the newest version of Android becomes more prevalent.

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For 2011, global PC shipments are expected to reach 415 million, a 15 percent gain from last year, thanks mostly to higher tablet sales. Total tablet shipments are expected to hit 59 million for the entire year, including 22 million in the fourth quarter, says Canalys.

Notebook sales have also provided a boost to the PC market this year, with total shipments projected to reach 211 million, a 10 percent gain from last year. Ultrabooks, which are thin, light, high-powered laptops, could spur notebooks sales over the next five years. But Canalys believes prices would have to creep down sharply.

"The least expensive models are currently around $800, a real barrier to mass consumer uptake," Canalys analyst Michael Kauh said in a statement. "As more vendors embrace the ultrabook design, component costs should drop and mainstream consumer prices will be achieved."

credit: cNet

Could a 3D iPad succeed where the Nintendo 3DS failed?

Will the iPad 3 come with 3D?

(Credit: Apple)

Would you buy an iPad 3D?

That's the question consumers might have been asking themselves next year, according to areport from Business Insider. But according to the blog's source, Apple decided to nix plans for an iPad 3 with 3D over concerns that the device could become "a gimmick."

Take that rumor, of course, with the usual grain of salt. Apple hasn't confirmed it'll be launching another iPad, nor has the company spoken of an iPad with 3D. And Business Insider's source is a degree or two removed, though the blog says the source has been reliable in the past.

But the concept is an interesting one. According to the source, the 3D iPad would have worked as does the Nintendo 3DS, letting users view content in the third dimension without requiring glasses. It's not the first time we've heard that rumor. In April, a Hollywood "insider" told RCR Wireless that "the fact that the iPad 3 is 3D is a dead cert."

Nintendo, for example, has been trying to make glasses-free 3D a staple in the portable market all year. But during Nintendo's first fiscal quarter ended June 30, the company could only muster 710,000 unit sales of the 3DS worldwide, including 110,000 in the U.S. The paltry sales forced Nintendo to drop the price of the 3DS to $169.99 from $249.99. But even after that, the Nintendo 3DS has trailed theXbox 360 in monthly U.S. sales and has failed to attract the kind of attention the Game Boy and original DS did at the same point in their life cycles.But could that device succeed? It's tough to say. Right now, 3D isn't catching on nearly as much in the mobile space as some companies had hoped for.

Of course, there are several reasons for that, including the fact that the iPhone and Android-based handsets are becoming increasingly popular in the gaming space. But Nintendo itself has acknowledged that the 3D is a liability for its portable.

Nintendo has an issue with 3D on the 3DS.

(Credit: Nintendo)

"The value of 3D images without the need for special glasses is hard to be understood through the existing media," Nintendo chief Satoru Iwatasaid earlier this year in a discussion on the issues his company is facing with the 3DS. "However, we have found that people cannot feel it just by trying out a device, rather, some might even misestimate it when experiencing the images in an improper fashion. This makes it more important to give people more opportunities for appropriate experiences of glassless 3D images."

The problem is, 3D viewing is highly personal. And the 3DS makes it more difficult for users, since it requires each person to set their own "depth" with a slider on the side to get the right 3D effect for them. What's more, because the device is glasses-free, users must be holding the 3DS at the right angle in order to get the full 3D effect.

Considering that an iPad 3D would reportedly have come with the same glasses-free experience, it's unlikely that the issues the 3DS suffer from would have been different for Apple. That is, of course, if Apple wasn't trying something totally unique to bring 3D to the device.

Earlier this year, researchers in France told CNET in an e-mail about a technology they had developed called Head-Coupled Perspective. By using a device's front-facing camera, the technology can track a person's head to adjust the glasses-free 3D display, no matter the angle of the head in relation to the screen.

"Our technique uses the front-facing camera of the device to detect and track the face of the user," Jeremie Francone, a Ph.D. student in the Engineering Human-Computer Interaction research group at the Grenoble Informatics Laboratory in France, told CNET in an interview at that time. "This way, it is possible to know 'how' the user looks at the display: does he look from the front, or from the right? Is the display close or far from the user's face? Knowing such information enables us to adapt the display accordingly, giving the user the illusion that he looks at a small window instead of a 2D flat screen."

Francone and his team have already ported their technology to the iPad (see the video below). But the only question is, would Apple want to make it an official part of iPad 3?

At this point, no one is saying. And Apple has not immediately responded to CNET's request for comment. But if Apple does, in fact, bring 3D to the iPad, it will need to find a way to avoid the pitfalls devices like the Nintendo 3DS haven't been able to overcome.

Glasses-free 3D on the iPad:

Originally posted at The Digital Home

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A look at Socl--Microsoft's secret 'social search' project

Socl, Microsoft's "social search" project.

(Credit: The Verge)

Microsoft is apparently ready to mix it up with Facebook and Google.

Speculation began to mount that the software giant was getting ready to launch its own social network after it accidentally published a Web site called Socl.com earlier this year. The site, which was found to be a Microsoft project, was described as a "social search" service that would allow users to "find what you need and share what you know."

The service offered Facebook and Twitter sign-in buttons, but little else was known about Socl.com. Microsoft soon took the site down, saying it was "an internal design project from one of Microsoft's research teams which was mistakenly published to the Web."

Now we have a clearer picture of Socl, thanks to The Verge, which recently got an exclusive look at the service. The site, which is still in private beta testing and may never be released publicly, "mixes search, discovery, and, go figure, a social network," the blog reported.

Socl offers a basic three-column layout that is reminiscent of Facebook's design, with navigation tools to the left, a social feed in the center, and invites and other options to the right. Central to the experience is a pseudo status box at the top of the page that asks users "What are you searching for?" Search functionality would presumably be provided by Bing, Microsoft's search engine.

The site relies heavily on tagging, allowing users to identify topics they are interested in and receive social updates on those interests. However, The Verve contends that Socl's approach isn't much of an improvement over Google's saved searches function.

Socl also touts a video party feature that allows users to chat and view YouTube videos with their friends.

While the site is intended to get people interacting more with each other based on their search queries, there is not much in the way of private interaction with other users, such as messaging or @replies. It's unknown when or if Socl will be rolled out publicly.

Microsoft already relies heavily on its partnership with social network giant, Facebook. In May, Microsoft unveiled a new feature to its Bing search engine, baking in recommendations from a Web surfer's Facebook friends in order to make the results more relevant.

Nokia exec: Windows 8 tablet due in June

The Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone-powered device will be joined by a Windows 8-powered tablet next year, a Nokia executive has said.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Nokia will add a Windows 8 tablet to its product line in June 2012, a French newspaper reported in an interview with the head of Nokia in France.

"In June 2012, we will have a tablet running Windows 8," Paul Amsellem told Les Echos in a story published yesterday.

Such a move would make some sense. Where Android and iOS span phones and tablets, Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system doesn't. But ignoring the tablet market would shut Nokia out of a major growth industry, and Microsoft is the obvious partner, even if it means Nokia must wrestle with the complexities of having two major operating systems.

Nokia didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Last month, Nokia Chief Executive Stephen Elop wouldn't comment on Windows 8 tablet plans, but he left the door wide open when discussing earnings results with analysts.

"From an ecosystem perspective, there are beneftis and synergies that exist between Windows and Windows Phone," Elop said. "We see that opportunity. We'll certainly consider those opportunities going forward."

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop speaking at Nokia World in London.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)

And in a later interview with the Financial Times, he pointed more specifically to the similarities in user interface between Nokia's newly launched Lumia line of Windows Phone products and the upcoming Windows 8 operating system.

Nokia has services it could bring to a Windows tablet, of course. But the synergies aren't always easy: Programs written for one operating system don't run on the other, so spanning the two devices means a lot of work for app developers.

Amsellem likened the new Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone to a BMW, saying that higher-end and lower-end models will arrive soon. Nokia already showed off the lower-end Lumia 710, and at Nokia World said higher-end models would arrive as well, but it's not shared details so far

Nook Tablet hands-on: Can it fight the Fire? Read more: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33198_7-57325438-286/nook-tablet-hands-on-can-it-fight-the-fire/#ixzz1drS0AiP3

Nook Tablet or Kindle Fire?

That's the question that's already bedeviling consumers and gadget aficionados alike.

In a matter of weeks, it seems, the tablet market has been compressed to just a handful of choices. The iPad 2 still rules the high end ($500 and above), but the "e-reader as tablet" option now looms large in the sub-$250 range, with the $199 Kindle Fire going mano a mano with the $249 Nook Tablet.

The Kindle Fire has just started shipping, and the Nook Tablet will follow as soon as tomorrow (a few days earlier than originally expected).

Last year, Barnes & Noble released the Nook Color at the same $249 price. Back then, a 7-inch color e-reader that could run apps as well as read color books and magazines, and even play movies and music, was a revelation. The Android tablet could even be rooted--to many, it became known as the not-so-secret most-affordable Android tablet around with the best design (other similarly priced and more-generic Android tablets are, by comparison, terrible).

With the Fire on the horizon, Barnes & Noble knew it had to up the ante. Thus, 2011's Nook Tablet takes the basic Nook Color formula and delivers more storage, a faster dual-core processor, an improved screen--and, notably, a larger selection of apps.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

This year's design is very much like last year's. The Nook Tablet is to the Nook Color as the iPhone 4S is to the iPhone 4. The Tablet has had a few improvements to its feel and some contours on the tablet--it's not a carbon copy of the Color, physically--but the carabiner is back, and so is the very appealing minimalist look. The edges and back have a slightly soft touch, not rubberized, but almost like Teflon coating on cookware. It feels nice.

The Nook Color remains as a $199 device, but the Tablet is the color tablet most Nook customers are going to want to buy.

The question, then, is can the Nook Tablet compete with the Kindle Fire--or with the iPad? Barnes & Noble's latest still feels like a tweener device. The interface and user controls are a bit of an awkward marriage. Pressing the Nook's version of the Home button brings up a media bar, but various libraries are viewed in different blades. Pressing the Home button doesn't always bring you back to the home screen; it brings up that media bar on the bottom instead. Tapping the "home" icon takes you home, and...well, you see the confusion. Those familiar with the Nook will feel right at home.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET )

As an e-reader
Let's put it this way: when shooting the video for the Nook Tablet, I almost forgot to show off the e-reader features. Nook Tablet users could, as absurd as it sounds, make book reading a distant priority, what with all the video, music, gaming, and magazine reading this tablet can handle.

The Nook e-reading software is functional, but not spectacular. Fonts and font sizes--as well as margins and line spacing--can be easily adjusted, offering plenty of flexibility. Still, page turns aren't silky smooth like they are in Apple's iBooks app, although they are functionally fast. Book lovers might still prefer an e-ink choice like the Simple Touch over this bright LCD display, but for the extra features the Nook Tablet offers, it's a worthy compromise. The IPS display is bright and crisp--better than on the original Nook Color--and looks as least as good as an iPad's display.

Children's books have been a big part of the Nook's sales pitch, and they largely don't disappoint. The handful of books I looked at were colorful and bright, but full pages can get a little small on the screen real estate. Barnes & Noble has proudly shown off the ability to record and save your own voice recordings on these books, and the feature works as advertised. A kid could have page-by-page custom recordings from a grandparent or other relative who isn't there. It's similar to what's available on some iPad apps.

Nearly 200 magazines are offered for issue-by-issue or subscription purchase, with the option for print subscribers to get a free e-version. The layout on these digital versions has been changed to fit the reduced screen space. All the content is the same, but the shrunk-to-fit design might annoy magazine purists.

Comics are also supported via a new store and reader, and a few issues of Marvel comics looked great on the Nook Tablet screen. This is an even better use of a 7-inch screen, and could be the killer app for color e-readers.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

As a video player
Adding Netlfix and Hulu Plus--among others--to the Nook's color tablet ecosystem is huge. It's hard not to be impressed by the Nook Tablet's sharp screen and picture quality. Streaming Netflix and Hulu Plus in the office worked far better than we expected, although there were occasional playback hiccups over our Wi-Fi. We streamed Netflix side by side with the Kindle Fire, and head-to-head comparisons were very favorable to the Nook--it simply looked better. Both tablets have the same app, but the Nook Tablet's picture looked more vivid and detailed. The Nook Tablet also has physical volume controls on the side, which come in handy--the Kindle Fire strangely lacks them.

However, it's not enough. The Nook Tablet has no video store like Amazon.com and Apple do, and it's a big loss for anyone who wants to use this tablet to watch videos away from Wi-Fi--like, for instance, on a plane.

Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet

That's not to say you can't technically store videos. Almost paradoxically, the Nook Tablet has more extra storage space than the Kindle Fire--16GB compared with 8GB--and a microSD card slot on top of that with a capacity up to 32GB. Loading videos or music onto the Nook Tablet would have to be accomplished by sideloading (connecting a USB cable to a PC). The Nook Tablet supports the same video codecs as any Android Gingerbread tablet, so it's versatile, but it obviously can't play back videos with DRM protection. That means that those sideloaded video libraries most likely won't be of the entirely legal variety.

I only bring that up because your mother, father, sister, brother, or grandfather will inevitably ask, "How do I watch my favorite movie on this thing?" The simple answer for a Nook owner is: well, it's complicated. As much as Barnes & Noble doesn't want to acknowledge it, the Nook Tablet is a bit of an odd duck for the average person wanting a video-playing tablet.

As a music player
Music lovers will have no lack of music services on the Nook Tablet. Pandora, TuneIn Radio, MOG, and Rhapsody have apps, among others. And, of course, you could easily sideload your own music via USB. Music is sold naturally DRM-free, and sideloading it isn't nearly as much of a problem as with video. Yes, the Nook Tablet handles music just fine, but it's not ergonomically comfortable--and it doesn't have Bluetooth.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET )

As a gaming device
The Nook Tablet has a decent selection of casual games in the Nook Store, ranging from Angry Birds to Scrabble. They load and play like the average Android app; the screen shows off sharp colors and animations, but the graphics capability doesn't come anywhere near that of an iPad. Apps load reasonably quickly. Right now the pickings are slim indeed, but for a very casual audience, these games are fine enough. The library would need to grow a lot to consider this a "gaming" device. Apple's App Store has this beat by at least 20,000.

As a Web browser
Surfing the Web on the Nook Tablet is a step up from the Color, but the whole experience still pales compared with browsing on an iPad. Part of the problem is the 7-inch screen: Web pages sometimes load as mobile sites, and Flash support wasn't always reliable, as is often the case on mobile devices.

The Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire, side by side.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET )

What the Nook Tablet lacks
There are no cameras, no maps, and no Bluetooth, and there's a general lack of core Android operating system features normally found baked into Android tablets. The Nook is built on Android, but it's really just an e-reader with apps. It's impressively versatile, but you'll have to rely on app downloads from the Nook Store to fill out additional productivity functions.

What's better than the Kindle Fire
The screen, which is a higher-quality IPS display than the Kindle Fire, really shows off Netflix and Hulu Plus to amazing effect, although we did see the occasional streaming hiccup. It's the best screen on a budget tablet that I've ever seen.

More storage--both onboard (16GB) and via microSD expansion--and the ability to read EPUB files could be big news for those who want flexibility. There's plenty of expansion room, and you'll have a hard time running out of space for your apps or your magazine downloads.

What's worse than the Kindle Fire
There's a lack of cloud-based media support that Amazon front-loads on the Kindle Fire: no official music or video store, and no way of locally storing downloaded videos outside of connecting the Nook Tablet to your computer. Amazon Prime customers get a bonus pack of borrowable books and free-to-watch TV shows and movies on the Fire. Barnes & Noble has no such subscription service.

The browser isn't great. Pages were slow to load for us, and often loaded mobile versions of sites instead of the full pages. Flash support, as always on mobile devices, was hit or miss.

Also, yes, it's subjective, but the admittedly clean-looking Nook Tablet interface is more Android-esque than the eye-popping shelf animations on the Fire. The Nook Tablet might be a superpowered e-reader and media device, but it's still a budget tablet. Browsing app menus and stores often feels choppy and sluggish. Some might prefer the lack of a Cover Flow-like media flipboard such as the one on the Kindle Fire, but if I'm using this as an e-reader, I'd rather it felt like one as opposed to a mini computer.

Our initial impressions
The landscape of tablets has suddenly changed, and in a considerable, fundamental way. The iPad defined a tablet as a computer alternative; however, thanks to the Kindle Fire and the Nook Tablet, tablets might be equally seen as affordable, incredibly versatile e-readers. The Nook Tablet has an aggressive price and an impressive set of features, and hardware that bests the Fire in several respects. However, it lacks the native music and video stores that Amazon bakes into the Fire, relying on third-party streaming apps instead. Which option is best for you depends on whether you value a video store over greater storage, or, simply, which service you already own more books on, since the Nook won't display Kindle books and vice versa.

Make no mistake, however: the competition in this entry-level tablet space is aggressive, and it's quite likely that there may not be a clear-cut winner. This may well be more of a "Pepsi versus Coke" situation, where personal preferences and brand affiliation trump hardware and software considerations.

Credit: Cnet