There are a few different options for online storage, and one option that’s not only easy to use but free (with a few limits), is CloudApp. Now there’s a free app for the iPhone named Cloudette for CloudApp, which allows you to access your CloudApp account on your iPhone, making it handy to get at your stored files when you’re on the go.
Sure it’s free, but is the app worth the download? Let’s find out.
Starting at the Source
Let’s begin with talking a little bit about CloudApp, the web app that you need to use Cloudette for CloudApp to begin with. Simply put, CloudApp is cloud storage for your computer. You install an app on your Mac and a little cloud appears in the menu bar. Then you simply drag a file up to the cloud icon and it uploads to the CloudApp website. A link to the file is then placed on your clipboard. You can then send the link via e-mail, instant message, or any other way you wish.
The CloudApp home page shows all of your files in one spot.
This is a free service for basic use, which gives you unlimited bookmarks, allows you to upload 10 files daily (up to 25MB total), keeps the files for three months, and uses the cl.ly domain name. If you want to upgrade and pay 4 Euros a month (approximately $5.35 US), you get to use your own domain name, upload as many files as you want up to 250MB, and use your own domain name. It’s not the perfect service for everybody, but if you need a way to quickly upload files to a server and send the links to friends, then this is well done and finely crafted way to go.
How Cloudette for CloudApp Works
Cloudette for CloudApp is a third party piece of software, created to do one thing and do it well: access your CloudApp files. Once you’ve logged into the app on your iPhone, the first thing that shows up is a list of the files you have on CloudApp. From there you can look at each file individually, or get a link for one of them that goes onto your clipboard. If that’s all that the App did, it would be sufficient. After all, CloudApp is a pretty basic system, so what else do you need?
View, Share, and Send Links to Your CloudApp Files
Fortunately, there’s a bit more to this app than just that. Let’s say that you have a link that you want to shorten for one reason or another. Simply hit the (+) symbol in the corner of the screen, click on “Shorten Link,” and enter the URL into the box. It then spits out a shortened URL and puts it onto your clipboard. Using the plus symbol again you can also take a picture to upload to CloudApp, or go to your Photo Library to pull a file as well. It’s pretty handy if you want to take a shot and share the link on your Tumblr, blog, or Twitter.
The Competition
There’s a lot of competition for cloud-based storage, two of them which are very popular on the Mac and have both iPhone and desktop versions. The first is iDisk, which comes as a part of the MobileMe service. It costs $99 per year for MobileMe ($69 with the purchase of a new Apple device), so it’s not free. Plus, it only holds 20GB worth of storage, so if you’re not using any of MobileMe’s other features, then it’s not really worth the money. Apple does have an iPhone and iPad version of iDisk as well.
Shorten Links or Share Pics with Cloudette for CloudApp
The big contender here though, is Dropbox. The popular service holds up to 2GB worth of data on its servers for free, with upgraded plans going up to 100GB for $199 a year. Dropbox has apps for both the iPad and iPhone, and also has a desktop version. The downside to Dropbox is that it stores all of your files on your hard drive as well, and syncs with the Dropbox servers automatically. Although this makes transferring files pretty quick, it does take up local storage, so if you’re running on an 11-inch MacBook Air with a small hard drive, that might be a consideration. That said, it still has more available storage than CloudApp, and no limitations on daily uploads.
The Verdict
So what’s the end result? CloudApp is a great free service that’s perfect for shortening URLs, linking quick notes or websites to friends, or keeping small files online similar to a small USB key.
Cloudette for CloudApp provides all of the same functions as the website itself, and makes it easy to move around your files via your iPhone. It’s one of those apps that does one thing and does it very well. What more can you really ask for?