CX.com is a new cloud-based syncing and storage back-up solution similar to Dropbox, SugarSync, SpiderOak and dozens of others but with collaborating features. CX offers you free online storage, automatic syncing of folders on your machine, the ability to access these files from anywhere and give people access to your files so they can collaborate on them.
When you sign up for the service you get 10 GB of free space, which can be upgraded to 16 GB by referring friends to CX. Each friend you refer earns you 300 MB of additional space. For $10 a month, customers get 50 GB of space and for $20 they get twice the storage with “personalized care”.
To enable syncing of files between your computer and the cloud, CX has desktop clients available on multiple different platforms. At the time of this writing, supported platforms include Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad, while those for Android and Blackberry is said to be coming soon. The CX desktop client shows you the amount of space you are currently using and lets you manage synced folders. It also shows desktop notifications when files are uploaded.
During installation and setup of CX desktop client, you will be asked to choose a folder for syncing files. Additional folders can be added later from the preference window. You can also change the synced folders or stop syncing them at any time.
To collaborate with others, you have to create groups and then invite your collaborators to the group. Files that are uploaded to a group can be accessed and edited by users who were invited to that group. These users too can upload files to this group, edit them and leave comments which appear like a forum thread updated in real-time. To prevent the size of the group from ballooning, the group creator, i.e. you, can set a maximum size limit to the group which can be increased or decreased as and when required.
To access your files on the cloud you simply login into your CX account from the browser. From your dashboard you can download your files, upload new files, create new folders, make files public so that they can be shared with others and also revoke public access at any time. You can also send invitation to a person’s email address to view and comment on your files.
CX looks like a very well thought-out program. It’s very minimalist just like Dropbox is but much more functional. If you are worried about trusting a new cloud service with your files, here is some background on the company:
The startup was founded on seed funding of $10 million, $5 of which has come from Eric Schmidt’s Tomorrow Ventures and Hanna Capital. Eric Schmidt is the current chairman and former CEO of Google. Also working for CX is Keith Pardy who was the former CMO at RIM, and has previously worked at Coke as well as Nokia.
Comments
Post a Comment