In this article on sync / cloud storage options, I offered up several solutions. One of those cloud storage options was Box.net, which unfortunately doesn't yet support synchronization with a pc or mac. According to Box.net's Sean Lindo, that is about to change.

During a conversation that covered everything from the challenges of "cloud computing" to their competitors to tablet pcs, Lindo told me they are indeed working on a sync application. They will be releasing a PC client first, with a Mac client to follow later on. He didn't offer up any timing, but all indications point to "soon". Lindo told me they are spending a lot of time on the end-to-end experience, aiming to improve upon what their competitors are offering.

In addition, Box.net is also working on iPhone and Android applications that will allow uses to view the files stored in their Box.net folder. Their aim is to offer you access to your files from whatever device you happen to be using at the time.

There are a number of solutions out there for storing files on the net and syncing between multiple computers / platforms - here are just a few:

• DropBox
• SugarSync
• FolderShare
• Windows Live Mesh
• BeInSync
• XDrive

Other services, like Box.net and Windows Live SkyDrive, give you a place to store your data but don't provide a syncing mechanism.

I've used a number of these services, with each having strengths and weaknesses. My favorite solutions are those that offer clients for both a mac and a pc ( DropBox, SugarSync, FolderShare, etc), as well as offering a web interface to those files. I also enjoy services that allow me to choose / create folders that I want to share with others ( Windows Live Mesh, DropBox, XDrive, BeInSync, etc).

I'm currently using SugarSync, but have been experiencing some problems with them as of late with recent changes made to their UI. Windows Live Mesh has tremendous potential and is what we use as a site to share files amongst the team. Until Windows Live Mesh expands their storage options and offers a mac client, I won't be using them for my day to day needs, though. DropBox is an interesting solution, but I don't like how they handle the syncing aspect. With DropBox, I have to drop all of my folders into a DropBox specific folder. I prefer to keep my Documents folder intact at the root level and taking advantage of where the OS looks for documents, videos, pictures, etc, thus I prefer how Windows Live Mesh and SugarSync handle the sync aspect. Several services, like DropBox, also provide nice revisioning features, so you can easily restore to a previous version in the case you accidentally saved over the wrong file. I used BeInSync earlier this year, but found their interface to be very confusing and the sync program to be slow. I used to use FolderShare quite heavily, but ditched them in favor of online storage / syncing services like SugarSync, Windows Live Mesh, and DropBox. I have not given XDrive a "test drive" yet.

What do you use and why?

I wrote yesterday about giving Box.net a try, uploading all of my OneNote files to their online storage system. The process of getting them uploaded was a breeze - simply drag and drop the folder, and within 20 minutes the files were uploaded and accessible from a multitude of devices.

Here's the struggle I'm having with my OneNote files in Box.net, though. I can't search them. Let me first explain how I work with OneNote so you can understand why this is a huge issue.

I've got 6 different notebooks containing hundreds of section groups, thousands of sections, and even more individual pages. When I want to look for something in OneNote, I don't hunt and peck my way through the notebooks and sections, I just search for what I'm looking for. It's fast, exhaustive, never wrong, and also searches my handwritten notes. Within seconds, I can quickly get to the note I need without thinking about where it is stored.

The process of finding my notes becomes a lot more difficult having my OneNote files stored in Box.net, though. First of all, Box.net only searches the text associated with the file name, not the data stored in the file. So, searching text in OneNote files using Box.net is out of the question. I also tried searching for some text located in a Word document, and I had the same struggle.

Here is box.net's Help information on searching:

The 'Search' option is located under the filepath. Click on it, and a search box will appear. Type all or part of a filename in the search box to display all files with that string of letters in their title. Once you type at least 3 characters, a list of all applicable files will appear instantly.

So, how do I find what I'm looking using Box.net? First, I need to think about what notebook my notes might be in. Then, locate the file, and drag the OneNote file to my desktop from Box.net. After that, I double click the file to open it in OneNote, then either do a text search or begin hunting / pecking for the page I'm looking for. Assuming I've found the note I'm looking for, then I make any necessary changes to the note, exit the program, and drag it back in to Box.net. Now, if I couldn't find it, I'd have to navigate Box.net to find the correct notebook, and repeat the above process. It is worth noting that searching the notebook I just dragged / dropped from Box.net might not work, either, because OneNote's search index might not have finished indexing that notebook.

So, there you have it - the first challenge in moving files to Box.net.  Is it a show-stopper? Well, I can't work with my OneNote files like that, so I'd have to store them locally. Once I begin having a mix of files stored in the cloud and some stored on my computer, things begin to get messy. Doing exhaustive file searches is definitely an area Box.net should improve on. However, I'm not ready to call it quits, yet. Stay tuned for more as I begin diving in deeper.

I've been complaining lately about the import process for Zoho. Well, Box.net just might have that solved, along with providing a place to store ALL of my data. For mobile users needing access to their data from multiple devices, including phones, Box.net looks quite intriguing.

After I mentioned Box.net the other day, they reached out to me after reading my article, explaining how Box.net and Zoho integrate together.

We launched our OpenBox platform back in December and Zoho was one of our launch participants.  With a single click on Box.net, users can edit and preview their documents using Zoho.  What happens is when you click on your file and say edit document, it will launch a new browser window and your document shows up in Zoho.  When changes are made and you save your document it automatically saves the file back to your Box.net account. 

Box.net offers three levels of pricing

• Lite - comes with 1 gb of storage, file sizes being limited to 10mb. Free
• Individual - 5gb of storage, 1gb file size limitations. $7.95 per month
• Business - 15 gb of storage, 1 gb of storage. $19.95 per month

Box.net has set me up with an evaluation account which I'll be using over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for more as I put it to the test. I'll be interviewing their CEO, Aaron Levi, next week, so if you have anything you'd like to know, leave a comment and I'll try to get your question answered.

UPDATE: I just dragged and dropped a 250 mb folder of OneNote documents to my box.net account - very, very simple and easy. Upload speed is about 200 kb. I'm really interested to see how the process of editing those OneNote files will be. I'll upload my Customer project files later tonight. Looks like I might need to start a Box.net series!

Big thanks to GBM reader Nitin Badjatia for opening my eyes to Box.net!