[Pibe-division] Zumo Drive

[Peter Donahue]

Good afternoon everyone,

    Some of you on certain lists probably heard me saying, "I'm putting my 
files in the clouds." I'm doing this via a neat service I heard about on a 
Web 2.0 Podcast. The service is called "Zumo Drive." It's a hybrid cloud 
storage application that permits you to store files remotely so they'll be 
available from any computer you use. Unlike other types of remote storage 
solutions Zumo Drive integrates with your PC and is accessed via My 
Computer. Those of you that use external drives know that it appears as an 
additional drive whenever you enter My Computer or Windows Explorer.

    Think of Zumo drive as an auxiliary drive without the physical hardware. 
Instead of your files being stored on a physical drive they're stored on a 
secure remote server which can be accessed from multiple computers and 
mobile phones. This is achieved by downloading and installing the Zumo Drive 
Application which you can obtain from their Web Site. Both the Zumo Drive 
Web Site and the application are accessible and very easy to use; 
particularly because it appears as an additional drive on your computer. I 
believe this is what's commonly called a virtual drive. The only 
accessibility glitch I encountered was when I needed to register my copy 
with their service. Using your screen reader's mouse cursor should allow you 
to complete the registration on your own once the "Registration" Icon is 
activated.

    Once installed and your account is created Zumo Drive works exactly like 
any other drive on your PC. It's possible to store files locally on your 
computer, or save them on your Zumo Drive from within any application; 
although larger files may take longer to save due to their having to be 
transferred to the remote server. It's also possible to save a file obtained 
from another Internet location directly to your Zumo Drive. I did this this 
morning and think it's pretty cool.

    Depending on their type the files saved remotely will be downloaded and 
open in the application or in the case of audio and video content will 
stream to your PC. For example I was able to listen to a podcast on Virtual 
Colonoscopy on Mary's computer though the file does not reside on her 
machine. It was a simple matter of opening up  QuickTime, and typing 
Z:\path\filename. The file opened and the documentary began playing exactly 
as it would if stored on the local machine.

    Upon creating your Zumo Drive Account you receive 1 GB of storage space 
to allow you to try the system out. There are several subscription plans you 
can purchass depending on the amount of remote storage you require. But 
enough from me. For additional information visit:
http://www.zumodrive.com

    Since file storage is always an important concern I wanted to share this 
information with everyone. All the best for a great weekend.

Peter Donahue


 "Given a chance to dream it can be done.
The promise of tomorrow is real.
Children of Spaceship Earth the future belongs to us all."
Flying for Me,
John Denver