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Giganews Dump Truck Online Storage Review

January 4, 2012 by

We’ve been waiting for WebDAV support to test Giganews new online storage service – Dump Truck.  Giganews partnered with Golden Frog to offer members Dump Truck online storage.  Golden Frog also developed their Mimo Usenet client and VyprVPN service.  They had a strong end of the year releasing a VPN client for VyprVPN along with Dump Truck access for all Giganews members and most recently adding WebDAV support.

Before jumping into our hands-on review of Dump Truck we’d like to first share some of the features we observed along with future updates and the base storage offered with each Giganews account type.

Dump Truck Features

Here are some of the features we noticed while testing the Dump Truck service:

  • Simple web user interface
  • Easy to create folders and navigate
  • Drag and drop files (under 200 MB)
  • HTML uploader for files over 200 MB
  • SSL file transfer plus AES encryption
  • We tested Dump Truck with Air Sharing WebDAV app via iPad
  • For a full list of features visit the Giganews Dump Truck page

Giganews also mentions the following features to come:

  • iOS and Android Apps (WebDAV apps already available)
  • Windows and Mac clients
  • Public and private sharing
  • Personal encryption keys

The sharing features along with personal encryption key will add a new dimension to the service.

Dump Truck Storage Pricing

Here is a list of Giganews base storage and add-on storage prices:

  • Diamond members – 30 GB free
  • All other members – 5 GB free
  • 50 GB extra – $9.99 a month
  • 100 GB extra – $19.99 a month
  • 500 GB extra – $69.99 a month
  • 1 TB extra – $99.99 a month

Hands-On Dump Truck Review

We started by testing the Giganews Dump Truck online storage service via Firefox on a Windows 7 system.  First uploading an Umphrey’s McGee concert (nugs.net purchase) which amounted to 282 MB.  The upload took about 14 minutes to complete.  Here’s a screenshot of the music being uploaded to Dump Truck.

As you can see there is a progress bar at the bottom that shows how far along you are in the current upload.  Along with a usage bar to the left showing how much storage you have used along with how much free storage is still available.  You might also notice up top that we created an Umphreys folder for the songs.

The first test went well.  It took some time to upload but everything worked just fine.  Next we tried to upload a Ubuntu distro of 712 MB.  We tried via drag and drop but received a message that files larger than 200 MB needed to be uploaded through their HTML uploader.  Here’s the HTML upload screen:

After browsing out to the Ubuntu file we set it to upload.  The status showed uploading with the file name at the bottom of the screen but the progress bar never budged.  We gave up after two and a half hours and cancelled the Ubuntu upload.  The files up to 30 MB in size uploaded well but the 712 MB file appeared to hang.

Dump Truck WebDAV Testing

We were especially interested in testing the new WebDAV support for iPhone and iPad.  Since the Air Sharing iOS apps are sold separately (iPhone vs iPad) we decided to test on the iPad for the larger screen.  The Air Sharing app was easy to download ($3.99) and setup was a breeze using Giganews Air Sharing guide.

After downloading the app and adding the Dump Truck storage as a new server we were able to access our Umphrey’s tunes on the iPad.  We tested playing a song which quickly downloaded and started playing on the iPad.  The process of setting up and using the iPad for Dump Truck to play our music was seamless.

Dump Truck Review – Conclusion

We enjoyed testing the Dump Truck service and look forward to the future updates.  Especially the Windows / Mac apps and file sharing options.  The only issue we had was trying to upload the 712 MB Ubuntu file.  Something we’ll test again once the Windows client is released.  All in all though we were impressed by the service.  It’s simply a place to store files for now along with the WebDAV support.  Soon though the service will take on a new life with the public / private file sharing features.  Stay tuned for more Dump Truck coverage.

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to learn more about Usenet.  Follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest news.

Filed Under: Dump Truck, Giganews, Usenet Providers, Xtra Tagged With: ,

Giganews Dump Truck Opens Early Access

October 20, 2011 by

Back in July Giganews announced they were partnering with Golden Frog to bring Diamond members a new online storage feature called Dump Truck.  Since then they have taken registration requests for early access to Dump Truck.  Today the first round of early adopters received emails inviting them to test the new service.  Giganews will be sending out more invitations in the weeks to come so members still have time to register.

According to today’s Giganews announcement the Dump Truck service currently features:

  • Intuitive web interface with drag and drop upload
  • Simple and secure file structure
  • 256-bit SSL encryption for uploads and downloads
  • Files are encrypted on-disk with 256-bit AES encryption
  • Access to your files anywhere in the world

With these additional features coming soon:

  • iPad, iPhone, and Android online storage apps – Storage while on the go
  • Windows and Mac desktop application – Access your files just like any other drive
  • Public and private sharing – Share with the world or simply your friends
  • Password Protection – Control the access to your data
  • WebDAV Support -Access Dump Truck using DAV clients and apps

Giganews offers Diamond subscribers premium features including VyprVPN PPTP / L2TP VPN access and Mimo Usenet browser with Golden Frog search.  Dump Truck will be the latest addition to the Usenet bundle.

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to learn more about Usenet.  Follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest news.

Filed Under: Dump Truck, Giganews Tagged With: ,

Ngroups VPN Hands-On Review

October 17, 2011 by

Last week we wrote about Ngroups releasing a new VPN service and including it free with unlimited Usenet plans.  With VPN access ranging from 50 GB a month for ‘Unlimited Eco’ members to unlimited VPN for ‘Unlimited Extra’ subscribers.  Since then we’ve had a chance to test the service for ourselves and will be sharing our impressions.  Note: NGR visitors can enjoy Unlimited Eco accounts for just $9.99 a month.

Ngroups VPN Review

Ngroups ‘Unlimited Eco’ and ‘Unlimited Extra’ members already enjoy unlimited online storage from Livedrive.  Now they can also take advantage of Ngroups new VPN offering which is provided by ItsVPN.  Ngroups unlimited subscribers can connect to VPN servers in the U. S. or Europe via PPTP protocol.  Those interested in more locations can consider the additional plan options from ItsVPN or compare VPN services.

The first thing we noticed when testing Ngroups VPN is the easy integration of their systems.  There is no need to setup a different account.  Simply use your Ngroups username and password to connect to either VPN server.

Ngroups VPN Server Addresses:

  • United States – vpn.us.Ngroups.NET
  • Europe – vpn.eu.Ngroups.NET

Ngroups VPN Protocols:

Since Ngroups is offering PPTP connections their VPN is a breeze to setup.  They include a link to instructions inside the account control panel.  With tutorials for Windows 7, Vista and XP.  Along with Mac OS X and Linux (Ubuntu).  While PPTP isn’t quite as secure as other protocols like OpenVPN, it is compatible with a wide variety of devices.  Including iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android.  Ngroups includes those setup guides as well.

Ngroups VPN Speed Test:

  • As you can see below we ran a speed test before connecting to Ngroups VPN.  With a download speed of 43.41 Mb/s and upload of 3.17 Mb/s.  After connecting to the U. S. Ngroups VPN server we retested.  The download speed was 9.21 Mb/s and upload was 3.01 Mb/s.  We’ve seen faster and slower.  You can compare the results to other providers in the VPN speed test section of VPNSP.  You can expect some slow down from any VPN as it encrypts the traffic.  The Ngroups VPN performed well enough to stream Netflix.

  • We also tested a connection to their European VPN server.  Understanding that the distance will definitely reduce performance.  The results were 2.44 Mb/s download and 2.85 Mb/s upstream.  As expected the ping times were pretty high as well.  If you’re in Europe and test the service please let us know you’re results.  We would guess the performance is acceptable given our experience with testing the U. S. VPN server.

Ngroups VPN vs. Giganews VPN:

  • Since Giganews released their VyprVPN service, Ngroups is the first major Usenet service to respond with their own offering.  So I guess it’s only fair to compare the two offerings.
  • Ngroups VPN offers PPTP connections with servers in the United States and Europe along with unlimited Usenet and online storage for $9.99 a month (NGR Deal).
  • Giganews VPN offers PPTP and L2TP/IPSec connections with servers in the U. S., U. K., France, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.  Along with unlimited Usenet for $34.99 a month.

Ngroups VPN Review – Conclusion:

We enjoyed testing the Ngroups VPN service.  The performance was fast enough to stream Netflix in the U. S.  We’ve tested several VPN services and Ngroups (ItsVPN) would rank somewhere in the middle.  Which is pretty darn good considering they are offering it free to unlimited Usenet members.  We look forward to keeping an eye on Ngroups Usenet + online storage + VPN services.  Those who would like to join can save 10%.

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to learn more about Usenet.  Follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest offers.

Filed Under: Ngroups, Personal VPN, Usenet Providers Tagged With: ,

Ngroups Adds Free VPN Service

October 12, 2011 by

Earlier today Ngroups announced the addition of free VPN access for their unlimited Usenet members.  Now in addition to unlimited online storage users can also enjoy online privacy.  Personal VPN services like the one being offered by Ngroups help protect users privacy.  In addition to securing public WiFi connections and unblocking content from abroad.  Ngroups offers 50 GB or unlimited VPN based on your Usenet plan.

According to the announcement members can connect to VPN servers in either the US or Europe.  In the near future we will bring you more details on the VPN offering along with a review.  In the meantime NGR visitors can enjoy unlimited Usenet access + online storage and 50 GB of VPN access for just $9.99 a month.

Here’s a summary of Ngroups new VPN offering emailed to us earlier today:

As part of our commitment to excellence, we have updated our service offerings for the Usenet newsgroup services at our Ngroups.NET web site.

We are now offering:

FREE VPN service, included for users having an Unlimited Ngroups.NET Usenet account.

The VPN service offers servers in two locations, US or Europe.

  • “Unlimited Eco” account users are limited to 5Mbps speed and 50GB/month transfer via the VPN servers. (But off course still no limit in Usenet downloads by normal means, direct nntp or nntps not via the VPN.)
  •  “Unlimited Extra” users have no limit in speed or transfer via the VPN servers.

The VPN servers are of course available for use with ANY service, normal web browsing, VOIP, Web TV services, etc.

(The only exception is outgoing E-mail – to prevent spammers from using the service to send bulk emails.)

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to learn more about Usenet.  Follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest news.

Filed Under: Ngroups, Personal VPN, Usenet Providers Tagged With: ,

MarqueeHD Media Center : Usenet In Your Living Room

September 27, 2011 by

A couple weeks ago we learned that the team over at MarqueeHD is testing the Newshosting Usenet client on their media center.  Along with supporting SABnzbd newsreader and a wide variety of online media services.  That sparked our interest enough to check out the video on their homepage and screenshots of SABnzbd running on the MarqueeHD.  We’ll let you know once the Newshosting client has been added.

Obviously our focus is on Usenet but the MarqueeHD offers a wide variety of pre-installed software.  Ranging from SABnzbd to Boxee and Firefox.  We’ll share more apps in a moment.  The media center runs on Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat which was aptly released on 10-10-2010. They are currently testing Ubuntu 11.10.

The MarqueeHD media center hardware specs include an Intel Core i3 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz dual-core processor, NVIDIA GeForce 8400 video card, 4GB of ram (upgradable to 16 GB), 2 TB of hard drive space and a Loop air mouse.  You can find the full hardware specs for the MarqueeHD here.

The MarqueeHD media center includes software like SABnzbd, Newshosting client (coming soon), Boxee, Hulu, Amazon Video on Demand, Amazon MP3, Firefox web browser, Flash player, Rhythmbox music player, Tranmission BitTorrent client, several media players and more.  You can find the full software list here.

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to learn more about Usenet providers, newsgroup client software and cool gadgets like the MarqueeHD media center.  Follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest Usenet news.

Filed Under: Media Centers, Xtra Tagged With: , ,

Qwikster Twitter Account Sporting a Pot Smoking Elmo

September 19, 2011 by

We can’t help but see the humor in the latest Netflix announcement.  As they rebrand their DVD by mail service Qwikster.  It seems each move Netflix makes at the moment is a PR nightmare.  The latest being the split of their DVD to mail service into a new brand named Qwikster.  Fair enough.  They of course have the Qwikster.com domain.  What else might be important for a new mainstream brand like Qwikster.  Facebook and Twitter come to mind.  Only one problem, @Qwikster is sporting a pot smoking Elmo at the moment.

Of course it isn’t Netflix / Qwikster’s fault that the current owner chooses what appears to be a pot smoking Elmo as their profile picture.  It’s actually pretty funny.  Perhaps Qwikster can spin this story, lol.  The real question is how long and at what price Netflix will acquire the Twitter account.  Assuming they can’t persuade Twitter to take action for them.  If all else fails they can always catch the owner after a wake and bake to negotiate.

A quick word of advice to the current @Qwikster owner.  You might want to tone down the talk of selling your account on Twitter.  As it is a clear violation of their terms of service.  Which could quite possibly result in the account being banned and the name being handed over to Netflix / Qwikster free of charge.  Our advice would be to keep quiet and negotiate directly with Netflix.  I’m sure they wouldn’t mind quickly and quietly resolving the issue at a reasonable price.  Oh and you might want to consider removing the pot smoking Elmo before Sesame Street comes calling.  While we think it’s funny they might not share our sense of humor.

On a final note we’re guessing Qwiskter won’t use this as part of their corporate branding strategy:

Filed Under: Xtra Tagged With: ,

UseNetNow and BlockNews VPN Beta Test

September 19, 2011 by

UseNetNow and Blocknews fans will be happy to hear that the team behind both providers is testing a new VPN service.  According to their DSL Reports post, VPN access is deployed in the United States and ready for beta testing.  Those interested in joining the VPN beta should visit DSLR and send Swintec a private message.

UseNetNow / Blocknews are the first Usenet providers outside of Giganews to offer Personal VPN access.  Interesting given the price difference of the service.  With Giganews Diamond accounts costing $34.99 a month and UseNetNow costing $12 a month ($10.39 a month for NGR visitors).  Not to say that the VPN service will be offered for free.  We’ll let you know once pricing details are released.

If history repeats itself we’ll likely see more Usenet providers offering VPN access.  Looking back to last year NewsDemon, NewsgroupDirect and Ngroups added online storage.  A feature Giganews is currently developing.  While Giganews released their Mimo Usenet client last year followed by Newshosting’s newsreader + Usenet search feature last month.  Now it appears the latest value added feature will be VPN.

Might this put some pricing pressure on Giganews?  As they raised the price of Diamond accounts from $29.99 to $34.99 earlier this year.  We would imagine it’s getting more and more difficult for Giganews members to justify paying that much for the service.  Especially given the quality and features offered elsewhere for 1/3 of the price.  With UseNetServer, Newshosting, NewsDemon, Astraweb, Easynews and Ngroups offering unlimited Usenet with extras (newsreader, web access, online storage, etc.) for under $10 a month.

We are personally big fans and supporters of online privacy.  Managing a site dedicated to personal VPN – vpnsp.com – and testing new VPN services every week.  For us VPN isn’t a necessity for Usenet downloads.  Yet it goes a long way for protecting yourself online.  Especially when using public wi-fi connections.  In addition to helping unblock content like Netflix, Hulu and social networking sites while abroad.

UseNetNow / Blocknews is currently testing the VPN service in the United States.  With the possibility of adding additional access from Amsterdam.  Swintec (who manages both services) explains on DSLR:

To be honest, I do not want to push Usenet to be used with the VPN together as it really is overkill. I think of the VPN as more of a value added service, which I think is far more useful than secure storage….not to mention no others have deployed it yet to match Giganews with their Usenet/VPN offering.

We’re likely to see more providers offering VPN access and other value added services in the not too distant future.  As always we look forward to this time of the year.  As the Usenet season starts to heat up we see new innovations.  Much like the Newshosting client last month and now UseNetNow / Blocknews VPN.

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to learn more about Usenet.  Including hands-on reviews of leading newsgroup providers, guides, free trials and special offers.  Follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest Usenet news.

Filed Under: BlockNews, Personal VPN, Usenet Providers, UseNetNow Tagged With: ,

Ngroups.net : NGR Top 10 Usenet Provider

August 1, 2011 by

As most of you know NewsgroupReviews (NGR) is always in transition.  With frequent updates to keep up with changes in the industry and our visitors interests.  The latest site update saw an addition to our “Top 10 Usenet Providers” list – Ngroups.net.  We’ve been a fan of Ngroups for a long time.  Especially since they added free personal online storage to the service last Fall.  We’re excited to have Ngroups in our top 10 providers list and thankful to the Ngroups team for offering NGR visitors a special discount – $9.99 unlimited Usenet + storage.

The $9.99 price is only one of the reasons Ngroups made the latest edition of our “Top 10 Usenet Providers” list.  There are several low priced Usenet services out there but quality and features vary quite a bit.  I think you’ll find that Ngroups offers a wide array of features for the price.

Starting with retention (since that seems to be where people focus first).  Ngroups currently supports 1,060+ days of binary retention and growing daily.  The Usenet features include free SSL, up to 60 connections and news servers in the United States and Europe.  Then you add free unlimited online storage.  Better yet Ngroups partnered with Livedrive to provide the storage, a leader in that industry.  Livedrive alone is worth $7.95 a month.  We enjoy the service quite a bit.  See our Ngroups storage review for more details.

Ngroups offers two unlimited Usenet accounts – Unlimited Eco and Unlimited Extra.  The only difference being number of connections.  With Unlimited Eco having 30 and Unlimited Extra with 60.  To give you some idea we tested the Ngroups service with 15 connections and easily maxed our 25 Mbps Internet connection.  So for most people the Unlimited Eco plan is plenty.  Not to mention the $9.99 price tag for NGR visitors.

Read our Ngroups review to learn more about the service or sign up for the NGR special and enjoy unlimited Usenet access + free Livedrive online storage for $9.99 a month.

Follow us on Twitter – @NewsgroupRevs for all the latest Usenet news and discount offers.

Filed Under: Livedrive, Ngroups, Usenet Providers Tagged With: ,

Giganews Dump Truck Personal Online Storage

July 27, 2011 by

Giganews recently announced that their new online storage service will be named Dump Truck.  In development by Golden Frog.  The same team behind Mimo Usenet client and VyprVPN.  The Dump Truck project is still in the works and will be available to Giganews customers in the months to come.  In the meantime a limited number of spots are available to test the Dump Truck personal storage service.

Giganews members can visit the Dump Truck registration page for more details and to sign up for early access.  Space is limited so you will want to register early.  The site doesn’t specify but we’re guessing that you have to be a Giganews Diamond customer to participate in the early testing.

Here is a list of Dump Truck early features from the registraion page:

  • Intuitive web interface with drag and drop upload
  • Simple and secure file structure
  • 256-bit SSL encryption for uploads and downloads
  • Files are encrypted on-disk with 256-bit AES encryption
  • Access to your files anywhere in the world

Keep tuned to our blog for future updates on the Dump Truck online storage service.  Giganews fans should also consider following them on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news on Dump Truck.

Filed Under: Dump Truck, Giganews, Usenet Providers Tagged With: , ,

Twitter Celebrates Five Years of Tweets

July 16, 2011 by

Yesterday Twitter celebrated their fifth anniversary.  As the service was officially started on June 15th, 2006.  The original site was at a different URL than the Twitter we know today.  At the time it was launched at twttr.com.  Now five years later the site celebrates with the addition of some 600,000 new members a day.  A total that took more than sixteen months to reach in the beginning.  We enjoy using Twitter on a regular basis to tweet about Usenet and technology related topics.  Please consider joining us @NewsgroupRevs.

According to the @Twitter posts on June 15th, the Twttr site saw 224 posts their first day.  A number that is surpassed in a tenth of a second today.  Cheers to the founders and team over at Twitter for providing us all with a highly addictive and very useful social tool.  We look forward to seeing what Biz Stone, Evan Williams and Jason Goldman’s come up with next as they relaunch Obvious.

Filed Under: Xtra Tagged With: ,
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