Reid Kistler
10-15-2010, 08:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.adrive.com/' target='_blank'>http://www.adrive.com/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"ADrive's <a href="http://www.adrive.com/static/storageplans_basic" target="_blank">Basic plan</a> offers individual users 50GB of online storage and backup for all file types including access to our basic service features, all for FREE. With our Basic plan you will have the essentials to store, backup, share, and edit your documents online. The Basic plan is intended for individual or personal use. Business users can view our <a href="http://www.adrive.com/static/storageplans_signature" target="_blank">Signature</a> and <a href="http://www.adrive.com/static/storageplans_premium" target="_blank">Premium</a> plans for more security, storage, and access."</em><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1287165078.usr19541.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>At first blush, ADrive's Basic plan sounds like a winner: free online storage for up to 50GB of data certainly sounds attractive. However, the phrase "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" may be applicable here, as a closer look reveals some potential flaws in ADrive's Basic plan, and while some users might willingly accept these in a free plan, others - myself included - will probably choose to look elsewhere. The Basic plan lacks both file encryption and an automatic backup utility, uses 3rd Party Advertisements to offset costs, and is prone to at least occasional down time, all of which makes it more suitable for use as a storage location for casual files, as opposed to a backup solution for even a personal computer (which likely contains numerous sensitive data files). Either of ADrive's billable plans overcome these objections - as the "ADrive Team" notes: <a href="http://www.adrive.com/community" target="_blank">"As the saying goes, you get what you pay for!"</a> - but I still left their site with a couple of overall concerns: no where on the site was I able to find an address, telephone number, or a list of corporate officers for ADrive, and their <a href="http://www.adrive.com/terms" target="_blank">TOS</a> contains a disclaimer that seemed confounding: <em>"Adrive shall have no responsibility for and does not guarantee the integrity, completeness or availability of Storage Data residing on Adrive's equipment."</em> Is this a generic disclaimer used by all online storage services? Are you tempted by the ADrive Basic plan? Or do you have an alternative that you think is better suited to your needs?</p><p> </p>