Thursday, May 21, 2015

Torrent Cloud Services (UploadHero Requiem)

In a previous article entitled, "Torrents: The Smart Way to NOT Get Caught. Or, Why You Shouldn't Use a VPN Anymore.", I explained what would be a great way to not only have unlimited storage but download torrents without having to use your IP address. Unfortunately, the service in question has since disappeared. I apologize to those who did use it beforehand, which I assume was not many if at all, but I do have several alternatives to choose from.



Update
I wanted to post a quick update to the former post that is a jumping point for this article. A couple weeks ago I noticed a maintenance sign popping up instead of UploadHero's normal self-promoting layout. It stated there was "maintenance" being done, and sorry for any inconvenience.

Thinking nothing of it, I checked again a few days later. I continued checking for about two weeks before a 502 error page began to show in place of the "maintenance" page. Using Google, nothing really came up in terms of the website or its services. That was to be expected since most of my results are filtered for English and the US region.

I decided to use Google France and give UploadHero a search. The first site was not so much about UploadHero but about a service that was hosting a forum through them. While explaining its own predicament it did give valuable information on UploadHero's status. 

Evidently, someone from UploadHero's staff mentioned they would be closing down a few weeks back. They then described the messages that I have been getting, and that it is now down for good. There was no mention of why they had to go, but it seems fairly obvious...

No email notification was ever sent regarding why UploadHero closed or why they pretended maintenance was being done.

Apologies
For those that did join UploadHero, I hope it was not for the lifetime membership like myself. I got my money's worth, so I'm not overly upset, but anyone else who purchased a lifetime membership after my article may not have.

Alternatives
I didn't want to leave any readers out of options if they were planning on using a service like UploadHero. The focal point of my previous article was to show you a better way to do torrents. UploadHero offered unlimited storage and had other capabilities, which I had thought would be the best service since you could get a lot more for less...

As such, I wanted to produce a quick list of some of the other torrent cloud services that are available and explain a bit about each.

Explanation
Torrent cloud services allow people to avoid the "hassle" of setting up a torrent client and downloading the files they find themselves. This seems like a great alternative, save the fact that most are not free. Most offer subscription-based payments.

One downside that should be mentioned is that they likely have no anonymity clauses in the sense that if the government wants to know who's downloading what, they are going to give it to them. Some preach anonymity, but don't make mention of any log files being kept or what they do if the government comes knocking. In the big picture against piracy this is probably a good thing, but sometimes it won't be. 

Boxopus
This is a torrent cloud service that seemed to have a big impact on the torrent community probably because you could attach your Dropbox account and have files downloaded to it. Unfortunately, Dropbox decided to disallow this feature and has revoked Boxopus' API.

Boxopus offers 30GB of storage space. You can pay $1.49 for 7 days, $14.49 for 3 months, and $49.99 for a year. They boast unlimited download speed and file amounts in addition to SSL encryption.

They do offer a traffic recharge feature which apparently increases your storage back to 30GB even if you have files downloaded. The file life before automatic deletion is 5 days.

Bitport.io
Is a little different in that it also allows you to stream media without having to download. Sounds a bit risky on their part, but a cool feature nonetheless.

Bitport.io offers a free "trial" (no mention of if there is an actual time limit) that comes with 2GB of cloud storage, no SSL or antivirus scans, only one download at-a-time at 100MB/hr., with their streaming feature for mobile devices and PC's. All the other paid offers have SSL and antivirus scans, unlimited download speeds, as well as the streaming feature. The tiers are $5/mo. for 30GB of storage with up to 5 downloads, $10/mo. for 100GB of storage with up to 10 downloads, and $15/mo. for 250GB of storage with up to 20 downloads.

They too have SSL encryption with the added bonus of anitvirus software that will check your torrents to ensure they are clean. This is likely a good idea for the company as it will probably claim illegal software has trojans since many of the hacks packaged are seen as such (despite not being so).

Hive
Another popular torrent cloud service is Hive. They seem to offer a bit more bang-for-your-buck! It is pitched as a way to share files with friends, not that it sounds believable.

Hive offers a completely free plan with unlimited storage, unlimited SD media streaming on all devices, but with limited download speeds, no ability to download media, and the inclusion of advertisements. The premium plan is $8/mo. for HD streaming, "fast" download speeds, offline media syncing, and no ads. The annual plan is $88/mo. which saves you a month off the regular price and gives you 3 one-year coupons to give to friends or family.

They have apps for both iOS and Android devices, and even have a Chrome browser extension available. There is no mention of any type of encryption used...

Put.io
I like the company's website as they try to modernize itself for a younger audience. They are also fairly direct about how Put.io can be used with their preview slide of some shows being downloaded. That alone gives them some credit in my book for honesty.

Put.io offers a 99¢ 1-day trial that includes their first tier of options available. Unlike most torrent cloud services, they offer four different options with no mention of download speeds. Option A is 100GB of storage with 10 slots of simultaneous downloads at $9.99/mo. ($99/yr.). Option B is 500GB of storage with 20 slots of downloads at $19.99/mo. ($199/yr.). Option C is 1TB of storage with 50 slots of downloads at $29.990/mo. ($299/yr.). And option D is 2TB of storage with 100 slots of downloads at $49.99/mo. ($499/yr.).

What's interesting is they mention their seed ratios, which goes from 2.0 for option A to 20.0 for all other options. The file life is also mentioned, which is 2 days for options A to 10 days for all other options. One other aspect I liked is that unlike any of the other sites, they immediately ask if you want automated renewal on or off.

Filestream.me
This site is used by many because of its free capabilities. It is limited in download speed, and promotes itself as though it is focused on uploading your own files as opposed to being used solely for torrents.

Filestream.me offers their free service with only 1 download at-a-time of up to 1GB in size, with advertisements. The bronze service is up to 5 downloads of up to 10GB in size for $5/mo. The silver service is up to 7 downloads of up to 25GB in size for $7/mo. The gold service is up to 10 downloads of up to 100GB in size for $10/mo. Each paid service has discounts for 3 months (10%), 6 months (15%), and 12 months (20%).

They have a lot of interesting features like the ability to download from certain cloud file hosting services (ranging from none for free accounts to several for the gold service). They offer SSL encryption and acknowledge hiding your IP address. 

Other Alternatives?
There are still a lot out there worth looking through to see what they offer. Here is a list from AlternativeTo and here is one from Quora.

Thoughts?
There are some really good deals here, and some worth looking into and trying. There's no best as far as I can see since it depends on what you need which can vary from person-to-person.

Will this protect you if you're infringing on copyrighted material? Doubtful. It seems like a lot of these are setup in first-world countries, where they can likely grab logs and IP addresses to target you specifically. You may have a better chance with a foreign company, it should be a bit harder for the long arms of the law to catch you, but not impossible.

I wanted to include FilesLoop.com in the list as they have a lot of popular cloud files services to download from as a great additional feature, but after trying their 1-download trial, my experience made me think twice. I found a file from RapidGator.net and had FilesLoop.com download it for me. It took a minute but a download then popped up for me through my download manager. It lasted all of 1% before losing connection and being unable to restart, wasting my trial.

DL Safely!
These are some of the most common torrent cloud services at the moment. I'm sure more will come soon and that should weed out the best from the wannabees. I think it's a very innovative idea and has great advantages, as long as you're using it properly.

Saturday, May 16, 2015

6 FREE VOIP Apps Reviewed

VOIP has matured a lot since it first came about. It offers cheap international calls, as well as dirt cheap domestic calls. Skype has become synonymous for VOIP calling, but there are now an abundance of mobile apps that offer the same service that are also free. My list that I will go over will contain apps that require both the initiator and receiver to have the specified app (with the exception of Skype that can make calls to ordinary numbers if you pay). I wanted to share my experience with some and how they compare.



Testing Parameters
All my testing was done on WiFi with a maximum download speed of 4Mb/s and an upload speed of 1MB/s, which is both throttled and capped. My calls were made from varying locations including the US, the Dominican Republic, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. All tests were done on my LG G3 phone using Android 5.0 (Lollipop).

Viber
Viber has been around a long time and was one of the first of the apps I will be discussing to have VOIP integrated as part of its service.

Viber requires a phone number to setup, but once done, you can use any number with that smartphone and still retain Viber. A message ID can also be messaged to the number you wish to validate if you are not currently using that number on the phone being used or are having problems with the automatic detecting of your number on that phone.

Viber has a slick interface filled with purple and gray. It also offers messaging with stickers for the modernized touch in communication. Viber takes about 70 megabytes of space.

The call quality is the best I have experienced. As long as the connection on both ends are stable, calls are void of static. People on the other end are loud enough where you can make out background noises at times, but not enough to detract from the caller's voice.

Hangouts
Google Hangouts is still fairly new, but Google has promised to continue updating and upgrading it. It received the ability to VOIP in 2014.

Setup for Hangouts is really simple if you already have a Google account. You login with your Google account credentials and you're done. If you don't have a Gmail or Google account, you will need to set one up beforehand. Hangouts takes about 44 megabytes of space.

Hangouts is mostly green and gray. It is very simplistic (which may change once new revisions are made), and is also an app messenger that includes plenty of emojis, and as of recently, stickers.

Hangouts rivals my experience with Viber. While I still put Viber slightly higher than Hangouts, I should mention that I have got better reception with Hangouts than with normal calls. Static can still be abundant if on the move, but the call never seems to drop if you wait for the static to die off. People on the other end are very clear and loud, I notice no background noises if not put on speakerphone.

I also wanted to mention that I did not review the Google Voice app because now it just integrates with Hangouts.

WhatsApp
WhatsApp is another (popular) messaging service that has since integrated VOIP into its services. Another interesting point is that it was bought by Facebook, which I only bring up because I will also review Facebook Messenger's VOIP capabilities.

Setting up WhatsApp is identical to Viber. Just plug in your number and wait for your phone to tell you it has been verified. WhatsApp takes about 38 megabytes of space.

The color scheme of WhatsApp is probably the best I have come across (the UI was recently updated, but the colors remain the same). It contains dark green, and the actual messaging portion shows a light beige background which is very easy on the eyes. As with all the other apps, it too has emojis, but no stickers at present.

WhatsApp is my favorite messaging app, but is the worst experience I have had with VOIP apps to date. I tried it a few times and it was near impossible to talk with all the static, dropped portions of the call, and seconds of lag. I had really hoped it would be a winner as I did have some contacts on WhatsApp that might find this useful from time-to-time. I did receive a call through WhatsApp while in the same country as the caller. The call quality was on par with Facebook, however, the call kept dropping and reconnecting. It is definitely the one to pass up if looking for free VOIP options.

Facebook Messenger
VOIP on Facebook Messenger only came out a couple weeks ago. As such, things may change in the future, hopefully, only for the better.

If you don't have a Facebook account you're either old or weird. Even I have one, although I almost never use it anymore. Anyways, you need a Facebook login to access the app's features, which requires an email for signup. Facebook Messenger (different from the Facebook app) takes about 78 megabytes of space.

Facebook Messenger sticks with their classic colors of blue and white. It has emojis, stickers, and even voice message capabilities. Yet, all these items make it seem a bit cluttered at times.

Facebook Messenger has excellent call quality. There was no noises in the background, and while not as audible as say Viber or Hangouts, still perfectly loud enough for a call. The only thing I noticed was an approximate one-second lag that was quite bearable. The odd thing to me about this experience is how far off it is compared to my WhatsApp experience considering both are owned by Facebook...

BBM
Blackberry Messenger (BBM) has had VOIP integrated since before it was released for iOS and Android devices. I don't believe a lot of people even realize it has this function, but it has remained part of its services nonetheless.

BBM requires a BBM account to use its app. You only need a valid email address. After that, people can use your designated BBM pin to add you, or a special QR code. BBM takes about 51 megabytes of space.

BBM uses blue and gray, as well as a bit of black. It doesn't seem to have stickers, but all the usual items are available.

BBM places around third or fourth on my ranking of VOIP services. When it was first featured it was horrible, but then again it was only for Blackberrys, and I never tried it on Blackberry OS 10. In any case, on two Android devices, it works wonderfully. There is a tiny bit of lag that is unnoticeable unless you are literally in the same room with the caller.

Skype
Skype is what made VOIP a household name. I know numerous people who still don't realize that Skype is VOIP and not the other way around. They have cemented their status as a VOIP service, but more for video calls than just calls.

As with some of the others listed, Skype requires an email to signup. However, an email or user ID can be used to login to your Skype account. Skype takes about 93 megabytes of space.

Skype uses the traditional blue and white. It doesn't have a feature-rich messenger, but that was never the point of it. It does have a slightly different UI than the rest, but it is refreshing.

Skype isn't the best on calls, but its certainly not the worst. I would say I would normally get decent reception, but a lot of followed static that can only be described as edging on the voice of the recipient as opposed to being in the background. Recently I found that the beginning of the call will be bearable, but after so long it would become almost impossible to pick up the words of the recipient. If you have WhatsApp, this would be an upgrade, but I wouldn't use it for VOIP otherwise.

BONUS: Talkatone & Spare Phone
I have mentioned these two apps in the past, and the reasons I am not considering as part of my official list is: A) They are (were) meant to be used in conjunction with Google Voice and a valid Google number, B) which means you would just dial phone numbers not just people who have the same app.

Talkatone
Talkatone was my first app I used with my Google number. I initially used it on an iPhone, and then later an Android. The free version comes with advertisements. I never purchased the paid version as the free version was satisfactory.

Talkatone takes about 21 megabytes of space.

In all honesty, while I made a lot of calls with this app, it was pretty horrible. I would get dropped calls, echoes, or people just couldn't hear me. It's a wonder I ever stuck with it, but it is still available today.

Spare Phone
Spare phone is my app of choice on my Android. It is not available for iOS devices. It is a paid app, but it is of great quality.

Spare Phone takes about 1 megabyte of space!

Calls on Spare Phone are quite clear. The only complaint I ever get is that it sometimes creates echoes and it can give lag. The app itself may shuts down calls after an hour, or just bugs out by disallowing calls. Part of this may be because I use an older version. Unfortunately, it seems that newer versions have changed to act more like the apps listed in that you don't call phone numbers but other people who also have the app...

How They Chalk Up
The app for you may depend on what is popular in your area, or what most of your contacts use. If going for the best call quality, I would say Viber fits the bill. If going for the best quality with the least amount of space, then Hangouts might work best. More than likely, if you wanted something everyone already has instant access to, Facebook Messenger might be the way to go. In terms US calls for a purely VOIP app, then Spare Phone is a no-brainer!

There are other apps out there, but I just wanted to touch on a few of the most popular where chances are you already have at least one that I've mentioned.