Box.net is an app that allows you to access your account with the website of the same name on your iPhone. If you do not have a Box account, you can sign up on the app. Essentially, Box is a place where you can keep up to a gig of anything on their site, and access it from anywhere, on any computer. Well, this is what you can do for free at least. There are monthly plans with more data room, bigger uploads, and whatnot, but for the purpose of this review we stuck to the basics.
At first I didn?t see the appeal in being able to access your data on your iPhone. The only thing you can add to your Box from your device are pictures in your library, and there are apps that accomplish this task better and faster. Some even skip the middle man, uploading straight to your respective social media sites. Plus it?s easier just to plug my iPhone into my laptop, especially if I want to transfer multiple pictures. Granted, I found some usefulness in being able to share your documents and files with your contacts straight from your phone, but I for document sharing, I already use Google Docs, and I prefer that. So then why now do I find Box.net on my prestigious front page of apps??
Well, considering you can add any of your iTunes music or podcasts to your Box, and enjoy them streaming from the application, you essentially unlock a gigabyte of memory. For free. However, moving from file to file is not seamless, so it wouldn?t really make sense to put a gig of music on there, because you have to manually pick every single song. My audio podcasts, however, are larger files that I listen to one at a time. Initially I tried to do this with video, but the upload limit on a single file for a free account is 50mb. Sure, it?s a hassle, and you have to sign up, and then upload the files to your Box, and then maintain your Box separate from iTunes, but it comes down to how desperate you are for more space on your device.
Ultimately, Box.net is a glimmer of hope in a sea of useless utilities. It?s not perfect, it?s not pretty, and to unlock its full potential you?ll have to pay a monthly fee, but for ten minutes of time you can make space for 250 songs on your iPod. Sounds like a steal to me.