ZumoDrive Blog

ZumoDrive Blog

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Mar 16 / 12:27pm

ZumoNews!

by Jeffrey Chen

Today is a big day for ZumoDrive!  We have officially released our apps for the Google Android and Palm webOS platforms!  Here are just some of the features available for these devices:

  • Stream your videos from ZumoDrive directly to the device in MP4, H.264 format.
  • Stream all your songs on ZumoDrive to the device.
  • Organize your music by artist, albums, and even playlists created on other devices.
  • Stream your music in the background.
  • Listen to your music over both 3G or EDGE networks.
  • Access your photo albums saved in ZumoDrive.
  • Access and view your Microsoft Office documents and PDF files.
  • Share your files easily from ZumoDrive with anyone (Android).

 

 This brings our users a total of 8 different options they can access their data from:

  • Windows PC
  • Mac OS
  • Linux
  • iPhone/iPod Touch
  • Google Android
  • Palm webOS (Palm Pre & Palm Pixi)
  • ZumoDrive Website
  • Yahoo! Mail

On top of all this, our homepage as received a facelift.  It is now simpler and cleaner.  Let us know what you think!  Last but not least, be on the lookout for a major release on the three desktop platforms in the near future!

 

                 
Click here to download:
ZumoNews.zip (735 KB)

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Mar 9 / 7:11pm

"Sometimes you have to roll a hard six."

by Jeffrey Chen

We've received several inquiries about how ZumoDrive stores its users' data and what the security is like.  Just in case someone is storing the secret location of Earth for when the Cylons attack, we're here to tell you how safe and secure ZumoDrive is.  Cloud storage is a great way to store your data.  Since the Galactica does not allow any of their computers to be networked between each other, pulling down your data from the internet (i.e. the cloud) is perfect.  When aboard the Battlestar Galactica and connecting to ZumoDrive, here is the path your files will take:

1.  The file being uploaded is transferred to the ZumoDrive server which is hosted by Amazon's EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud).  It is done via 256-bit SSL encryption.  SSL is the same type of encryption used when you log into your bank's secure website.  The EC2 is the workhorse.  It's the liaison between the client on your computer and the ZumoDrive datacenter (which is hosted by Amazon S3; more on this below).  It also services the ZumoDrive website.

2.  The EC2 then does 2 things to your file:

    A.  It creates metadata (filename, username, file size, file type, share permissions, etc.) and sends it to our database.  This allows you to quickly look through your files without having to load the contents of the files.

    B.  It encrypts your actual file via 256-bit AES encryption and stores it on S3 (Simple Storage Service).  AES is military grade encryption.

3.  S3 is just a giant warehouse of data.  Once your file hits the S3 server it is replicated multiple times and stored in multiple datacenters.  Each datacenter is in a different geographical location.  Your file will sit there (still AES encrypted of course) until you decide to retrieve it.

So as you can see, the Cylons have many hurdles to overcome in order to take over ZumoDrive and your data.  They would have to crack different types of encryptions, and when that fails and they want to just destroy the data, it would require a large blanket of nuclear explosions over a large area.  This is of course not including having to duke it out with the mighty BSG and its crew.  So say we all!!

 

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Mar 8 / 5:39pm

Interesting Use Case Contest!

by Jeffrey Chen

Tell us how you are using ZumoDrive and win free storage!!  Here's how it's going to work:

We are looking for the top three most interesting use cases for ZumoDrive.  Please submit your case with a reasonable description as to how you are currently using ZumoDrive to: contest@zumodrive.com.  You may submit as many cases as you like.  Here's an example:

I use ZumoDrive to sync up my bookmarks on mutiple computers.  I set my browsers on all my computers to save all my bookmarks to a folder on ZumoDrive.  That way when I make a change, it is reflected on all my computers.

This contest will run starting today, Monday, March 8th, through Monday, March 15th.  The staff here will then vote on them.  The top three users will have 25gb added to their account for life!!  Let the sharing begin!  Good luck!

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Mar 2 / 7:41pm

ZumoDrive Version 0.986 For Mac!

by Jeffrey Chen

Hello everyone!  We just released ZumoDrive version 0.986 for Mac only.  Here are the improvements we've made:

1. The Mac client and ZumoDrive server now support file names containing characters:  \ : * ? " < > |

These characters are invalid as file names on the Windows platform, but they are valid on Mac and Linux.  So you will now be able to add files with these characters in them.  However, if you wish to access those files on a Windows machine, the only way to do so will be via the website.  This will be the case until Microsoft decides to support these characters.


2. We've made some optimizations to the folder linking process.  It has to do with how we handle the uploading of your files.  A whole bunch of technical mumbo-jumbo aside, it basically means that some of your linked folders are now going to be uploaded faster.

This is a relatively minor release.  Both PC and Mac users should stay tuned for our next major release of version 0.987.  That is due out in a few weeks!  In the great words of Porky Pig: "Th-Th-Th-Th-Th-... That's all, folks!"

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Feb 17 / 3:11pm

Lunch - Tanuki Vs. Tanooki

by Jeffrey Chen

Here at ZumoDrive, we all usually order lunch together.  Someone picks a place, we all order, and said someone goes and picks it up.  Today was no exception.  Or so we thought.  John decided he wanted Japanese food, so after digging through our box of menus he decided on Hotaru (a Japanese place in San Mateo).  I posted the link to the online menu on our chat system, and that's where the fun began.

Greg:
"tanuki udon?  isn't tanuki a raccoon or something?"

Jeff:
"YEAH!!!!  Super Mario Bros. 3!!!!  Greg....  You are my hero."

Greg:
"yeah, the tanuki suit.  except was it spelled tanooki or something?"

John:
"i wonder what raccoon tastes like"

A quick Wikipedia search revealed that Tanuki means Raccoon Dog.  Physically it looks like a cross between a Pomeranian and a raccoon.  Sadly, Greg went with Chicken Udon + Egg instead of the Raccoon Dog Udon.

However this lunch incident does bring up some unanswered questions.  Why did Nintendo change the spelling to "Tanooki"?  Was it to shield innocent, internet surfing children from the harsh truth that some cultures enjoy a canine based cuisine?  Why has the Tanooki Suit never made it into any other Mario game?  Why does the guy in this picture look like Vijay?  If you ask me, the Tanooki Suit is one of the best suits Mario has ever been made to wear.  Second only to Kuribo's Shoe.

   
Click here to download:
Lunch_-_Tanuki_Vs._Tanooki.zip (397 KB)

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Feb 11 / 6:34pm

ZumoDrive 0.985!

by Jeffrey Chen

Hello everyone!  We just released ZumoDrive 0.985 for Windows only at this point.  You should be seeing the little balloon pop up telling you to update.  This is an update to 0.984 that fixes a few issues that many of our users have been experiencing.  The major one being the command prompt window popping open when ZumoDrive is running.

Not to fret though Mac users.  Your update is on its way as well.  It should be out at the beginning of next week.  Also some bug fixes there.  Your update will be completely transparent, since Macs are cool like that.  :)  Linux users!  Don't worry.  We haven't forgotten about you.  Our last Linux release seems to be pretty stable and we are continuing to work on the next release.  Please let us know if you run into any problems.

Last but certainly not least, our Android app!  We have gotten A LOT of interest regarding the release of this app.  After a chat with our lead on that project, I'm happy to say that we are getting close!  Most of the core functionality is done and we will begin the testing phase soon.  Definitely stay tuned for that.  As always, we welcome all your suggestions and feedback, so don't be shy to post up on our feedback site (http://feedback.zumodrive.com).  Thank you for supporting our endeavors!!  Until next time!

Jeffrey Chen

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Jan 19 / 4:08pm

Forum Reform

by Jeffrey Chen
As many users have noticed, our forums section is gone.  We are switching over to Uservoice for our forums.  It will allow us to manage your input in much more organized way.  You will also be able to vote on your favorite, or most wanted features.  To get to Uservoice, log onto ZumoDrive and you will see a tab labeled "Feedback" on the right.  It will take you to Uservoice.  We look forward to hearing from you guys!!
 

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Jan 19 / 4:01pm

ZumoDrive Version 0.984!!

by Jeffrey Chen

Happy new years from the ZumoDrive team!!  Ok.  We know that the season's greetings is almost a month late, however, we have been working hard at getting a new version of ZumoDrive out.  Check out the details!

What's new:
 * Numerous improvements to file uploads/downloads.
 * Bug fixes to improve linked folders that contains music files
 * Transfer progress bar is more accurate now, in status
 * Ability to choose language to display ZumoDrive in. This is because our localizations aren't perfect yet, but we are working on improving it.
 * Playlists are enabled automatically.
 * Push sync - If you change something on the server, your client will update right away.
 
 
 
That's all for now.  We're also currently working hard on the Android app.  We hope to have that released soon.

   
Click here to download:
ZumoDrive_Version_0.984.zip (87 KB)

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Dec 14 / 12:49pm

ZumoDrive iPhone App v1.5 - push updates, faster sync, better experience

Posted by email 
We're pleased to announce a big update to the ZumoDrive iPhone app that hit the iTunes Store last week.  If you've been using ZumoDrive on your iPhone, you may have already received the update.  If you're not using it yet, what are you waiting for?  It's FREE!

Here are some of the new features and improvements:
  • album art in music player
  • ability to seek within songs
  • much faster initial sync
  • instant push updates
  • better video support
  • more document support: iWork '09, all plain text files
  • improved song listing UI
  • ability to share via email without leaving app
  • bugfixes with document viewing
Stop picking and choosing the media you want to sync and bring all your music, documents, photos, and videos with you!  Watch this video and let Zumo show you how:

(Thanks to our friends at Flaneur Media for helping us put together this video!)

Oh, and don't forget, you can get an extra gig FREE at the Zumo Dojo.

We're hard at work on future improvements.  We'd love to hear any feedback and suggestions you have in our user forums.

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Dec 3 / 2:01am

Folder linking launched, WSJ review

by ZumoDrive

We have just released a new version of ZumoDrive that introduces a new feature: Folder Linking.

In one sentence, I would describe folder linking as the best of both worlds - a cloud drive that syncs with your existing files. This means that you can link folders to ZumoDrive without moving them from their original locations. Simply point ZumoDrive to your media library, and it'll take care of the rest of keeping that in sync with ZumoDrive(and the cloud).

Now, on your other devices, what you get is more than just a sync service. All of your content (whether linked or not), will be available in ZumoDrive almost immediately. You don't have to wait for the content to download to the devices physically in order to start accessing them. This means that you can easily make your iTunes library available across other computers, and carry tens of gigabytes of content with you without having to wait for the sync time. If you get a new computer, just install ZumoDrive on it, and all of your content becomes available within a minute.

To start using folder linking, download the latest version of the client here. Folder linking is currently released for Windows and Mac, with the Linux release to follow shortly.

Walt Mossberg has just reviewed ZumoDrive in the Wall Street Journal today, calling it "a silver lining In cloud storage". Click here for the full review.

Also launched with this version is ZumoDrive Dojo. The Dojo is place for you to learn the many aspects of ZumoDrive in your quest to get a black belt in Zumo. Many of you have already completed tasks that would go towards your black belt.  You'll get bonus storage for each belt that you acquire in the Dojo, for a total of 1 additional GB. 

The team has worked really hard on this and I hope you will like it. As always, please reach out to us with any feedback or comments. We'd love to hear from you.

- ZumoDrive Team

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