updated
Crossloop, the company that lets two people share their computer screens over the Web, has released new feature that lets them transfer unlimited files freely between their computers.
We first wrote about Crossloop here, and noted this is useful for people who want to train others remotely. Young Web-savvy people wanting to teach elderly relatives how to find an obscure camera or printing device drive, for example, can take control of the computer screen of those relatives and show them exactly where it is.
Allowing file transfers takes this computer sharing to a whole new level.
Today, the Monterey, Calif. company has launched an upgrade with several new features, the most compelling of which is such file sharing — it allows an unlimited transfer of data for free. We tested it, and it worked great — for the most part. We tried transferring six different sets of files, and it worked except for once when they got stuck. When we tried those transferring those files again, to worked. It is in a testing phase, and we’re assuming the bug will be fixed. It also did not work once when we tried to host a session from a hot-spot in Starbucks; we’re assuming this had something to do with T-Mobile’s hot-spot configuration for the Starbucks chain.
It’s simple to use. You download the application (access is limited, but Crossloop has let VentureBeat users download from here; use the username “xlbeta” and password “filetransfer”). As discussed last time, you get a little box on your screen (see above) with a code you share with the person wanting to join you on your computer. Once the other person is connected, they can click on the file folder icon (see arrow), and Crossloop lets them select files on the computer to transfer to their own computer. Alternatively, they can just drag and drop files sitting on your desktop into the box. Crossloop prompts each of the two people to give permission for the transfer to go through.
Also, if you can stop the other person from having access to your files by clicking on the keyboard icon next to the folder icon. You can also flip the session, and take over the other person’s screen by clicking on the green-red arrow icon next to the keyboard icon. During these sessions, either party can move the cursor.
The gear icon provides help and other information about the session.
The product is designed to be usable by anyone.
It is based on peer-to-peer technology, and offers quick transfer speed. Crossloop uses its own servers if, for some reason, a direct peer connection can’t be made.
There’s no clear way this will make money, as far as we can tell. Crossloop’s VP of Business Development, Mrinal Desai tells us his focus is getting the service adopted, and then he hopes to charge for premium features, such as giving people control over the box colors and logo.
We should note that other services, such as GoToMyPC and LogMeIn allow users to share computer screens and share files. However, they charge significantly for the privilege of sharing files. LogMeIn costs $99 per person per month to transfer files. GoToMyPC charges even more (clarification: GoToMyPC charges more for its full support version, but charges less than LogMeIn for its basic file transfer).
It works in 21 languages, and is encrypted with 128-bit technology.
28 Comments
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RK said:
Hi,
why not use VNC which is open source!
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Peter Cranstone said:
Why is this program so cool? Because it simply “works”. Try explaining VNC software to your mother vs. download Crossloop, give me your access code and click on the host button.
VNC is an excellent program - somebody just made is usable for the masses.
Peter
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Rob Dunn said:
Crossloop utilizes the TightVNC source, so in essence, you -are- using VNC when you use CrossLoop. They just took it a few more steps beyond. It is a kickass product for free, and even my mom can handle it no problem!
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RK said:
So you mean to say, This is just a frontend better GUI for VNC! which crossloop wants people to pay monthly for? I do not see a value prop, here I am sure some one from open source community will get this implemented!
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ecomentum said:
Sounds like a good idea - I’ll try it. The whole idea is to be user-friendly. My grandma couldn’t hack her way into a jelly dough nut. People are lazy or unable to use technical stuff - that’s the value prop.
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Tom said:
LogMeIn is a great option…awesome free version…Also I don’t know where you got the $99/month to transfer files. It only costs about $59/year to have the premium version. For most people I work with about 200, they use the free version and then if need be use services such as yousendit.com to transfer files.
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diggage said:
The value here is that Crossloop DOES NOT require configuration of routers and firewalls to allow certain traffic whereas VNC does. What would you rather have you grandma do, configure her firewall or simple click ‘host’ and make a note of the access code.
It’s a great application, I use it all the time.
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Diggage said:
I agree with Tom, I am working at a IT Management company and we have been using LogMeIn for a while now, we have the premium edition, but even the free edition works through port 80 so you don’t have to configure anything, they just need to download and install. Just as easy as this, but with the support of a multi-million dollar company
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Ken Chau said:
I would suggest you all to look at http://www.zoho.com for its Zoho Meeting package instead (the client is a Java or Flash interface!)
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TechSupport said:
Looks interesting… but it requires download and installation - not easy for novice users. Perhaps it’s good tool to support mom or friends, but for professional support I would recommend you Techinline Remote Desktop - the easiest remote support tools I’ve ever seen. It works on any Windows and needs just a browser to run. No downloads or installs.
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David said:
I use Crossloop ALL THE TIME with my clients. It saves me so much time to just hop on there computer and SHOW them what I’m talking about than try to figure out what they are trying to describe. It saves me HOURS every week. What a great product!
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David said:
Hey there,
I’m an NTRconnect (http://www.ntrconnect.com) user, it’s simpler, better, securer and free! They also have a paid version if you want to go “pro”… it’s also worth the money and it’s pretty cheap. At work we use NTRsupport ((http://www.ntrsupport.com, from the same company) which I personally adore.
David.
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rhY said:
Ok, great, but where is the FOSS version? I’m all for an improved VNC gui. Where’s my version for Ubuntu? And I would prefer FOSS, so I know it’s not malicious to my machine.
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Waypo said:
Lets not forget, Windows XP and Vista have a remote control and connection option built in. I’ll be it a bit more complicated. Some day we might need to raise the bar on computer competence.
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Speedmaster said:
I use this often, works very well!
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Zarkov said:
For corporations who would prefer running their own service, there is DimDim http://www.dimdim.com/ . This let’s you run services like GoToMeeting et al. on your own. It sure is an otin if you don’t want service providers looking over your shoulder, virtually. And it’s free!
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Oxide said:
TeamViewer ( http://www.teamviewer.com ) does this exact same thing.
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Ray Burt said:
This has been around since the 80s….when LANs first started. There have been so many iterations — including companies like PcAnywhere, NetRemote, Brightwork, LanAssist, gotomypc, Remote Control..and the list goes on and on and on.
Based on what happened to all fo these companies, it seems like the only way to make money is to get the company sold quickly.
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Al said:
UltraVNC on my end, UltraVNC SingleClick on grandma/mom’s end. They simply double-click the app to start. No configuring of their router. It’s free and you can include your own logo in SingleClick.
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notpeter said:
“LogMeIn costs $99 per person per month to transfer files. GoToMyPC charges even more.”
Do some research. GotoMyPC does not charge extra for sharing files. GotoMyPC is $20/mo for one PC; $15/mo per PC for 2+. And those are their published prices, your account rep can get discounts if you do more than a couple PCs. GotoMyPC is great if you want unattended connect abilities. For the support rep style of connecting (no need to install anything; no per machine fees) the product you are comparing to is GotoAssist. That’s in the $125-$200/mo range per support rep, but having used it for 4+/hrs a day, I’d never switch to anything else. Yeah, and file transfers are just included.
https://www.gotomypc.com/bPricingPopUp.tmplAnd for folks not doing this that much, check out Fog Creek’s CoPilot. $5 for a day pass or per minute rates. https://www.copilot.com/
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Shane Geiger said:
It looks to me as if this is a P2P version of VNC. Someone should have developed a free/open source software p2p version of VNC a long time ago.
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hehehe said:
its good for hacking if its changed:)
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Mark said:
This one at http://showmypc.com is straight forward, it has zero installation, and they have a web based file transfer, you can send individual or all files to different users.
Another version they have is like gotomypc, just free.
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William said:
I’ve been using I’m InTouch, http://www.imintouch.com , for a while. One of the nice things is that you can transfer files from a “normal” cell phone as long as it has internet access to and from your computer. Very handy.
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Michael Amato said:
I’ve been using Techinline Remote Desktop (www.techinline.com) for several months now and find it to be the easiest tool on the market to use. All it requires is for the remote user to open a page, get a number, and you type that number in and you are good to go! And at $30 a month for unlimited use, it’s only a fraction of the price of what VNC, LogMeIn, Go To Assist, and Teamviewer charge. Although it’s not as full-featured as the LogMeIn Rescue product, I find it a much more cost-effective tool since I don’t need 90% of the features LogMeIn offers
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Greg Keane said:
I am looking for a solution where I can charge clients for online technical support. I want something like a online helpdesk where users can register and pay for support . I get emails for tickets or i can log in to the online app to check/respond tickets.
if you have any ideas that will help please email me
digitalgrind@gmail.com
8 Trackbacks
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