BitTorrent has announced the public beta launch of SoShare, a file delivery service that will take on the likes of YouSendIt, DropBox and others by allowing file transfers up to 1TB in size. The company says it is targeting creative professionals -- designers, photographers, musicians, and so on -- who handle large data files but have trouble sending them to others due to limitations with email attachments, syncing and delivery services.
SoShare is based on the BitTorrent protocol, as you’d expect, combined with cloud caching so recipients can access the files even when the sender is offline. As mentioned above, the service allows up to 1TB file transfers, regardless if that’s a single or multiple files. Copies of the files will be kept online on BitTorrent’s servers for up to 30 days, although you can set them to expire them sooner. Users need to install a browser plugin to upload or download files, but it’s not necessary to register in order to access shared files.
You can create both private and public links for your files to share them with others. BitTorrent says the service allows for distributed transfers, meaning the more people that have access to a file, the more the SoShare plug-in can help with the availability of bandwidth. Other common BitTorrent features are present like the ability to pause downloads and pick up where you left off later. SoShare also keeps track of delivery status, so you can be notified once your recipients finish downloading whatever you’re sending.
To get started, sign up at soshareit.com/signup, create an account, and install the SoShare plugin (~1.5MB) for Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer on Windows or OS X.
The service is still in an early testing stage and as such BitTorrent warns that you are bound to encounter a few bugs here and there. SoShare will remain absolutely free during its public beta test, but according to GigaOm the company may look at different options to monetize the service down the line.
