Nokia's adds cloud-based file-sharing service to Ovi

By Tim Conneally | Published July 7, 2008, 3:59 PM

Nokia's Ovi portal has added a fifth service called Files, offering subscription-based cloud storage for exchanging files between PCs and mobile devices.

Ovi launched with three services: Nokia's reborn N-Gage mobile gaming platform, Nokia maps, and a music store that is currently available in 10 countries (UK, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore, Australia, France, Sweden, Spain). The service then grew with the addition of Share, the document-sharing service (still in beta) originally developed by startup Twango.

Now Nokia has added the beta of Files on Ovi, a service developed by startup Avevnu, which the Finnish phone company acquired at the beginning of 2008. The "digital locker" service allows a user's always-on Windows Vista or XP machine to be remotely accessed via a mobile browser. Content can be marked "anytime" and be hosted on the Files on Ovi servers, allowing access even when the home PC is off.

Each subscription has a 10 GB limit on hosted content which is available freely as a part of the beta. During registration, Nokia says this will eventually incur a fee and that in "the near future" it will ask for credit card information.

Once the user has installed the Files on Ovi manager (still called Avevnu Manager) and connected to the service's site, his mobile device can access content by simply going to Nokia's site. Though this is the first service from Ovi that utilizes the single Nokia/Ovi account ID, access to Files is not limited to Nokia devices, as it is browser-based. However, the connector software required to run the always-on computer is only for Windows XP and Vista.

In BetaNews tests this afternoon, we attempted to access a PC connected with the Ovi/Avevnu client with a Wi-Fi connected T-Mobile Dash, but experienced numerous timeouts. With nearly three-minute long connection times, we're still attempting to successfully browse and transfer files.

View comments by with a score of at least

EC's Kroes to US senators: Mind your own business on Oracle + Sun

If the AP is accurate, the EU's antitrust chief just told the United States Senate that any merger that takes place in the world is more her affair than theirs.

What does AT&T's 'Mark the Spot' app say about service quality?

That's a question for Betanews readers to answer in comments to this post.

Windows fix for TLS security bug still forthcoming, won't be Tuesday

Anyone looking for a fix for last month's discovery of a potentially serious security hole in TLS and SSL may have to wait until everyone is ready to act together.

Google rolls out real-time search, Near Me Now, extended personalization

Over time, searches from PCs and mobile phones will grow even "more personalized." But what about user privacy and search results that give you "the truth"?

Betanews Podcast: Rupert Murdoch and the buying stuff online problem

We'll have a more difficult time paying for online news if the underlying protocol for online payment has a big gaping hole in it.

Not the first, not the last, technology predictions for 2010

Carmi Levy | Wide Angle Zoom: The real truth is probably that what went around in 2009, will come around to haunt us next year.

Google Goggles: Hands on with the Shazam of the Real World

Google today unveiled Goggles, its visual search lab for Android devices that identifies objects by sight.

Microsoft: Windows 7 Family Pack wasn't 'pulled,' it just sold out

If you hurry, you may still be able to find the last Family Pack upgrade editions hanging around retail store shelves, but probably not so much online.

Clever iPhone game returns after being bumped over a name dispute

The game's simple concept and multitude of platforms and puzzles manage to pull off a retro, 8-bit style that's reminiscent of an old Atari game given a modern makeover.

Intel's marriage of CPU and GPU not ready for prime time

Although there will be an Intel component this month that can compute and plot in parallel, Betanews was told today, it won't be based on Project "Larrabee."

An alternative to Research in Motion's enterprise e-mail? There's an app for that

Good Technology today released an iPhone app compatible with its enterprise e-mail solution.