Store and synchronise files online with Ubuntu One

There are several online services for keeping files up to date across different computers. Ubuntu One is part of the Ubuntu operating system but can also be installed on Windows computers.

Installation is quite simple. Once installed there's a wizard to complete.

The first step is to either sign in with an Ubuntu account or to sign up for a new one. Sign up is performed from within the Ubuntu One software, so there's no need to switch to a browser. All that is required is an email address and a password.

Actually, you can skip the next steps and go straight to the Dashboard but it's worth sticking with the setup wizard.

The next step is to choose which folders to keep with Ubuntu One. It suggests the (My) Documents, (My) Music, and (My) Pictures. Helpfully, it shows how big the folders are so there's little chance of going over the 5GB allowance by mistake. If you want a different folder, click on the button at the bottom to do so.

There are a couple of upgrades that can be made with an Ubuntu One account. Adding music streaming costs an extra US$4 a month or US$40 a year. This account comes with 20GB of storage and can be used with the iPhone and Android apps to listen to music. Adding an extra 20GB of storage without the music streaming saves US$1 a month.

It's a shame that there's no Mac client but Ubuntu One does offer more storage than either of the main competitors Dropbox and SpiderOak. A Windows Live account comes with 25GB but as yet there is no official app for synchronising folders with this storage space (except for the online publish tool in Live Photo Gallery).