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Get 50GB of free cloud storage with Box.net for iOS

Just install the app and register for an account (or sign in to an existing one). Presto: 50GB of no-strings-attached cloud space!

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
2 min read
Box.net for iOS gives you fast and easy access to your cloud account--all 50GB' worth!
Box.net for iOS gives you fast and easy access to your cloud account--all 50GB' worth! Box.net

Looking for a boatload of free cloud storage? If you own an iDevice, you can score 50GB of it, no strings attached.

That's the deal being offered by Box.net: 50GB of online storage for anyone who installs the Box.net app on an iPhone, iPod Touch, or Pad. (Sorry, Android users--not sure why you're being left out.) The app itself is free, as is the Personal account you'll be creating. And if you already have an account, merely signing into it gives you that 50GB bump.

The promotion runs through December 2, but you get to keep the 50GB forever. And that space is available anywhere you use your account, not just on your handset or tablet.

In case you're not familiar with it, Box.net is cloud-storage service not unlike Dropbox and SugarSync. After uploading your various documents, media files, and the like, you can easily access them online, share them with others, stream media to a mobile device, and so on.

There's even a new feature that allows iPhone 4S and iPad 2 users to wirelessly stream Box.net files to an Apple TV.

Now for the bad news: although it's easy to enough to select files and folders to upload to your account, you must do so using a Web interface or your iDevice (which is limited to uploading photos).

There's a Dropbox-like Box Sync client for Windows and Mac, but it's available only to those who purchase Business or Enterprise accounts.

The lack of desktop syncing does limit Box.net's appeal, no doubt about it, but it's hard to complain too much about 50GB of free storage. (OK, I'll complain a little: come on, Box.net, this really limits your appeal!)

What do you think? Is Box.net worth having even without a desktop-sync option? Or is the hassle of having to upload files manually too great?