Mashable - Details

Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series at Mashable - The Startup Review, Sponsored by Sun Microsystems Startup Essentials. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the detailshere.

STARTUP DETAILS:

Company Name:Streamfile

20-word Description: Streamfile is an emerging startup with revolutionary technology in the file transfer space.

CEO’s Pitch: Streamfile.com allows anyone to“stream” files that are too big to email without any additional need of installed software other than a browser. Streamfile is a hosted FTP replacement solution that allows streaming functionality. By streaming, we mean that when an uploader sends a file, downloaders are able to start the download process immediately. This single functionality enhancement actually allows time savings of up to 90% (compared to a traditional FTP server-to-client transfer). It’s like P2P, but with a 24h answering service. All of the file transfers have the option to be encrypted with high-grade AES 256-bit SSL encryption.

Mashable’s Take: Streamfile is intriguing not only for its ability to rather quickly broadcast files of up to 2GB in size to specified email addresses, but its simple construction as well. Everything is done via the browser within an elegant and sparse input menu. There is absolutely no need to operate proprietary software. Just browse for a file, provide one or more email addresses (you can also specify whom the package is from), and begin “streaming.”

At the backend, Streamfile operates as a replacement to your traditional FTP transfer service. As with some other modern transmission options of today, Streamfile allows for files to be downloaded almost immediately after an upload is begun. A similar option is offered by Pando, yet that service requires the use of proprietary software at either end of an established link to function properly. Streamfile can go without. And the fact that it is able to maintain 256-bit encryption if requested will please some privacy seekers.

As it explains within its site copy, Streamfile hosts data for a total of 24 hours. Which might irk some users, particularly if a situation isn’t time-sensitive and could ideally do with, say, a week’s worth of server/network access. The reason provided for this limit is quite logical for a startup of its type to cite: “By storing data for shorter time periods than our competitors… we can maximize performance and bandwidth to guarantee superior door-to-door delivery speeds.”

For the time being, Streamfile, based in Stockholm, Sweden, comes free of charge for users. (Period ends August 31.) Its stated profit model is business-to-business file transfers (integration with corporate websites is said to be possible). Such subscriptions run 49€/month or more.

Sponsored By:Sun Startup Essentials

It seems that everywhere I look, there’s someone telling us whycorporate blogsare not only a waste of time if you’re looking for something to read, but they offer no value and should be taken down as soon as possible.

The detractors claim corporate blogs lack transparency, fail to adapt to the changing times, and generally play the PR game without ever admitting issues or entering into a discussion with the reader.

I think that’s pure rubbish.

Sure, most of these corporate blogs play the PR game and would rather tell you how wonderful they are than how awful they’ve performed over time, but who cares? Do you really go to a corporate blog looking for the company to bash itself? I seriously doubt the shareholders would be too happy with that.

Instead, corporate blogs provide me with some insider knowledge into what’s really going on behind the scenes at some of these companies. And while some make the complaint that transparency is an issue and corporate blogs keep things guarded, most corporate blog posts are actually quite transparent if you read between the lines.

Is the company trying to hide something when it uses some clever language and side steps some major issues? Is the company saying something different than it’s writing by including some innuendos? These are the questions you need to ask when you read a corporate blog and generally, the answer is yes.

That said, not all corporate blogs are created equal.Zillowhas a great blog andGarminhas done a fantastic job of adding some personality to an otherwise vanilla landscape.Twitterhas a nicely informative blog now that it’s trying to have a dialogue with its users and explain its issues andGoogleis easily one of the most entertaining companies in the corporate blogging space.

These blogs, much like countless others from companies across vastly different industries, may not offer something compelling with each post and sometimes they’re nothing more than an extension of the PR team, but even the most self-adulating blogs tend to offer some entertaining and extremely informative posts that not only act as the backbone for news stories, but for shareholder consumption as well.

Who can forget Palm CEO Ed Colligan’sresponsetoEngadget’s open letter? Who else finds value in Garmin’s answers to reader questions? How about Zillow’s celebrity listings that show you how much some of your favorite celebrities’ homes are worth?

See, it’s not that I love corporate blogs because they only talk about a company, but I love corporate blogs because they give a company some personality and they offer you some insight (no matter how guarded) into the people behind an organization that seems so cold and calculating.

Lest we forget, tech companies are moneymaking machines. Sure, some may not turn the kind of profit Microsoft does and others don’t seem to have their finger on the pulse of consumers like Apple, but each is managed by individuals with unique identities and something interesting to say – if we’ll listen.

I don’t love corporate blogs because they spread propaganda – that’s a guarantee that you should be aware of before you head to the site – or because they tend to gloss over some of the less glowing facts. I love corporate blogs because at the very least, they provide a human element to something that is devoid of emotion, understanding, and personality.

On top of that, I love corporate blogs because they’re the easiest way to file a complaint and tell more than a recording or a customer service agent that something is wrong. In a matter of seconds, you can file a complaint in the comments and if people agree, they’ll jump on the bandwagon and in one fell swoop, your singular issue becomes a major problem and someone will be forced to listen.

I understand that most people look at corporate blogs as nothing more than another propaganda machine, but I don’t. Sure, they’re inundated with useless crap from time to time, but I see them as more than a place for a company to write things about itself. Corporate blogs give you clues about the organization’s culture, its people, and why (right or wrong) most of its employees believe in what they’re doing.

And if you ask me, there’s nothing wrong with that.

[Image credit:Wyetha Lipford(attribution)]

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socialbrowse, the Firefox plugin that lets you surf the Web in a link-sharing social manner, has just re-released its service with a couple of major new features. The Y Combinator-backed startup as been in private beta for some time, and will remain in private beta for a little while longer, but those users testing the service will be able to access and utilize its new features (get your invite below).

The new features revolve around the social sharing capabilities that socialbrowse has already laid out. The first new feature supports in-page commenting, which allows you to leave comments on a link you’re visiting without having to leave the page. Submitting a comment, just as with a shared link, will broadcast your content across the Web in real time. Comment icons will also appear on pages you visit so you and your friends will immediately be able to see the connection between your own activity and that of your friends.

An interesting visual tool accompanies the socialbrowse sidebar, offering a very direct and internally circular view of the Web as well as your own browsing behavior. This of course can be turned into immediate recommendations as well as useful information regarding a particular site that may be more difficult or time-consuming to find otherwise via standalone bookmarking sites. This capability also ties in closely with socialbrowse’s second major new upgrade, the embedded icon expansion option.

Icons that display on pages as you surf the Web, indicating comments and shared links, can now be expanded when you hover over them, so you can get an at-a-glance view of the details behind each icon; who submitted the link, and what friends have contributed to the comments thread. Similar to theconceptnow being employed by JS-Kit, the act of turning comments into a more visual and social component of Web surfing is a budding function that can be leveraged for all sorts of things.

While socialbrowse uses these comments on a more internal basis and JS-Kit acts as a centralizing factor for comments you leave across the Web, they both result in a useful capacity for direct and indirect marketing and recommendations. JS-Kit has already begun to expound upon its features for the use of third-party sites likeevite, and Socialbrowse being the existing community that it is can begin to leverage its capabilities in different ways, which will be interesting to observe as Socialbrowse continues beta testing and moves into a more public space.

socialbrowse is offering Mashable readers 400 invites.Click hereto get yours.

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