For those who share large files, the 3 go-to-services on the web are – RapidShare, Megaupload and YouSendIt. Among these three, YouSendIt isn’t as popular as the other two. Both Rapidshare and Megaupload beat YouSendIt when it comes to a bigger user base.
In their quest to popularize their service by bringing it onto the mobile platform they came out with a mobile version of their service. In fact, it one-upped its two rivals by releasing iOS and Android apps simultaneously. The YouSendIt app for Android and iOS lets you send, download and store files in the cloud – yes, just like Dropbox, Box.net, and other similar services.
We took both the iOS and Android YouSendIt apps for a spin to give you a detailed review. Find out whether this app will be useful in your day-to-day usage and whether you should get it running on your iOS or Android devices.
What Is It? What It Does?
At first I thought that this app will merely let you send and share files using your mobile phone while on the go. But then, I missed out on the “Manage” part. The app also lets you modify files, view them on your mobile devices, save email attachments, open and modify documents, snap pictures or take videos and quickly store them in the cloud. You can even sign documents before sending them. Yes, YouSendIt goes beyond storing and sharing files and is a full-blown, feature rich cloud storage service.
How Does It Work?
The first time you use the app, you’ll need to register an account from YouSendIt.com. While still there, you should also download the desktop app which can become useful if you’re sharing files from your computer directly. This is not a prerequisite for using the mobile app though.
After registering the account, you can now fire up the app on either your iPhone or Android device. Then you’ll see the main interface of the YouSendIt App.
At first, this will be a blank screen unless of course you’ve previously shared or stored files using the same account. On top of your device’s screen are three options which should get you started in using the app.
The first option depicted by the folder with + icon is used for creating new folder. This is a pretty straightforward approach and you only need to enter a folder name. Then, you’ll see the folder you just created on the main screen. Tap on the new folder then tap on the camera icon to upload image files from your iPhone’s camera roll or Android device’s image gallery.
Take note that on both iOS and Android devices, the mobile app only lets you upload photos to your YouSendIt cloud account. To send other files such as documents, spreadsheets, presentations and PDFs, you need to get it using the respective apps installed on your devices. So, if you want to share a large PDF file, you can either get it using iBooks and other PDF reader apps. You can also get files from email attachments, save it to YouSendIt and read or view them later on.
I will have to repeat that while other reviews simply point out that YouSendIt mobile app lets you share and send files using your mobile phone, the app itself does not allow you to do so except for photos.
Using YouSendIt as a File Manager and Editor on your Mobile
The good thing about this app is that it also allows you to edit files already stored in the cloud, annotate them with edits and even digitally sign them before sharing them. You can add text or images to a file anywhere. The process of doing so is pretty simple. You can move, rotate and enlarge text or files that you are adding to a document.
If you use YouSendIt often, you’ll soon find out that dumping files into the root directory is not a practical thing to do. As early as the first time you use the app it would be best to create folders and save files appropriately.
The good news is that creating folders using the app is easily done. In fact, it’s one of the major features of the app and perhaps the first thing that you’ll be doing once you get the app running on your devices.
Comparing YouSendIt for iOS vs YouSendIt for Android
If you’re like many of us who use both iOS Devices and Android smartphones and tablets, the difference between the versions of this app for both platforms is not really drastic. Feature-wise, the two apps are pretty much the same.
The difference lies in the user interface and work flow which you can see while editing/annotating documents on your mobile devices. I will not say which interface is better as I found no problems in using either one. It’s just a matter of preference.
Final Thoughts About YouSendIt
The question now is, should you download YouSendIt app? Obviously, the answer will depend on your needs. If you have the need to share large files regularly YouSendIt will work best to your advantage. The YouSendIt mobile app makes the web service even more useful and could be a productive tool for mobile professionals like most of us.
The YouSendIt mobile app is definitely a must download app and we can’t help but give props to the YouSendIt folks for coming out with a mobile version of their service. We’re pretty sure, its rivals are already preparing similar mobile apps if they haven’t done so before. Download the YouSendIt app for your mobile platfrom using link below.
