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Not quite the 'elephant in the room' - there is one obvious service that we've avoided in this series thus far: Ubuntu One.
Ubuntu One is Canonical's real-time cloud storage and syncing service, promoted to Ubuntu users right there during the installer slide-show, integrated and available out-of-the-box. Moreover, it's freely available to anyone and this makes it an important product for Canonical.
Early adopters grumbled about the speed and reliability of the service in its initial release, but we're glad to say that Canonical has continued to make progress with the service, to the extent that there's no discernible difference in performance versus the other top names such as DropBox or SpiderOak. It is now so well integrated in Ubuntu that I've challenged it by spending most of the effort for this article using Ubuntu One on Windows 8!
I know at this point I'm going off-script by declaring that Canonical has done a really smart thing with its cross-platform strategy. Making Ubuntu One available on Windows, Android, and iOS, is certainly a major step for diversifying the Ubuntu One user market. Last year, the service passed the milestone one million user mark, but how many of those lie outside the Ubuntu faithful is unknown. You can download the free Files app for your Android and iOS devices from Ubuntu or from the Apple App Store or the Android Market.
Usage
When the Ubuntu One application is launched, you have the choice to either login with an existing Ubuntu One account or to create a new one. A new account can be created directly from the Ubuntu One client as well as from the website, which is the most straightforward of all the cloud storage services to my mind.
Account creation is quite standard; provide a name and a valid email address, verify using the confirmation link that is emailed you, and you get your 5GB of free storage.
The Ubuntu One client has a simple, clean user interface on all the platforms. Above the four tabs, the Get More Storage button sits prominently next to the connect/disconnect button. You can start uploading items by placing them in the default Ubuntu One folder (just like DropBox). For the Windows client, Ubuntu One also suggests My Documents, My Pictures and My Music folders, and provides a storage estimate for each folder. You have the option of selecting additional folders to synchronize. The files added to this directory syncs with your on-line account and become available in all computers and connected devices (Android or iPhone) where Ubuntu One is installed. You can either add files or folders directly into this folder, or use the 'Add a folder from this computer' option from the Ubuntu One interface. The Settings tab has options to place a bandwidth limitation for the content being synchronized with the Ubuntu One service (download and upload speed). You can enable options to initiate Ubuntu One synchronization as soon as you login to Windows, device notifications and sync all shared files instantly as they become available. Interestingly, most of the management functions – public and private sharing, devices - are carried out through the Ubuntu One website, not in the client.
Since so many features depend on the web interface, any mobile device with a decent sized screen should be able to access any of the web interface's features. For smaller phones, for example, the Android and iOS clients will be more useful.
Like DropBox, if you click on Publish file, Ubuntu creates a unique URL that you can share with anyone via email or on your social networks. Syncing Notes and Contacts isn't supported in the Windows version; the Ubuntu One site has tutorials for Notes and Contacts only for various versions of Ubuntu Linux distributions.
Currently, the File Sync in Progress doesn’t show the percentage completion. One of the FAQ's on Ubuntu’s site indicates that a real-time progress indicator is on the feature list for the future.
Security
As an on-line storage product, the lack of file encryption on Ubuntu’s servers will be a deal-breaker for many. Whilst Ubuntu uses SSL for syncing data, Public sharing links are HTTP links, not secure HTTPS links and this is where Ubuntu One is at a disadvantage against DropBox and others.
Pricing
Competitively, the Ubuntu One free service is in the same 5GB free band as SugarSync, compared to the DropBox 2GB free account; however, SugarSync and DropBox also offer bonus storage upgrades for trying out features and referring new customers. Additional paid storage is in 20GB blocks at $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. Up at the 100GB mark, you can clearly see that UbuntuOne and SugarSync match prices at $149 plus change and DropBox is more expensive at $199 a year.
Music
This is where Ubuntu One becomes a more distinctive product, because of its music store for purchase and streaming. Ubuntu One will host your music online, just like the Amazon Cloud Player. This is an additional paid service, but, if you're an Ubuntu user, then the music you buy from the Ubuntu Music Store is stored on your personal cloud and ready for streaming on any registered device or smart phone, and, as it is synced, you can also listen off-line. There's currently a special offer on 20GB of storage for all your data $3.99/month or $39.99/year - with two months free on music streaming and storage when you sign up for 12 months. The issue with Ubuntu One music store remains the range of titles and the base price per track - when compared with Amazon and iTunes.
Verdict
We're still looking for the perfect Cloud storage and backup solution. Ubuntu One is a real-time syncing service to compete with DropBox and SugarSync, not a Backup tool like Deja Dup or SpiderOak; there's no scheduling or versioning, either in version number or intervals of days. Ubuntu One supports Private Sharing, but not Share Groups. There's no Search of your Ubuntu One cloud as it relies on you searching the synced copy of data local to your device. As a storage solution, it is hard to fault Ubuntu One - it mostly makes sense, and Canonical has made reasonable compromises in splitting the controls and management between the various clients and the web interface. Security concerns are all that's stopping me going over to it full time.