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Kim Dotcom’s Mega cloud storage service has launched, cocking a snook at federal investigators who shut down Megaupload last year, and offering huge quantities of anonymous, encrypted storage for the web generation. The new site offers 50GB of free capacity to each user, though will have various tiers of paid service over that as the product roadmap progresses. Key to the value proposition, Mega insists, is that individual users control the encryption system.

“The new Mega encrypts your data transparently in your browser, on the fly” the company says of its file security system. “You hold the keys to what you store in the cloud, not us.”

As for those who find 50GB isn’t enough for their needs, Mega expects to offer three “Pro” tiers initially. €9.99 ($13) gets you 500GB, €19.99 ($27) gets you 2TB, and €29.99 ($40) gets you 4TB. Bandwidth for each package comes in at 1TB, 4TB, and 8TB per month, respectively.

You’ll also need to be running Chrome for the best experience since, as Mega explains, currently none of the other common browsers support all elements of the feature-set the cloud system requires. “ If you are planning on using MEGA frequently, there is currently no alternative to using the most advanced browser currently in existence” Mega concludes, “Google Chrome.”

Mega’s roadmap for the future is certainly ambitious. The company plans to release an API, as well as local apps for desktop and mobile use, plus an instant-messaging service for Mega users to communicate with each other.

Mega goes live: Megaupload reborn with focus on file safety is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom has been promising what’s almost a sort of renaissance through his Mega cloud storage service. Now that it’s open to the first wave of users, we have an inkling of what that strategy shift entails. Mega is currently just a simple-to-use parking place for data with a relatively large 50GB of storage in a free tier. However, it may grow quickly: there’s promises of Google Docs-style editing, instant messaging and mobile access, among other plans. Eventual paid plans will offer considerably more storage of between 500GB for €10 per month ($13) to 4TB for €30 ($40), albeit with a bandwidth cap of twice the storage at any given level. As such, Mega is mostly a bundle of potential — but it may stand out from the pack if ambition matches reality.

Filed under: Storage, Internet

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Source: TechCrunch

Remember Megaupload? It was the file-sharing service created by Kim Dotcom that ended up being shut down and resulted in Dotcom’s house being raided, along with some more shenanigans of some kind. However, the dust as settled and Dotcom is back with a new service called Mega that looks to take on Dropbox and other cloud services. Mega officially launches tomorrow, but early-access users got a peek at it today.

The landing page at Mega.co.nz now redirects to Kim.com/mega, and it’s important to note that the service isn’t finished just yet. Once the site launches tomorrow for everyone, users will be aware of a roadmap that will include future features to be added, such as an SDK with fully documented API and different collaboration features.

One of the biggest features of the new service is that new users will receive 50GB of free storage when they sign up, but those that require larger storage needs can opt for different paid tiers. The “Pro” options offer 500GB, 2TB, and 4TB of cloud storage for €9.99, €19.99 and €29.99, respectively. The 500GB package comes with 1TB of bandwidth, and the 2TB and 4TB plans are given 4TB and 8TB of bandwidth, respectively.

Obviously, it’s still too early to tell if the service will take off. So far, though, there doesn’t seem to be any major setbacks to Mega, but we’ll see once the service officially launches tomorrow. The service eventually plans to add filesystem integration for Windows, with Mac and Linux versions coming as well. There will also be mobile apps for multiple mobile OSes that will allow users to sync files across different platforms.

[via TechCrunch]

Kim Dotcom’s Mega launches for early-access users is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The New Zealand registrar Instra Corporation has announced that it will provide customer support and billing for Mega.co.nz, the replacement for Megaupload set to launch on January 19. This comes after the aforementioned cloud storage service – largely the home of copyrighted content – was taken down by the US government. The new iteration of the service is based out of New Zealand.

According to the announcement, Instra Corporation will be responsible for providing tech support and helping with daily operations during the website’s launch, which is expected to bring in an onslaught of users. Instra Corporation’s CEO Brian Clarkson offered this statement. “The new Mega promises a revolution in online privacy with one-click encryption for every user, creating a secure online cloud storage service for Internet users across the globe.”

Mega’s founder Kim Dotcom announced on October 18 that he would be launching a new service to replace Megaupload. This came after a raid on Dotcom’s house, during which he was arrested and spent a short time in jail. To keep this from happening again, the new website is said to be “raid-proof” due to an encryption system that holds Mega blameless of any copyrighted material it ends up hosting.

Following this, the website was taken offline by the massive amount of traffic it received in early November, confirming suspicions that it will be slammed with traffic when it launches in two days. Dotcom will hold a launch event at his New Zealand mansion, although details are scant on what the event will actually entail. Says Kim, “Expect a press conference like no other.”

Instra Corporation announces that it will provide technical and customer support for Mega is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve been following the saga of Kim Dotcom and Megaupload for a long time now. While most of the coverage is focused on attempts by the United States to extradite Dotcom and other managers of Megaupload to the US to stand trial, it’s been easy to forget about the data confiscated. Recently the United States government tried to get access to all data stored on Megaupload servers that were seized in Canada.

The United States Government sent a request to a court in Ontario asking the court to send mirror-imaged copies of 32 computer servers to US authorities. The Ontario courtroom rejected the request of the US indicating that a more refined order was needed. Interestingly, Megaupload’s legal team had never fought the seizure of the servers in Canada.

However, the legal team representing Megaupload did argue that there was a large volume of data and information on the servers and sending blanket mirror copies of the data would be overly broad. Megaupload maintains that the amount of data on the 32 servers is equal to roughly 100 laptops and urged the court to review the content.

The Canadian judge told the United States government to refine the request and limit requested data to information relevant to the case. We will continue to follow the Megaupload case, as more information is made available in the coming weeks and months.

[via Michaelgeist.ca]

Canadian court rejects US request for Megaupload server data is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.