Technology

The best free sites for sharing photos and videos with your family

Published

3 hours ago

July 21, 2024

The best free sites for sharing photos and videos with your family

In a world where every moment is captured, the question isn’t just about taking photos and videos. It’s about sharing them with those who matter most. Kim from Tinton Falls, New Jersey, echoes a common concern: How can a family share digital memories, both past gatherings and present moments, in a way that’s secure, private and shareable? Here’s her question to us:

“My extended family wants to find a way to share lots of photos and videos (from days of older and also when we gather). We are hoping to find a free site, and a site that won’t be pervasive or have dangerous privacy policies. We would like everyone in our family to have access to upload into their own folders that they can name, and everyone in the family to download them.” — Kim, Tinton Falls, New Jersey

Kim’s dilemma is one many families face. They seek a platform that’s free, non-invasive and respectful of privacy. A virtual space where each family member can contribute to their personalized folders, with the freedom to download cherished memories at will. Ideally, this platform would empower users to set expiration dates on their shared content, ensuring their digital footprints don’t linger indefinitely in the cloud.

Here are some recommended solutions that meet Kim’s criteria for privacy, security and ease of use for family photo sharing.

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A family photo (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Private and free photo-sharing platforms

1. Google Photos

Free Storage: 15 GB shared across Google services.
Features: Automatic organization, shared albums and smart search.
Privacy: Google has robust privacy policies, but users should review and adjust their privacy settings as needed.
How to Use: Create a shared album and invite family members to contribute. Each member can upload photos and videos to their own folders within the album.
Note: There have been concerns about Google’s data collection practices and privacy policies. If you are concerned about data privacy, you should consider alternative storage solutions.

How to set up Google Photos

Install the Google Photos app from the Google Play Store (Android) or the App Store (iOS).
Open the app and sign in with your Google Account.

How to create a shared Google Photos album

Navigate to the “Photos” tab.
Tap on the “Library” tab, then “New album.”
Select the photos and videos you want to include in the album.
Tap on the “Share” button, then select “Create shared album”.
Enter the email addresses of the family members you want to invite. They will receive an invitation to join the album.

Google photos app (Google)

2. Dropbox

Free Storage: 2 GB.
Features: File syncing, easy sharing and a mobile app.
Privacy: Strong security features, including two-factor authentication.
How to Use: Create a shared folder and invite family members. Members can upload and organize their photos and videos in personal subfolders.

How to set up Dropbox

Install the Dropbox app from the Google Play Store (Android) or the App Store (iOS), or download the desktop application from the Dropbox website.
Open the app and sign in with your Dropbox account or create a new account if you don’t have one.

How to upload files

Launch the Dropbox app or desktop application.
Click on the “Upload” button. Select the photos or videos you want to upload from your device.

How to create a shared folder

In the Dropbox app or desktop application, click on “New folder”.
Give the folder a name that is easily recognizable for all family members.
Right-click on the folder and select “Share” or use the share icon.
Enter the email addresses of the family members you want to invite. They will receive an invitation to join the folder.

How to organize files

Within the shared folder, create subfolders for each family member. This helps in organizing the photos and videos.
Each family member can upload their photos and videos to their respective subfolders.

Dropbox website and app (Dropbox)

3. Box

Free Storage: 10 GB.
Features: Collaboration tools and secure sharing options.
Privacy: High-level security and compliance with various privacy regulations.
How to Use: Set up a shared folder for the family. Each member can create and manage their own subfolders.

How to set up Box

Go to the Box website and sign up for a free account if you don’t already have one.
Install the Box app from the Google Play Store (Android) or the App Store (iOS), or download the desktop application from the Box website.

How to upload files

Launch the Box app or desktop application.
Click on the “Upload” button. Select the photos or videos you want to upload from your device.

How to create a shared folder

In the Box app or desktop application, click on “New” and then “Folder.”
Give the folder a name that is easily recognizable for all family members.
Right-click (or click the ellipsis (…)) on the folder and select “Share” from the More Options menu.
Enter the email addresses of the family members you want to invite. They will receive an invitation to join the folder.

How to organize files

Within the shared folder, create subfolders for each family member. This helps in organizing the photos and videos.
Each family member can upload their photos and videos to their respective subfolders.

Box website and app (Box)

While these solutions directly address Kim’s needs for family photo sharing, it’s also worth considering device-specific options and additional cloud storage services. These can complement your chosen family-sharing platform or provide alternative solutions depending on your devices and preferences. Also, with the solutions of sharing with family members, you should be aware of the need to increase storage space if needed.

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Device-specific and cloud storage options

The solution you choose may also depend on the devices your family uses. Whether you’re an Apple owner, have an Android device or use a mix of both, there are options tailored to your needs. Let’s explore some device-specific and cloud-storage solutions:

Photo logos (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Photography tools

Apple iCloud offers a free tier with 5 GB of storage, featuring seamless integration, automatic backup and shared albums. Paid tiers include 50 GB for $0.99 per month, 200 GB for $2.99 per month, and 2 TB for $9.99 per month.

Google Photos provides an unlimited free tier at limited resolution, with smart search, automatic organization and shared albums. Google One plans offer 15 GB for free with various paid pricing options.

Amazon Prime Photos is included with an Amazon Prime subscription and offers unlimited full-resolution storage and family sharing. For a fee, Amazon Photos provides additional storage options.

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Maximize your mobile storage on iOS/iPhone

With iCloud Photos, you can make more space available on your device and still have access to your entire full-resolution collection wherever you go. To get started with iCloud Photos:

Tap Settings
Click your name
Then click iCloud
Next, tap Photos
Tap Sync this iPhone. In iOS 15 or earlier, tap to turn on iCloud Photos.
Select Optimize iPhone Storage to save space on your device.

When Optimize Storage is turned on, full-resolution photos and videos are stored in iCloud, and space-saving copies are stored on your device when needed. As long as you have enough space in iCloud, you can store as many photos and videos as you want.

If you need more storage

When you sign up for iCloud, you automatically get 5 GB of free storage. If you need more, you can upgrade to iCloud+.
If you need more storage on your device, you can transfer the photos and videos that you don’t want to store in iCloud to your computer.

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IPad and iphone using iCloud (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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Maximize your mobile storage on Android

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer

On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Photos app
Sign in to your Google Account
At the top right, tap your Profile picture or Initial
Tap Photos settings
Then click Backup
Under “Settings,” tap Back up device folders.
Select the folders you want to back up.

Cloud storage

Dropbox offers 2 GB of free storage with features like file syncing, easy sharing and a mobile app. It also has paid plans such as Plus, which provides 2 TB for $9.99 per month, and a family plan that offers a shared 2 TB for $16.99 per month.

Box provides 10 GB of free storage and includes collaboration tools and secure sharing options. It offers business plans that come with more storage and additional features.

IDrive gives you 5 GB for free and is designed for backing up multiple devices, along with file versioning. Its personal plans include 2 TB of storage for $69.50 per year.

Photo services

Flickr allows users to store up to 1,000 photos or videos for free and is known for its community and photo organization features. It offers a pro subscription with unlimited storage for $7.99 per month.

500px permits only limited uploads for free users but is a platform dedicated to the photography community and includes portfolio features. Its Awesome plan is priced at $6.49 per month, and the Pro plan is available for $12.99 per month.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

These days, sharing family memories securely is both a challenge and a necessity. For Kim and families like hers, platforms such as Google Photos, Dropbox and Box offer free, secure solutions that balance privacy with ease of use. While device-specific options provide seamless integration, cloud services ensure cross-platform accessibility. Remember to regularly review privacy settings, use strong passwords and consider the 3-2-1 backup rule for your precious memories. By choosing the right platform and following best practices, you can create a private, shared digital space to cherish your moments together, both past and present.

What challenges or benefits have you experienced in trying to balance convenience, privacy and meaningful connection when sharing photos and videos with loved ones? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

NotchNook gives MacBooks their own Dynamic Island

Published

2 hours ago

July 21, 2024

Press Room

NotchNook gives MacBooks their own Dynamic Island

Just like the Dynamic Island, NotchNook expands out from the notch, revealing a “Nook” with basic media controls (sort of like Live Activities in iOS) and other customizable widgets. Then there’s a “Tray” tab that you can drop files or apps into; it’s similar to the macOS dock, except that the tray empties when you quit NotchNook.

NotchNook made my MacBook Air’s notch useful.

GIF: NotchNook

You access this by clicking on a tab that blends in with the notch, or by swiping downward on your trackpad when your mouse cursor is over it. Or you can set it to drop down automatically when you bring your mouse over it.

NotchNook works on Macs with and without notches; for those without, you can customize it so it either looks like a full notch or simply appears as a small black sliver at the top center of your screen. The app lists other “coming soon” features, like the ability to zip or unzip files by dragging them into the app (which sounds fun and unnecessary, but that’s the vibe this app gives me anyway).

The app could still use some ironing out — I couldn’t figure out how to remove files from the Tray tab, which becomes the default tab once you put something in it. Also, swiping left or right is supposed to be like pressing the next or previous song button, but that didn’t work for me. And it only seems to support certain media apps, like Apple Music, as controls didn’t show up for other apps I tried. I also couldn’t locate a privacy policy from Lo.cafe, and the developer didn’t respond to my questions by press time.

But those issues aside, NotchNook feels like a very natural extension of macOS. I don’t feel like it does anything that I can’t already do without it, which is fine because it’s just fun to use.

Technology

Suunto’s new headphones finally made me appreciate bone conduction

Published

10 hours ago

July 21, 2024

Press Room

Suunto’s new headphones finally made me appreciate bone conduction

As a city runner, I never thought too hard about wearing noise-canceling earbuds. I’d dabbled with open-ear buds in the past but mostly ran in well-lit parks where my biggest danger was dodging goose poop. It’s different in the suburbs. Recently, I was nearly pancaked by a Range Rover going at least 10 over the speed limit. I never heard it coming, even though my headphones were in ambient mode.

Which is why I’ve spent the last two months testing the $199 Suunto Wing and $149 Suunto Sonic.

Both the Wing and Sonic are bone conduction headphones — a category that’s long been dominated by Shokz (formerly AfterShokz). The Sonic is the more basic, entry-level device, while the Wing adds a few more flourishes — namely, LED lighting, a portable power bank, and head motion controls. The Wing also has slightly better IP67 water and dust resistance compared to the Sonic’s IP55 rating.

Bone conduction headphones vibrate sound waves into your skull. It helps you stay more aware of your surroundings.

Bone conduction works by sending sound vibrations through your cheekbones instead of traveling through the air and into your ear canal. Some athletes swear by bone conduction because it keeps your ears open, meaning you’ll stay more clued into your surroundings compared to any transparency mode. (As a bonus, it can help people with hearing loss listen to audio.)

I’ve known all that for ages, but I’ll admit — I’ve never cared much for bone conduction in the past. My old AfterShokz headphones weren’t comfortable at all, but the real problem was that I rely on bass-heavy running playlists. And bone conduction? It’s not the best at bass. Even so, almost getting flattened by a speeding Range Rover was as a good reason as any to give bone conduction another go.

I generally don’t love wraparound headbands, but this was more comfortable than I expected.

On that first point, I was pleasantly surprised that the Sonic and Wing were both comfy to wear. My old AfterShokz headphones had a wraparound neckband that dug into my skin, hurt my smallish ears, and never sat quite right. These headphones also have a wraparound design, but I felt no discomfort. The headphones were stable and secure during my runs and walks. Plus, the part that sits over the ear was thin enough that it didn’t cause issues when wearing glasses or headbands — a problem I’ve had with other open-ear headphones like the chunky Bose Sport Open Earbuds.

Bass still isn’t amazing, but I was stunned at how much better it sounded on the Wing and Sonic compared to my first foray into bone conduction headphones. The rumbly intro on Stray Kids’ “Megaverse” didn’t sound nearly as cool as it would’ve on my Beats Fit Pro, but it was good enough to keep me pumped. After a few weeks, I stopped noticing the difference. (It helps that Suunto offers various sound profiles, including an outside mode that boosts bass a bit.)

The powerbank holds an extra 20 hours of charge. Kylo Ren would wear these if they could fit under his helmet.

But while the audio was better than I expected, these are still bone conduction headphones, which means they’re not great in loud environments. I was hoping these would double as passable everyday, commuter headphones, but unfortunately, listening to audiobooks or podcasts while on a loud subway or walking past honking taxis wasn’t a great experience. I had to crank up the volume, which, in turn, cranked up the vibrations until the front pieces were buzzing on my face. These wouldn’t be the first headphones I reach for if I were to run a race with cheering crowds, either. That’s a bit of a bummer, given that Suunto’s headphones are on the pricier side at $149 and $199. For reference, Shokz’s headphones range from $80–$180.

Price is also partly why, of the two, I reached for the cheaper Sonic more often. Not only is sound quality the same, but I wasn’t sold on the Wing’s extra features. The LED lights are neat, but I felt they were hard to see against my hair. (Plus, I didn’t love the Wing’s gamer Kylo Ren vibes.) As for the Wing’s head motion controls, I could never get them to work reliably. You’re supposed to be able to answer or dismiss calls, as well as skip tracks, by either nodding or shaking your head. Instead, people looked at me funny when I’d run past, furiously shaking my head because I wanted to skip to the next song.

$200

The Suunto Wing are bone conduction headphones that have 10 hours of battery life, an extra power bank, head motion controls, and LED lighting.

$149

Suunto’s entry-level bone conduction headphones. They have IP55, 10 hours of charge, and pretty decent sound quality.

The Wing didn’t win me over with battery life, either. Both devices have an estimated 10 hours, but the Wing also has a power bank that holds an extra 20 hours of charge. It’s nice, but is it $50 extra nice? For me, not really. I mostly stick to 30–45 minute runs, three to four times a week. The Sonic lasts me around a month before needing a charge. As for water resistance, the Sonic’s IP55 is good enough for sweat and getting caught in the rain, but the Wing’s IP67 rating isn’t good enough for the pool. (Another bummer for swimmers — neither has onboard storage, and Bluetooth doesn’t work underwater.)

Ultimately, my personal hunt for a pair of open-ear workout headphones to replace my Beats Fit Pro continues. Don’t get me wrong — my time testing the Sonic and Wing has given me a greater appreciation for bone conduction headphones and why so many people go to bat for them (to the point where I called in the latest Shokz to give them another go, too). I’m just too addicted to the bass drop to say my search ends here.

Technology

How to make it easier to use your phone one-handed

Published

17 hours ago

July 21, 2024

Press Room

How to make it easier to use your phone one-handed

There are going to be times when you’ve only got one hand free to use your phone. You may be walking the dog, carrying groceries, hanging on to a subway pole, or you just don’t have another hand available. But with just about every modern phone sporting a screen at least six inches corner to corner, using one hand to work your phone could be a difficult balancing act.

Luckily, both Android and iOS phones come with integrated features to make one-handed phone use less tricky. There are also some helpful options inside individual apps you can turn to.

Methods for Android phones

One-handed mode

Android has a dedicated one-handed mode that lets you shrink any app down to the bottom half of the screen to make it easier to reach. The way to enable that mode can be slightly different, depending on the manufacturer.

From Settings on a Pixel phone (or most other Android phones), go to System > Gestures > One-handed mode and enable the toggle switch.
From Settings on a Samsung Galaxy phone, tap Advanced features > One-handed mode and enable the toggle switch.

Either way, you can then simply swipe down on the screen to pull the top half of an app into reach. Make sure you swipe down close to the bottom of the screen, as otherwise, you’ll simply refresh the screen in whatever app you’re in. Tap anywhere above the app to go back to a full-screen view.

Android comes with a dedicated one-handed mode.

Screenshot: Google

You can adjust the Gboard keyboard to be more toward the side of the screen.

Screenshot: Google

Enable a one-handed keyboard

Whatever app you’re in, you can make sure Android’s default Gboard keyboard is easier to get to for one set of fingers and a thumb. With the keyboard on screen:

Tap the four-box icon above the keyboard to the left.
Choose One-handed from the pop-up menu.

The keyboard then pushes up against one side of the screen. Tap the arrow button to switch it to the other side or the expand button (four arrows) to go back to normal. (You don’t get this on the default Samsung keyboard on Galaxy phones, but you can always install Gboard on any Android phone.)

Make homescreen apps easier to access

It helps if the app shortcuts you rely on most often are down towards the bottom of your home screen, rather than up at the top. You can organize this manually, but on Pixel phones you can also have a row of your most-used apps pop down to the bottom.

Open Settings then tap Apps > Default apps.
Tap the gear icon next to Pixel Launcher.
Tap Suggestions and enable Suggestions on Home screen.

Make browsing easier

If you’ve got a Samsung phone and you use the Samsung Internet Browser, you can move the web address and search bar down to the bottom of the screen as well. (Weirdly enough, Chrome for Android doesn’t currently let you do this, though Chrome for iOS does — go figure.)

Tap the hamburger menu (bottom right) then Settings.
Choose Layout and menus.
Enable Show toolbar at bottom and Show address bar at bottom.

(Note: Some Android phones will not have the Show toolbar at bottom feature listed.)

You can find the same option inside Firefox for Android: tap the three dots (top right), then Settings > Customize and choose Bottom for the toolbar.

Methods for iPhones

If iOS is your mobile platform of choice, you can do many of the same tricks as you can on Android.

One-handed mode

The one-handed mode that covers the whole of iOS is called Reachability. You can find it from Settings on your iPhone:

Tap Accessibility > Touch.
Turn on the Reachability toggle switch.

A downward swipe toward the bottom of the screen will then shrink down whatever app or system menu you have on screen, making it easier to get at with one hand. Tap the arrow at the top of the window to go back to normal.

You can place the address bar at the bottom in Safari on iOS.

Screenshot: Apple

The Reachability mode on the iPhone helps with one-handed operation.

Screenshot: Apple

One-handed keyboard

The iOS keyboard has a one-handed mode as well. With the keyboard on screen:

Long -press on the icon in the lower left corner (it’ll show a globe or emoji symbol, depending on the keyboards you’ve got installed).
Tap on the left or right keyboard layout to pin the keyboard to that side.

You can use the white arrow that fills the space left by the keyboard to go back to the normal layout again.

Make browsing easier

As mentioned above, Chrome for iOS lets you move the address and search bar down to the bottom of the screen:

Tap the three dots (bottom right).
Choose Settings.
Tap Address bar, then (at the top of the screen) Bottom.

This is the layout Safari for iOS uses by default. If it’s been changed for whatever reason, you can reset it via Safari in iOS Settings, under the Tabs heading.