5 Unique Ways to Upload Files and Share Files

Quickly: send me a file! Even in 2015, file sharing isn't quite solved yet.

We've gone over the best websites for quickly sharing files more than once, but to this day the web is yet to settle on a standard – particularly if things are too big for email.

There are file sharing sites that let anyone upload a file, but they tend to shut down eventually due to copyright issues or bandwidth costs. There's Dropbox, but that largely depends on both parties having a Dropbox account or things get confusing fast.

So there's plenty of room for improvement in the file-sharing space – which is why new sites and services keep popping up. Today Cool Websites and Tools looks at five unique takes on this problem, none of which we've covered here before. Let's get started.

If you're a Dropbox user, you probably can't imagine life without it. You could write a book about all of Dropbox's features, if you wanted to (we did), but basically it's a service that:

Lets you sync a folder of files between all your devices.
Lets you share folders and files with other Dropbox users, then sync those files with other users.
Lets you share folders and files with non-users, via a public link.

There's one thing missing in the above list: a way for non-Dropbox-users to share files with you. That's the gap filled by Ballon.io. Head to the site and you can create a URL tied to a folder in your Dropbox. Share that URL and anyone can upload a file:

Files are uploaded straight to your desktop, meaning they'll sync straight to your computer without you needing to do anything.

If your non-Dropbox-using friends need to share a file with you, giving them a balloon link is win-win. The sharing process is easy for your friends, and the files end up straight in your Dropbox.

We've talk about how Jumpshare makes file sharing from the browser easy, but the well-liked file sharing service has started offering desktop apps. If you're a Mac or a Windows user, you can quickly share files by dragging them to an icon.

Mobile versions of Android an iOS are apparently also on the way. If you want a quick way to share files, look into Jumpshare.

File.io: This File Will Self Destruct

Sometimes you want to share a file with one person and one person only – File.io is perfect for those cases. Upload a file and you'll get a link to it. Share that link with a friend – once it's downloaded, the file is deleted from Fil.io's servers. There won't even be a log of what the file was.

There's a pretty generous file limit of 50GB, and a very simple API that lets you upload files from the command prompt using only curl. You can even set an expiration date for a file, if you want.

Upload a file; only people nearby can see it. Quack.Space is a sort of like location-based chat service Yik Yak, but for files.

If you want to quickly share a file with a group of people – say, a classroom full of students – this seems like an easy way to do it. Assuming everyone is willing to turn on location services, they should be able to just head to quack.space and download the file immediately.

You find a great or app, and want to share it with your friend who is in the same room as you. You could email them the link, or IM it, but neither of those methods are particularly fast. Google Tone might be, though.

It's more of an experiment than a practical piece of technology, but it's interesting. Using the microphone and speaker built into every laptop, this extension makes it easy to share something with people who are in the same room as you. Give it a shot.

There's still no perfect file sharing site out there, but the above services are all useful in different ways. I want to know which services you use when you need to send a file, so let me know in the comments below okay? I'm looking forward to learning from you.

Image Credit: Carrier pigeon by DVARG via Shutterstock