Official Wuala Blog.

Android Update - New Features!

2012-01-31T14:04:00.001+01:00

Earlier today we released an update (Version 2.2) in the Android Market.

This update has some important new features. You can now edit files from within Wuala and the changes will be re-uploaded automatically. You're also able to delete files and folders now.

But there are even more advantages:

Improved up-/download speed if WiFi is available
Improved offline support
Improved Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) support
Improved Android 3 (Honeycomb, Tablets) support
a lot of bug fixes, design and application improvements

You can get the update here.

Wuala Talk with Alumni from the University of Zurich

2012-01-26T15:20:00.001+01:00

Yesterday our CTO, Luzius Meisser, had a talk with former students from the University of Zurich and their professor who wanted to know more about what Wuala is doing.

You'll find more pictures here. Thanks to the Alumni from the University of Zurich for visiting the Wuala Office, we hope you had an informative and interesting time.

If you want to know more about Wuala, check out our about page. And if you have any questions just let us know, we're happy to help.

Group Access For iOS

2012-01-18T15:46:00.001+01:00

We're really happy to introduce Group Access for iOS.

Now you can access your files in all of your public as well as private groups. Everything on the go.

Did you want to catch up with the latest report before going to the meeting or view the last statistics from your finance department? Or did you just want to take a look at the latest pictures that you share with your family?

With the newest iOS update (v 2.07) from Wuala all this is now possible.

You can read the latest newsletter here or get Wuala from the App Store now.

The newsletter is also available in German and French.

Wuala supports UNAIDS

2011-12-09T14:50:00.000+01:00

UNAIDS mission is to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. They bring together the resources of the UNAIDS Secretariat and 10 UN system organizations for coordinated and accountable efforts to unite the world against AIDS.

We wanted to contribute to that special work that UNAIDS is providing. With so many people involved in different countries, a centralized storage service makes it a lot easier do handle all the data volume, plus there is no need to waste paper through printed documents.

We hope that you too can make a donation and support UNAIDS to continue their work. Please go to donations.unaids.org and donate whatever you can. Every amount is greatly appreciated.

The patriot act and cloud storage

2011-12-03T09:42:00.003+01:00

This article on politico discusses the implications of the patriot act in the US on cloud computing, namely that companies and governments are reluctant to use US based cloud storage because data stored in the US becomes accessible to the US government through the patriot act. The best way to avoid this is to take the Wuala approach of client-side encryption and to encrypt everything before it is uploaded. With client-side encryption, no one, not even LaCie as the operators of Wuala, can see your stored data and therefore also cannot give it to a government agency or anyone else. Furthermore, Wuala's datacenters are all located in Europe which has more data protection laws, giving additional comfort to our users.

Wuala And Certification

2011-11-18T10:00:00.000+01:00

Recently, we get asked a lot if we have any certification regarding data safety (for example HIPAA or ISO compliance).

First of all, Yes, we comply the overall prerequisites. However, we have not been certified so far.

The Wuala client and the Wuala server infrastructure contain the appropriate and highest technical security standards to guarantee the safety of your data. The Wuala technology is based on fully client-side-encryption, engineered especially for this matter. LaCie as a provider has never the possibility to access your data at any time.

Further, the Wuala technology relies on highest redundancy based on three geographically independent data centers located in Europe. In the most unlikely event of data loss in one of our data centers, the Wuala technology offers the possibility to access and recover the data securely and quickly from another redundant data center.

Wuala can therefore be used to fulfill the compliance mentioned above.

More about the Wuala technology here

If you are interested in further detail, you'll find everything here

And Another New Member :)

2011-11-18T09:19:00.001+01:00

Hello Wuala!

My name is Zygmunt and recently I started working at Wuala as a Software Engineer.

Just few months before my start i have finished my MSc in Computer Science on ETH in Zurich.

Now i am here in order to further develop myself by exploring and improving wuala.

Have a good time with wuala,

Zygmunt

Say Hello To Our New Member Markus!

2011-11-01T14:26:00.001+01:00

Hi Wuala fans!

My name is Markus and I joined Wuala today to support the team in the Sales and Marketing area.

Prior to Wuala, I worked for internet companies in Zurich and Berlin and finished my BA in Business Administration in Ravensburg, Germany.

I am very passionate about the web and what solutions it can offer nowadays and I am looking forward to working for such a fascinating solution as Wuala.

If you have any questions or inquiries, don't hesitate to contact me.

Thanks and have a nice day

Markus

Hirslanden - more storage for everyone!

2011-10-04T11:26:00.000+02:00

Our newest release Hirslanden brings along some very important improvements.

The greatest change is the new base storage. That means that every user has their quota increased from 1 GB to 2 GB free online storage as default.

Following our strategy of being the most secure and comprehensive online storage, we wanted to increase security and therefore we are in process of switching from AES-128 encryption to AES-256 encryption.

But there are even more improvements for the new release. We are introducing an improved storage system (currently disabled by default) that will allow:

Incremental file updates (meaning that small changes in a large file do not result in uploading the whole file again)

Increased file size limit up to 100 GB

Multiple concurrent downloads

More stability

Better performance (less CPU and disk usage during up- and downloads)

You can view the Release Notes for Hirslanden here

Wuala Stories: How Wuala Saved My Trip

2011-09-26T10:46:00.002+02:00

In this article I'd like to show you how Wuala can be used as a secure Backoffice.

I recently went on holidays abroad and had everything printed out (like the Check-In details, the Hotel reservation, the train tickets etc.) On the day before the trip, I sorted the 20 sheets and put them in a little map on my table. I have to mention that all the papers were automatically synchronized with a previous specified sync job with Wuala.

That was the only luck I had the next day, because I was in a hurry and - as you might guess - I left the map at home. On my table. With a note "Important! Do not forget!".

When I arrived at Check-In at the Airport I realized that I've forgotten something. I had no time to go back and get it, otherwise I would've missed my flight. I suddenly remembered that the files were stored on Wuala, so I launched my iPhone App and searched for the Check-In file. I opened it and showed it to the very kind Lady behind the Check-In desk. Five minutes later I walked towards the Gate with my Boarding Pass ready to go on my Swiss Airlines flight.

After I arrived and got my luggage, I went to the train station's office. I showed them my Train Tickets on my iPhone and they said that I could go on the train with no problem. They we're so kind to print out my actual tickets, so I wouldn't get in trouble while on train.

After the short train ride I was a bit scared that the Hotel may not take my confirmation from an iPhone and that I had to sleep somewhere else. But luckily they took the confirmation (they even asked "Why don't other people do this, it saves a lot of paper and it's environment friendlier..." - I have to agree) and I could go up to my room. I did the same on my trip back and had no problems with the digital copies of my sheets.

Maybe you have your own "Wuala Story" and we'd really like to hear from you. We consider to publish some of your stories if we like them ;-)

2 Clicks for your data protection

2011-09-08T10:37:00.000+02:00

Earlier this year, the portal heise.de reported that quite a few social media buttons transmit your data, without you having to click on it. Then, last week, heise.de has published a open-source Plug-In to protect your data from automatically being transmitted.

Because we really care about data privacy, we made the necessary steps to implement the mentioned Plug-In in the Wuala website and our blog. Now you can be sure that your data is protected, unless you agree to transmission by flipping the switch.

The open-source Plug-In from heise.de is available here

Our new team Member

2011-09-06T13:25:00.000+02:00

Hello Wuala!

My name is Melanie and I just started working at Wuala as a Software Engineer.

I completed my MSc in Computer Science at the ETH in 2005.

Now I am looking forward to a great experience working with the Wuala Team.

Have a nice day,
Melanie

Android App 2.0 - Now With Group Access!

2011-08-26T15:26:00.001+02:00

We've just released the latest version of the Android App! Thanks to your help, we were able fix some bugs and enhance the app.

Version 2.0 comes with the following features:

Access to all groups
Access to files contacts have shared with you
Direct file upload to private and public groups
Meta data extraction for images and mp3
Thumbnails for uploaded images

You can download the newest version directly in the Android Market store.

A remark to all iOS users: We're working on group access, you'll hear from us.

Android App 2.0 - Exclusive Sneak Preview!

2011-08-18T11:32:00.002+02:00

We are proud to announce the test version for our extended Android app. The following version is a sneak preview for those of you who want to pre-test the new version. This is what you get:

Access to public groups
Access to private groups
Access to files contacts have shared with you
Direct file upload to private and public groups
Thumbnails for uploaded image
Meta data extraction for images and mp3s
Bugfixes

You can download the test version here. Note that you will need to activate the option 'Unknown Sources' in your application settings. The current test version is valid until August 25, 2011. After this date, you will need to update the app, by downloading the official version from the Android Market.

Feel free to post your feedback directly in the comments below or add bugs to our bugtracker. Happy testing!

P.S. We are also working on our iOS version to allow group access and access to files contacts have shared. Stay tuned.

Sync Stories (Part 2): How To Sync iTunes with Multiple Devices

2011-08-12T14:56:00.001+02:00

After Part 1 of our Sync Stories, we're going to show you, how to keep multiple devices synced with iTunes.

I recently bought a new MacBook Air and I thought that it would be nice to have access to some music while working, studying or travelling. Luckily Wuala gives us the sync feature, which is just perfect for this case.

Getting started
First, I set up a sync job on device A and on device B (here is how to do that, I always synced the path to the iTunes folder, if you don't know where that is, take a look here).

Here you can see the two devices, on which my sync task is running:

To show you that this works, I created a new playlist on device A...

..and added a song.

Wuala automatically recognized the new file and synced it, I didn't have to do anything.

Then I checked on device B and you can see that the song is already synced.

After that I opened iTunes on device B, and it automatically opened with the new playlist, including the new song.

That was quite easy and done very quickly. Of course it takes a little time to sync when you have lots of music (or apps which are stored in the same folder too). But after the initial sync, everything works really fast and I have my music wherever I go.

Important: iTunes can not be used on two or more systems at the same time. Make sure that you closed iTunes on device A and wait until the sync has finished, before opening iTunes on device B

System Administrator Appreciation Day

2011-07-29T16:27:00.007+02:00

Today was the 12th Annual System Administrator Day and we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to give our system admin a hug and some cake, since singing isn't our strength...

Effective Usage: Shortcuts - Because Time Is Precious

2011-07-27T14:35:00.006+02:00

We gathered the shortcuts of Wuala by popular demand.

Here is the list, depending on each operating system:

Windows	Mac OS X	Linux

F1 = Help	Cmd-? = Help	F1 = Help
F2 = Rename	Cmd-Return = Rename	F2 = Rename
F5 = Refresh	Cmd-R = Refresh	F5 = Refresh
F6 = Downloads
F7 = Uploads
F8 = Time Travel		F8 = Time Travel
F12 = Show Details		F12 = Show Details

CTRL + A = Select All	Cmd-A = Select All	CTRL + A = Select All
CTRL + L = Open Link	Cmd-L = Open Link	CTRL + L = Open Link
CTRL + D = Download to	Cmd-D = Download to	CTRL + D = Download to
CTRL + X = Cut	Cmd-X = Cut	CTRL + X = Cut
CTRL + V = Paste	Cmd-V = Paste	CTRL + V = Paste
CTRL + C = Copy File	Cmd-C = Copy File	CTRL + C = Copy File
CTRL + Shift + L = Copy Link	Cmd-Shift-L = Copy Link	CTRL + Shift + L = Copy Link
CTRL + N = New Window	Cmd-N = New Window	CTRL + N = New Window
Alt + F4 = Close Window	Cmd-W = Close Window	CTRL + W = Close Window
-		CTRL + Q = Quit Wuala
CTRL + E = Download To Cache		CTRL + E = Download To Cache
CTRL + Shift + V = Paste to folder		CTRL + Shift + V = Paste to folder
CTRL + F6 = Thumbnail View	Cmd-F6 = Thumbnail View	CTRL + F6 = Thumbnail View
CTRL + F8 = Details View	Cmd-F8 = Details View	CTRL + F8 = Details View
CTRL + F9 = Sync Overview	Cmd-Shift-G = Sync Overview	CTRL + F9 = Sync Overview
CTRL + F10 = Backup Overview	Cmd-Shift-B = Backup Overview	CTRL + F10 = Backup Overview

Del = Delete	Cmd-Delete Left = Delete	Del = Delete
Alt + Up = Up one Level		Alt + Up = Up one Level
Alt + Left = Back		Alt + Left = Back
Alt + Right = Next		Alt + Right = Next
	Cmd-I = Properties
	Cmd- , = Preferences
	Cmd-H = Hide Wuala
	Cmd-Option-H = Hide Others

If you find a shortcut that is not listed above, just let us know and we're going to add it.

Unboxing the LaCie CloudBox

2011-07-25T16:11:00.004+02:00

You may have heard, LaCie released the CloudBox on June 23, 2011. The CloudBox combines local and online storage in one solution. DRS 3 said correctly: "The brain of this box is made in Switzerland".

We thought it would be a fun idea to show you an unboxing video in stop motion style. The video itself is not very long, but you'll get the idea. Surprisingly, the CloudBox is very small and does not take away much space, that means you can almost put it everywhere you want and still have your files save at home and in the cloud.

If you want to know more about the CloudBox, just check our LaCie's webpage or our blog post

Wuala for OS X Lion

2011-07-20T13:56:00.005+02:00

We're ready for Mac OS X Lion. Simply reinstall Mac Fuse for a seamless file system integration.

Click here to download.

Android Update 1.19

2011-07-18T10:36:00.002+02:00

A small update just hit the Android Market:
In case you haven't downloaded the app, get it here.

Effective Usage: Outsource Your Files To The Cloud

2011-07-15T13:53:00.011+02:00

There are many different use cases of how to use Wuala. While some prefer to sync their files across multiple computers, other simply use Wuala to automatically backup their files online. However, this uses space not only on Wuala, but also on your hard drive since you always have a local copy.

How To Store Files Without A Local Copy
Instead of having a local and an online copy of the same file, why not decide to add some files directly to the cloud without having a local copy? This is great for notebooks with little capacity or if the space on your hard drive is slowing coming to an end.

With Wuala you can outsource your files in just three steps.

Go to the WualaDrive (W:\). The WualaDrive is a virtual networkdrive mounted on your system as long as Wuala is running. It shows all files you have access to on Wuala and integrates them into your file system.
Go to your username and create a new folder.
Drop everything you want to store online directly into this folder. Note: There will be no local copy of that file anymore.

It is that simple. Stop stuffing your hard drive, outsource your files to Wuala!

Sync Stories (Part 1): How to Sync KeePassX with Wuala

2011-07-05T09:00:00.011+02:00

We are kicking off a short new series: Sync Stories. This series will give you some input on how to sync certain directories with Wuala. Enjoy!

It is not always easy to remember your password, especially when you have dozens of passwords you need to remember every day. Password Managers sure can help in this matter and we picked out KeePass to show you a little tutorial on how to sync the databases between multiple devices.

The reason why we picked KeePassX was because of the following description on their homepage:

KeePassX is an application for people with extremly high demands on secure personal data management.

As you know, we are all about security, thus this is an important aspect.

Getting Started
Let's start. First I created a new database (MyDatabase) on a Windows 7 based device and added my credentials there:

Then I saved my entry and my database on the local hard drive of my device (MyDatabase.kdb)

So far so good, let's start Wuala. In Wuala I created a sync task (you can see how to do this here) and chose my local folder (I named it "Credentials"). You can see in the screenshot, that the synchronization has already finished successfully:

Keeping It In Sync
I started my second device (with Linux Ubuntu) and fired up Wuala with the same account. Wuala automatically asked me kindly if I wanted to synchronize the new folder "Credentials" on this device. I confirmed the message, letting Wuala do the rest. So now I have my database saved on my Linux device. It is now possible to either open the .kdb file directly from Wuala or from your local folder.

Adding New Passwords
I suddenly remembered that I have an account for the Wuala Forum and I added this entry on the Windows based device. After saving it and letting Wuala do the synchronisation, the entry also appeared on my second device.

By now, I have added all my accounts in KeePassX and let Wuala sync it for me on multiple devices. I never have to remember a single password ever again - except the master password - and I can be sure that all my data is secure.

Effective Usage: How to Sync Folders in Your Private Group

2011-06-29T08:45:00.006+02:00

The following posting is an update on a previous posting explaining how to sync your folders in your group. Instead of syncing your files to different computers, why not sync them in a private group and share the folder with your fellow group members? This is great for small teams who need to have access to the same files on multiple computers.

Your Requirement
In order to setup and link a group sync folder to your computer, you need to have the permission to do so. In short: Please check your role and its permission in your private group (Go to the group and click on File > Manage Group). Your permission needs to be set to Add and delete any item, otherwise you cannot sync a group folder.

How To Setup A New Sync Folder
In order to setup a new sync folder in your group, go to your group and click on the green plus sign. Select New > Sync.
Select the folder on your computer. Wuala will automatically sync your local folder to your private group.
How To Sync An Existing Folder
Choose the folder and go to File > Synchronize with this computer...

Choose the local folder on your computer by clicking on Choose folder.
From now on you can simply edit and add files to your local folder on your computer and Wuala will automatically sync them with your private group and on all associated computers.
Tips
When syncing a group folder to your computer you should be aware of the fact that other group members can add and delete any file in the sync folder, hence this also affects your local folder on your computer. In case a file is deleted, you can still find the file in the trash of your group as long as the trash has not been emptied.

We recommend the following: Since files are available in a local folder on your computer, only use group sync with people you trust.

CloudBox: Safe In The Box, Secure In The Cloud

2011-06-23T15:05:00.009+02:00

We are proud to announce the first joint product with LaCie - meet the CloudBox! Combing local and online storage in one device, the CloudBox ensures that your data is always safe, secure and - best of all - always accessible.
How It Works
With the CloudBox you do not have to worry about backing up your data in multiple places, instead you have double protection right from the start. All data stored on the CloudBox is not only stored on the device itself, it is also backed up to the cloud automatically. In case something bad happens to your CloudBox - theft, damage or fire - you can still access your files online and restore them immediately.

Data Security
Thanks to the CloudBox you have two copies of your files in two different locations without having to lift a finger. Before your data is sent to the cloud it is encrypted directly on the CloudBox itself, so that no one - not even LaCie as the provider - can access it. The Online Restore application also lets you access up to 10 previous backups and gives you the opportunity to restore your complete online backup within minutes.

The CloudBox is available in 100 GB capacity and includes a one year backup contract for 100 GB which can be easily renewed. Prices start at 229.90 CHF (VAT included) / 199.99 USD / 199.90 EUR (VAT included). Learn more at www.lacie.com.

[UPDATE: Typo with the price in EUR. Now updated.]

iOS Update 1.15 - Now for the iPad!

2011-06-22T10:23:00.000+02:00

Another update has hit the App Store! Our newest update comes with a revised user interface. The logout button is now more prominent, while pictures can be viewed in landscape mode.

Best of all - the app has an iPad optimized interface, allowing you to view all your files on your iPad!

Download the app here.

Cloud Security

2011-06-21T09:38:00.004+02:00

As Wired reports, one of our competitors suffered from a bug on Sunday that allowed everyone to access everyone else's files for about four hours. As the article points out correctly, problems like these wouldn't be possible if the files were encrypted already on the client, like Wuala does. Encrypting your files before they are sent to the cloud makes Wuala inherently more secure than solutions that rely on server-side encryption. We couldn't expose our users' data to others (neither accidentally nor intentionally), thanks to out commitment to client-side encryption.

I recently talked about this at a security lunch (German link) of the ISSS (Internet Security Society Switzerland).

The Backup Song

2011-06-09T13:10:00.003+02:00

Just stumbled over this one. I hope you'll never have to sing along. In case you do want to sing along, you'll find the lyrics below.

♫ Yesterday, 
♫ All those backups seemed a waste of pay. 
♫ Now my database has gone away.
 ♫ Oh I believe in yesterday.
♫ Suddenly,
♫ There's not half the files there used to be,
♫ And there's a milestone hanging over me
♫ The system crashed so suddenly.
♫ I pushed something wrong
 ♫ What it was I could not say. 
♫ Now all my data's gone 
♫ and I long for yesterday-ay-ay-ay.
♫ Yesterday,
♫ The need for back-ups seemed so far away.
♫ I knew my data was all here to stay,
♫ Now I believe in yesterday.

Source: http://www.iks-jena.de/mitarb/lutz/usenet/yesterday.html

Tutorial: The Difference Between Backup and Sync

2011-05-26T15:09:00.007+02:00

In our previous postings I've explained how to set up an automatic backup and a sync folder. As there has been some confusion in terms of the difference between the two folders, let's have a look at them in detail.

The Backup Folder
A backup will save the files stored in your local source computer directly to Wuala.
This job will be done automatically, depending on the time you have set in your backup settings. The aim of this feature is to create an additional copy of your files in case your computer gets stolen or crashes. Therefore, you cannot edit the files in Wuala. You can only edit the files in your local folder.

The Sync Folder
A syncronisation allows you to synchronize a Wuala Sync folder between multiple computers. You can connect as many computers as you want. Edits in the local folder will be transmitted to every computer which is connected to the Wuala Sync folder. All changes will be updated instantly. Further, you can also add files to your Wuala Sync folder and have them appear on all your connected computers. Note: If you delete a file in your local folder, the files will be deleted in the Wuala Sync folder and on all connected computers. However, the files will not be lost. You will be able to restore them from the Wuala Trash.

In addition to setting up a sync folder for yourself, you can also sync files in groups. Be cautious though and only sync files with contacts you know.

Don't forget: Backup is used to create an additional copy of your files . You only have read access. Sync is used to create a workspace enabling you to have identical local folders on all your computers.

Tutorial: How To Setup Sync

2011-05-25T16:01:00.014+02:00

With our recent update it is easy to backup your files automatically and keep your files up to date on all your computers, regardless if you're working in the office or at home. The following posting will show you how to sync your files online and across multiple computers with just a few clicks.

Setting Up Sync
1. Cick on the green 'New' button and choose 'Sync'.

2. A window will open. Click on 'Select folder'.

3. Choose the folder you want to sync and click on 'Open'.

4. Wuala will have assigned a folder on Wuala by default. Click on 'Select folder' if you do not agree with the default folder.

5. Choose the Wuala folder where you want to create your sync folder and click on 'Ok'.

6. Click on 'Ok' to create your sync folder. You can now edit and add files directly on your local computer or edit and add them to your Wuala account All files will be updated accordingly on Wuala and on your local computer.

Adding Additional Sync Folders
As soon as you log in to Wuala on another computer, you will receive the following dialog asking you if you want to sync the folder on Wuala to your local computer.
Click on 'Choose folder' to define a specific local folder. Your files are now up to date on every computer. Files that are added on one computer, are automatically accessible on your other computer.

Sync Indicators
The sync indicators give you direct feedback if your files have been synced or not. A green tick tells you that your files have been successfully synced, while the blue icon indicates that your files are currently being synced. As a Window user, you will even see this indicator in the Windows Explorer.

In tomorrow's blog posting I will explain the difference between backup and sync. Stay tuned.

Tutorial: How To Setup A Backup

2011-05-24T11:51:00.015+02:00

Following yesterday's update (backup and sync for everyone), I will now explain how to set up an automatic backup.

Setting Up A Backup

1. Click on the green 'New' button and choose 'Backup'.
2. A window will open. Click on 'Select folder'.
3. Choose the folder you back up automatically and click on 'Open'.

4. Wuala will have assigned a folder on Wuala by default. Click on 'Select folder' if you do not agree with this default folder.

5. Choose the Wuala folder where you want to create your backup and click on 'OK'.

6. Click on 'OK' to create your backup.

Configuring Your Backup

Go to Window > Backup Overview and select the folder. Click on the settings icon.

Here you can now define the interval of the backup: continuous, hourly, daily, weekly or monthly.
Note: Wuala needs to be running in order to backup the files.

Setting A Backup Filter

If you do not want to backup all files to Wuala, you can set a filter in order to excluse specific files from your backup. Go to Window > Backup Overview and select the folder. Click on the settings icon and specify your filter.

There are two ways to specify the filter, you can either write "" followed by a regular expression or a partial filename combined with one or multiple asteriks (*). E.g.: .*\.jpg is the same as*.jpg. You can specify multiple rules by separating them with a comma (,). For example, you can specify a filter "*.pst, img*.jpg" to exclude all files and folders whose name ends with ".pst" as well as all files and folders whose name starts with “img” and ends with ".jpg".

Please note that as long as the option “When inserting files include system files such as ‘thumbs.db’” is disabled in your settings, system files and temporary files will never get backed up.

If you have any questions on how to backup your files, do not hesitate to contact us at support@wuala.com. We will continue this tutorial series tomorrow and will explain how to set up sync.

Hottingen: New Style & Full-Feature Set

2011-05-23T14:10:00.002+02:00

Hottingen, our newest release, brings along some major modifications. Following our strategy of being the most secure and comprehensive online storage application, we have made some fundamental changes.

Full Feature Set
We have made our pro features - automatic backup, sync, file versioning and time travel - available for everyone at no cost. You can now have your files backed up to Wuala automatically, sync them across multiple computers and access previous versions of files without paying a dime. Hence, you profit from a complete online storage solution. In case you're using backup and sync for the first time, don't miss tomorrow's blog posting where we'll explain how to set it up.

New Style
Have you seen the tweaks to our interface? Wuala is now lighter and more modern. With the simplified navigation creating a backup, sync or a group is now done with just one click. This simplifies the process and clearly enhances your user experience.

Sync Indicator
With our sync indicator you now know if your files have been correctly synced with all your computers. A green tick tells you that your files have been successfully synced, while the blue icon indicates that your files are currently being synced. As a Window user, you will even see this indicator on all your backup folders and directly in the Windows Explorer.

Business Groups
Developed for teams, associations and SMBs, Business groups offer the option to share one big storage pool with your team or group members. Business Groups are private groups, however the storage for files is charged to the group itself and not to the individual user. In order to create a Business Group you need a group code, which can be bought on our website. Learn more at www.wuala.com/business.

Wuala's Encryption Revisited

2011-05-16T11:03:00.015+02:00

As a secure online storage provider, Wuala employs an elaborate encryption scheme to ensure the privacy of our user's data. Since this encryption process is quite complex, I'd like to give you my recommendations on which texts you should read in order to understand the technology behind Wuala.

For Beginners
For starters our security page gives you a good overview. If you want to know more, be sure to read 'Wuala's Security in a Nutshell' or our our latest posting 'Wuala's Encryption For Dummies', which is a great introductory post aimed at giving an easy, but in-depth overview about how Wuala handles uploaded and shared files. Further, be sure to look at this article and this article, both highlightning Wuala's security.

For Intermediate Users
In 'Why Encryption Matters' our CTO explains why Wuala uses client-side encryption and why this is important. In his lunch talk 'Cloud Storage Security' Luzius talks about data security (in Germany only).

For Advanced Users
For advanced users, I highly recommend the publication 'Cryptree'. Cryptree is a cryptographic tree structure which facilitates access control in file systems operating on untrusted storage. In addition, you could also watch the Google Tech Talk explaining the technology behind Wuala.

Wuala for Android OS

2011-04-27T09:59:00.004+02:00

Exciting news today: Our Android app has hit the Android Market!

The Goodies

View and browse your files on the go. The app lets you access all your personal files. You can view your documents, enjoy a slideshow or download your music directly to your phone.
Direct upload. Files from your phone can be uploaded directly to your Wuala account.
Encryption guaranteed. All files are encrypted and decrypted directly on your phone, while your password never leaves your device. Hence, your data is always safe and protected.

What's Next
We will enhance the app and will add new features. We look forward to your feedback.

Get the app now - scan the QR code below or download it in the Android Market.

Wuala's Encryption For Dummies

2011-04-21T16:08:00.006+02:00

As a Secure Online Storage, Wuala employs an elaborate encryption scheme to ensure the privacy of your data. This blog post will describe how Wuala's encryption works in layman's terms and what happens, when files are uploaded, shared, and downloaded.

1. Master key

When you enter your username and password, the Wuala client uses a so-called key derivation algorithm (PBKDF2) to derive your master key. For example, if your name is "Ted" and your password "Det", it mixes them up in a predefined way and ends up with something like "9B78EFC0457A3001E7ECC724147712A9". Normally, it is good if things are fast. Here, it is important that this derivation is as slow as possible but not slow enough for the user to notice (maybe 10ms). This helps to guard a little against brute-force attacks because if it takes 10ms to calculate the key from a password, an attacker can try at most 100 passwords per second. Still, if you want an attack to take millions of years, you should choose a password with ten characters, better more.

2. Folder tree

Once the master key is derived, Wuala downloads your root item from our servers and decrypts it with the key. If you have entered the wrong password, this results in unreadable garbage and Wuala asks you to enter it again. If the decryption is successful, you will get a list of your root folders and their encryption key. For example, it might say there is a folder 'Documents' that is encrypted with key "71D880EE...". When you access that 'Documents', Wuala downloads that folder item and decrypts it with its key. What it finds after decryption is another list of folders and their encryption keys. It's like a Matryoshka doll. Every folder can have additional folders and files in it encrypted with their own keys. Computer scientists call this "tree", with your root item being the root and your files being the leaves of the tree.

When a new folder is created, a new file or folder is created, a new random key is generated and inserted into the tree. The content of a file is treated in a special way. Here, the chosen encryption key is not random, but derived from the content itself. That way, if the same file is inserted twice, Wuala will choose the same key in both cases and end up with the same encrypted file content. This allows to detect duplicate files so you don't have to upload them again. Also, if you insert the same file twice, you only have to pay for it once.

3. Sharing

When sharing a folder, all you need to do is give your friends the key to that folder. With that key, it is possible to decrypt all the items in that branch of your folder tree. Basically, this is also the key you see in the URL when you share a folder with a secret weblink. When someone accesses such a file with the Wuala client, all decryption happens locally. However, when a file shared by weblink is accessed with a web browser, the key is sent to our servers so it can decrypt the requested items and send them to your browser. Even though our web servers forget the key after serving the web page, it is more secure to access files using the Wuala client as there, the key never needs to leave your computer.

When sharing a folder with a friend or inviting someone to a private group, the key of that folder or group is encrypted with the public key of that user and deposited on our servers. When logging in, the other user then can decrypt that message with his private key and gains access to the folder or group. When revoking access from a folder or removing a member from a group, all keys need to be exchanged. This can be compared to exchanging all the locks of a building. For large groups, this transaction can take a while to execute.

These are the basics of Wuala's encryption. Feel free to also read our publication called Cryptree for a deeper understanding.

ISSS Lunch Talk: Cloud Storage Security

2011-04-18T15:59:00.001+02:00

Today I want to share Luzius' talk on 'Cloud Storage Security', which he presented at the Information Security Society Switzerland. Security is an important topic when talking about cloud storage. In order to increase the security, one could use 'client-side encryption'. This means that all data gets encrypted before it is uploaded (like Wuala does).

Watch his talk (Swiss German only, sorry!) below and gain further insights into cloud storage security.

Forum: New Section For iPhone Feedback

2011-04-07T11:59:00.007+02:00

Since we've launched our iPhone app, we've had tremendous feedback and reviews. Though we've read every one of your comments and ratings, we were sometimes unable to answer directly. If you sent us your error message via email or via Twitter, we were able to help instantly, while your comment in the App store was acknowledged but remained unanswered. Why? Unfortunately, Apple does not allow us to comment directly.
This is why we have decided to add an extra section in our forum called 'iPhone'. Here you can post any comments and feedbacks directly, giving us the chance to figure out the problem and helping you out in the end.

The New Team Member

2011-04-04T11:24:00.002+02:00

Ciao a tutti

My Name is Gianluca and I just joined the Wuala Team as the youngest member on the 1'st of April (no joke, seriously :). I will be responsible for the community (that's YOU guys), so if there's a problem or if you need any help don't be afraid to contact me.

Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy using Wuala :-)

Have a great day,

Gianluca

PS: You'll find some of my Stuff here

iPhone Update 1.12

2011-03-31T23:20:00.003+02:00

Our first update has just hit the App Store. This is what's new:

Resolved login issues for accounts created before 2008: This should affect some of you who could not log in to the app.
Improved viewing of large pictures: Some of you reported that you could not view large pictures. This is now resolved.
Minor bugfixes

If you find bugs or have feature requests, feel free to add them to our bugtracker (switch to the project 'mobile'). Thanks!

Effective Usage: Why PhD Students Use Wuala

2011-03-24T13:54:00.008+01:00

The following posting is written by our guest blogger, Thomas Kaufmann, a PhD student at the Laboratory for Electromagnetic Fields and Microwave Electronics at ETH Zurich, Switzerland.

Some days ago I submitted my dissertation at ETH Zurich. Simulations were performed in MATLAB, the document was generated with LaTex, and the graphics were built with Inkscape. For me it was important not to be bound to one place during this creative writing process. I had my desktop computer in the office, a powerful laptop to run simulations and a small ultra-mobile netbook with a very long battery life. Using the sync option in Wuala, I always had a current copy on my local disk space. When swapping from one computer to the other, I just had to wake up the machine, wait a few seconds and continue working seamlessly. The fact that I did not have to worry about updating my data every time I swapped computers, and have a backup in case of theft allowed me to concentrate on the actual writing.

The use of Wuala allowed me to work in the office, on trains, at home, and even in a holiday apartment in Zermatt, where I stayed with friends for a week. In combination with a mobile internet stick, I had my whole data at hand locally and could continue literature research and connect to more powerful computers at ETH.

One of my co-examiners is located in Australia. He and the other examiners had to have access to the document during the review process of the thesis. With Wuala, I could simply put a new version on our shared group folder. He would put comments and corrections in the PDF file with Adobe Acrobat Pro, and thanks to the time difference I had all his contributions at hand the next morning. The comment function in the shared group allowed me to point out details and particular things to look at, which is readable for all group members.

Within half a year after starting using Wuala, I moved my data management went from pure disaster with different versions of documents and code cluttered on several computers to a well-functioning, highly flexible and reliable solution. The simplicity and flexibility of Wuala outrank the functionality of other tools such as SVN or rsync for my application. After my experiences several people in my research group started using Wuala as well.

(Image by mortsan, License: CC BY 2.0)

iPhone, Android & Co.: The Answers On The Go

2011-03-18T15:41:00.009+01:00

Our iPhone app has triggered a lot of feedback, downloads and ratings. We even made it to the Top 15 in the Swiss App Store! Most of your comments and reviews were very positive and a lot of questions were asked. In this posting, I'd like to address some of them:

When is the Android app coming?
Very soon. We're planning on releasing it April/May.

When is the iPad app coming?
We will start working on the iPad app after having released Android.

As a workaround you can use the iPhone app on the iPad.

When will you support Windows Mobile 7 or Blackberry?
Our priority is an Android and iPad app.

I can't seem to be able to log in to the iPhone app, what should I do?
This is most likely due to the fact that you have signed up a long time ago and have not changed your password ever since. Please change your password (and do NOT forget it). You will then be able to log in to your account on the iPhone. If you do not want to change the password, we're working on a fix for the next update.

Can I access files in my groups?
No, not yet. We are working on it. This requires additional work as the app encrypts the files directly on your phone.

Can I upload files?
No, not yet. We are working on it. This requires additional work as the app encrypts the files directly on the phone.

Can I access my friend's files?
No, not yet. We are working on it. This requires additional work as the app encrypts the files directly on your phone.

Can I share files?
Yes, you can. You can send a file directly by email. Click on the file and choose the 'paperclip'.

Where's the manual located?
Go to About > Help.

I do not want to log in each time. Can I save the password?
Yes. Go to your settings on your iPhone and choose Wuala. Enable 'Sign-in automatically'.

Why can't the Wuala app play certain file formats (AVI, WMA, etc.) directly?
Per default the iPhone only supports the following formats:

Audio formats: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
Video formats: H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

Any other format requires a conversion of the original file. Wuala cannot do this on the server side, because all user files are encrypted on the client. On the iPhone, certain 3rd party applications can be used to playback files in other formats than the ones supported officially.

To finish off, I'd like to add a funny detail: After having answered too many questions related to 'When will you release an Android app?', I accidentally called our mobile developer 'Android' instead of Andrei. Oops.

Introducing Wuala For iPhone and iPod touch

2011-03-15T16:30:00.000+01:00

Great news today: We're excited to have released Wuala for iPhone and iPod touch. The app is available in the app store - download it now!

What Took Us So Long
The answer is simple: It's the encryption, baby! Wuala is based on Java (Java doesn't work with the iPhone, remember?) and encrypts and decrypts your files directly on your computer which clearly differentiates us from other online storage services. This means that we had to rebuild Wuala's encryption for the iPhone, which took some time. But it was worth it: We can now proudly announce a fully encrypted iPhone app which encrypts your data directly on your phone, while your password never leaves your device. Therefore, no one - not even we as the provider - can access your files.

The Goodies
The app allows you to view and browser your files on the go. You can flip through a presentation, enjoy a slideshow or read a PDF. In addition you can easily share files with your friends and colleagues by attaching a picture or a link to your email. Specific files can be saved for offline access, so you can always access the files even though you're not connected to the internet.

If you have any questions be sure to read the FAQs or the manual which is directly integrated in the app itself. Send us your feedback to feedback@wuala.com - we're eager to listen. Before I forget, we're working on an Android app, stay tuned.

A Better Sharing Experience

2011-03-10T14:10:00.000+01:00

With today's update called Fluntern (yes, we're still naming our releases after the city districts of Zurich), we have tweaked the sharing dialog making it easier for you to share your files with friends and colleagues.

Basic Sharing
You can now share your files with just two clicks. Instead of showing different sharing options, we have decided to focus on two options.

1. Select the folder you want to share and right-click on it.
2. Choose By Secret Weblink or With Friends.

The option Secret Weblink creates a web link which you can send to your friends or colleagues. Anyone who is familiar with the correct link can access the folder, regardless if they are registered for Wuala or not. A new window will open showing you the web link. Click on Copy to copy the link and send it to your friends by email, put it on Facebook or paste it into your chat window.

The option With Friends lets you share your folder with your Wuala contacts. A new window will open where you can select your contacts in Wuala.

Advanced Sharing
In order to simplify the sharing dialog, we have removed the different tabs, focussing on only one single dialog.

1. Select the folder you want to share and go to File > Sharing & Access. A new window will appear.
2. Define how you want to share the folder:

Shared: You can share the folder with your Wuala contacts or you can enable web access to the file. By enabling web access it is possible for anyone familiar with the correct link to access the file. This is very convenient if you want to share folders with contacts who are not registered for Wuala.

Public: Public folders are visible for everyone. This means that they are accessible for anyone, regardless if they are a Wuala user or not.

Feel free to watch our short tutorial or consult our FAQs for further questions on how to share your files.

Computer Hoy Ganador Calidad 2011

2011-03-08T10:49:00.008+01:00

Spanish computer magazine Computer Hoy has just awarded us with the 'Calidad' (quality) award. We are the proud winner of their online storage review, right before Dropbox, DiscoDuro Online, SugarSync, iDisk, Fichero des Archivos, Google Docs, LiveSkydrive and Ubuntu One.

Hint: If you live in Spain, be sure to get a copy of the premium edition of the latest Computer Hoy...

Wuala at SXSW 2011

2011-03-07T13:58:00.010+01:00

From March 11 - 20, Dominik will be at the SXSW Conference in Austin. He'll be attending SXSW Interactive before joining the SXSW Trade Show with LaCie. Be sure to look out for him, shoot him a line or pass by at Stand 237, 239 and get some Wuala goodies!

Feedback Welcome!

2011-02-22T09:10:00.002+01:00

We really appreciate your feedback and we love getting your input. I'd like to share the last sentence of an email we received last week. The email included a lot of praise and ended up with the following words:

Merci d'exister - Thank you for existing

This really touched us. It is great to see that we can help by offering a solution for your online storage needs. Since we strive to improve Wuala, we rely on your feedback. Send your comments to feedback@wuala.com - we look forward to hearing your opinion!

What's Your Digital Identity?

2011-02-07T16:35:00.008+01:00

Inspired by the workshop 'Discover and protect your digital identity' held by Matthias Lüfkens (@Luefkens), Stephane Koch (@stephanekoch) and Azeem Azhar (@azeem) at the Lift Conference 2011.

Have you ever googled yourself? No? Well, you should! Has it ever occurred to you that in real life, one usually just has one identity, while online your private and your public life usually mix? Let's think about it: Is LinkedIn really your professional profile? Is Facebook your private profile? And do both of them show an online identity you're proud of?

Last week's workshop started off with a blast. It seemed as if Matthias Lüfkens had googled every one of the participants, trying to find out if their public and private online identity matched. It did in some cases and it didn't in other cases. Or would you hire someone with a perfect CV on LinkedIn, after having stumbled across a picture of him testing a toilet, which he had posted on Facebook? Well...good question.

The workshop made it quite apparent that it today's society it is essential to check your online identity and to take care of it. Count to two before posting an update to all of your friends and think twice before uploading those pictures from the weekend. A first step would be to check your Facebook privacy settings (tutorial), before going through the links we received in the workshop to help us maintain our online identity.

So, what should you do if you really want to share those vacation pics or those embarrassing party pictures with your friends but don't want to upload them to Facebook? Turn to Wuala. All files are encrypted before they are uploaded, so no one, not even we as the provider can access the files. Since you define who can access the files it is up to you with whom you share the files directly. In case you're looking for a solution to share your pictures in a group, I highly recommend to create a private group and have all group members upload the pictures to that group.

Your online identity is an important aspect of your digital life. Start caring about it and don't forget to think about security and privacy when using an online service.

Time to Switch: The 'Unlimited' Marketing Myth

2011-02-01T15:27:00.005+01:00

You may have heard: Mozy has just dropped their 'unlimited' backup plan. What used to be 'unlimited' storage for 4.95 $/month, is now 50 GB for 5.99$/month (for just one computer). This caused some major irritation among their customers.

It's no surprise: Storage and bandwidth have real costs. That is why we do not have an 'unlimited' plan; instead, we have a flexible price plan that fits your needs, with no bad surprises. Best of all: For about the same price as pure online backup, we offer the full range of online storage features:

automatic online backup for all your computers (not just one)
synchronization between multiple computers
sharing files with colleagues
collaboration in groups

What is most important and makes Wuala stand out: All files get encrypted directly on your computer, before they are uploaded. Since your password never leaves your computer, no one, not even we as the provider, can access your files.

Give it a try. Download Wuala here and sign up for the price plan that fits your needs.

Wuala at LIFT 11

2011-01-31T15:45:00.004+01:00

Just like every other year, we'll be at the LIFT conference in Geneva. From Wednesday to Thursday we'll explore emerging usage of digital technologies by taking part in workshops, listening to great speakers such as Robert Scoble or Brian Solis, and of course connecting to other like-minded people. Let me know if you're also at in Geneva or at the conference itself, we look forward to meeting you!

Jimmy Wales at the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institut

2011-01-27T17:19:00.011+01:00

Yesterday, Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, received the Gottlieb Duttweiler Prize at the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute in Rüschlikon (right next to Zurich). Dominik was among the 300 guests who were invited, and all he brought back was this lousy book... ;-)

Wuala in Czech!

2011-01-25T17:10:00.005+01:00

From now on Wuala is also available in Czech! A big thank you to our Czech translator, Petr Kletečka - we really appreciate your work! Here's a warm welcome to all our Czech users by Petr:

Užijte si program Wuala v češtině. Bezpečí pro vaše soubory.

I hope wuala get many satisfied customers from the Czech Republic. I'm using it last half year for backups of my website about juggling http://zonglovani.info (Available only in Czech, but with a lot of pictures) and Wuala works like a charm :)

eZurich Workshop

2011-01-24T17:00:00.003+01:00

I had the great opportunity to take part in the eZurich workshop (previous posting). Computerworld called this event 'Elefantenrunde' (elephant round) of Swiss IT, a German term that illustrates the political weight of its participants. Generally, the ICT sector isn't well organized in Switzerland and it is quite rare for so many major players of different areas (politics, corporations, SMBs, NGOs) to meet, especially for three days in a row. The surpisingly concrete outcome is a number of projects inspired by the public idea competition that was held in December. More details will be revealed in an eZurich press conference on Friday.

Looking for a new challenge? We're hiring!

2011-01-18T11:20:00.007+01:00

For us customer service is essential and we strive our best to offer our users a personalized and competent service. In order to ensure this, we are now looking for a Support Specialist to join our team.

Support Specialist (1st and 2nd level)
You simply love to help people: For you it's important that our users are happy. You understand users' needs and resolve their issues with a smile. You are fluent in English and French, and may even speak another language such as Italian, Spanish or Dutch.

Further open positions can be found on our jobs page. We are looking forward to hearing from you!

Why Encryption Matters

2011-01-10T13:32:00.001+01:00

In this post, I will give you a short introduction into 'client side encryption'. You will learn why 'zero knowledge' is important (Twitter as a recent example) and how you can find out if your online service uses client side encryption. Further, you'll find a short comparison of US and European data protection laws.

Client Side Encryption
Wuala is a 'zero knowledge' service provider. This means that it encrypts all your data already on your PC and your password never leaves your computer (client side encryption). That way, not even we as the operators of Wuala can decrypt your data. Most online storage services handle this differently and have the key to your data. A notable exception that also has 'zero knowledge' encryption is SpiderOak. There are also a number of pure backup services that let you specify a custom encryption key.

The Current Twitter Case
A recent example of why this matters is the subpoena Twitter received from the U.S. government which forced them to hand over customer data. Normally, companies are ordered to keep such subpoenas secret, so not even the affected customers learn about them, but Twitter managed to get an exemption in this case (read the article in the New York Times for more information). Twitter behaved correctly, it had no choice when it handed out the data and it is great that they fought to let their users know about it. But this example shows that when you store data with a service that doesn't have client-side-encryption, you can't be sure that it is safe, even if the company that stores your data is 'nice'.

The 'Password Recovery' Test
If you are unsure if your online storage service is 'zero knowledge', the simplest test is to check if they have a 'reset password' or 'recover password' function. If there is such a function, they can decrypt and access your data. Examples of services that can read your data are DropBox, SugarSync, and box.net. This is nothing unusual, your email provider can read all your emails and Facebook can see everything you upload there. But when it comes to storing sensitive data, you might want to be a little more picky than usual.

Data Protection Laws
Data protection laws are much stronger in Europe than in the U.S. If you care about privacy, you should generally prefer European services. If you are European and intend to store sensitive data online (for example patient records), you might get into legal trouble if you don't choose a storage provider with good encryption. (You can find a German talk about the legal situation in Switzerland here.)

Talk in Zurich
In case you happen to be in Zurich and want to know more about Cloud security, I'll give a talk about this topic on 2010-02-10. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Last Chance to Get Your eKnife!

2010-12-28T12:36:00.007+01:00

We're proud to see that our premium bundle called eKnife, which we've launched together with Doodle and Memonic, just made it's way to Zurich's daily newspaper Tages Anzeiger. The article nicely summarizes that web services do not necessarily need to be from Google, Apple or Microsoft and introduces those clever web services 'Made in Switzerland'. Read the article here (in German).

Remember: This is a limited time offer and only running until the end of this year, so get yours now at www.eknife.ch!

2010: Year in Review

2010-12-23T13:00:00.000+01:00

The year has flown by. Looking back, we have come far and have launched many new products and features.

PRODUCTS
2010 started off with Wuala being bundled with LaCie products. LaCie costumers buying a LaCie Key or an external hard drive are automatically entitled to get additional online storage on Wuala.

As a first mover, we successfully started selling Wuala Cards in selected stores in Switzerland. It is now possible to buy a 10 GB Wuala Card at Interdiscount, Data Quest and Heiniger.

FEATURES
Our primary focus was enhancing Wuala as a whole, but at the same time adding new features. Our major feature, sync, which has been requested by many users, was successfully launched for our second anniversary in August. With sync you can keep your files up to date on every computer you've linked to your Wuala account. Further, you can also sync files in groups. Together with automatic backup, our pro features perfectly cover your online storage needs, by keeping your data safe and up to date. In case you haven't tried them out yet, be sure to click on the trial button in the client, giving you the ability to test the pro features for 30 days.

TEAM
This year many new faces joined: Marcel, Jonas, Andrei, Christian, Luki, Bastian and Peter. We are now a team of 18, hoping to find like-minded people for next year.

NUMBERS
Wuala has clearly become the hub for files: We've stored over 200 million files in June and have just passed the mark of 300 million files, which is simply amazing.
Further, Wuala is also available in several languages - Dutch, Italian, Portuguese-Portugal and Spanish - a big thank you to our community!

COMPLIMENTS AND AWARDS
Many press articles have highlighted the fact that all files on Wuala first get encrypted directly on your computer before being uploaded. For this we have received great reviews, such as Ktipp or PC WELT.

In terms of awards: We received the Anthrazit Award for being one of the best websites in Switzerland.

CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
Apart from being at major web conferences such as the Lift Conference and LeWeb, we joined LaCie at Photokina in Cologne or World Didac in Basel. This gave us the opportunity to talk to users personally, which is really important in receiving direct feedback.
For next year, we're proud to be part of eZurich. Our very own Luzius will be taking part in a workshop gathering all topshots of the Swiss ICT-scene. The aim of the workshop is to determine how Zurich can become the leading location for IT in Europe.

PREMIUM BUNDLE
Together with Doodle and Memonic we successfully launched eKnife.ch, a premium bundle, giving you Doodles and Memonics premium features and a 10 GB Wuala Pro account. The idea for our Swiss Online Army Knife arouse spontaneously on Twitter - that's what social media is for! In case you didn't get your eKnife yet, do it soon - it's only running until Dec 31, 2010.

We wish you Happy Holidays and look forward to seeing you next year. Thank you for your support and feedback throughout the year. For 2011 our roadmap is filled with new products and apps - expect to be surprised!

P.S. In case you still need a last minute gift, get some inspiration over here.

P.P.S. If you're looking for some great yearly recaps, don't miss the following:
Zeitgeist 2010: Year in Review, Top Twitter Trends in 2010, 2010 Memology: Top Status Trends of the Year, YouTube Rewind 2010: Year in Review, The Mobile Year in Review 2010 and Filmography 2010.

P.P.P.S. If your relatives bug you with computer questions, simply send them to the following site: Tech Parents Tech.

P.P.P.P.S Don't feel like reading the Christmas story to your little cousins? Let YouTube tell it to them: The Digital Story of Nativity.

Trial: Try Before You Buy

2010-12-20T16:34:00.011+01:00

With last week's update is has become even easier to try out the pro features - automatic backup, sync and file versioning - for free.

Choose the 'Backups' or 'Sync' tab and click on the big button 'Free Trial for 30 Days'. Within this month you'll be able to set up an automatic backup for your files, sync files across multiple computers and access previous versions of files - it is free and no credit card is required. After the 30 days are up, the pro features will be deactivated unless you decide to buy the storage plan that fits your needs or trade local storage for online storage. Enjoy!

Release: Oberstrass

2010-12-16T17:21:00.009+01:00

For the holiday season we've released a minor release:

Continuous backup on Windows. Newly created backup folders can be backed up on every change (like sync).
New import for contacts. Since our contacts import library has not been maintained anymore, we decided to replace it with our own implementation. We currently support GMail & Yahoo.
Improved accessibility. Support for large fonts and high contrast color schemes.
Early access release of a new technology for the Wuala Drive (to replace Dokan). Start Wuala with "-useCBFS" parameter to try it out.

Hope you enjoy our latest release and be ready for next year - you'll be stunned!

Gifts For Storage Lovers

2010-12-07T11:48:00.002+01:00

The holiday season is here! If you still don't know what you could get for the storage enthusiasts in your family, I've compiled some ideas below:

For Your Dad
With it's fast speed and tiny size, the LaCie FastKey is perfect for your busy father. It is one of the speediest, most robust choices on the market. With LaCie's Private-Public software, your Dad can create a private partition on his key, keeping his private data safe. Further, he'll get 4 GB of online storage for two years on Wuala, the perfect place to securely store his documents online.

For Your Mom

The LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive combines solid design with smart touch. Not only does it look good, but your Mom can even customize the front panel. It comes with 10 GB of online storage on Wuala for one year, just perfect for sharing all those familiy pictures and videos.

For Your Little Brother
The LaCie XtremKey is the perfect fit for your little brother. It doesn't matter if he drops the key from the first floor or if he accidentally takes it with for swimming. It's the world's most adventurous flash drive and includes 4 GB of online storage to store files in a secure offsite location.

For Your Big Sister
The eKnife bundle is the perfect gift for your sister. It gives the ability to clip important information from the web, coordinate meetings online and store important data in the cloud. Her digital life will be easier and she'll definitely love you for that!

For Your Big Brother
With the LaCie Network Space 2 your brother will turn your home into a centralized storage solution. You can access all your files - from every room in your house!

For Your Little Sister
The LaCie MosKeyto is cute, just like your little sis. It fits perfectly, just plug it and forget it! 4 GB of online storage on Wuala is included, enough to store additional documents and pictures on the go.

For Your Whole Family
If your family backup plan has already included the first step, a back up to a physical drive, then you're ready for the second step: An online backup service!

Head to the stores, get a 10 GB Wuala Card for every family member, and voilà, all your digital memories are safe.

Happy shopping!

Meet Wuala at LeWeb 10!

2010-12-06T15:23:00.018+01:00

For the fourth time, Dominik will be in Paris at the Le Web '10 conference. Le Web is the number one European Internet Event bringing together influencers, entrepreneurs, bloggers, investors and leaders.

In case you're there: Feel free to drop Dominik a line or look out for our new Wuala promo cards which we'll spread.

PC WELT Review

2010-12-02T17:33:00.009+01:00

I'd like to share another very nice review in the November edition of PC WELT, a leading German PC magazine. They say:*

If you want to know more about how we protect your privacy, be sure to read our publication called Cryptree or the Googe Tech Talk.

* PC WELT recommends Wuala because of its exemplary and comprehensible privacy protection.

Wuala Card Competition - The Winners

2010-11-17T17:25:00.005+01:00

In order to win a Wuala Card, you had to convince us why you desperately needed a 10 GB Wuala Card. It wasn't easy to decide among all participants, but in the end we picked the following five winners:

Winner Nr. 1
Because I always promote this wonderful tool on Facebook, Twitter and forums on the Internet. I’m active in the French community, especially for Windows Home Server users.
(F.D)

We've seen his retweets and his postings everywhere - definitely a good reason to win!

Winner Nr. 2
I've just started a small business with my partner, and our experimental data is _everything_ to the company right now. We're totally self financing, so she's waiting tables at a restaurant and I'm babysitting and tutoring to pay the bills as we start up. We're in the midst of building our office in the basement of a bank to get a cheap lease :) As we built out our infrastructure we tried using several other online storage/backup/sync solutions but the flexibility of Wuala (like the ability to sync to group folders!!!) and the trade-for-storage model were irresistible. 10GB of storage may not sound like much, but for a company being built on sweat instead of VC the peace of mind is invaluable. (E.O)

A story which touched us. As a startup you need to look after every cent and it's important to store your important data in a safe location. Good luck with your company!

Winner Nr. 3
I am from Romania. I'm a dentist in my country and I have a lot of data of my patients on my work computer. So my reason is to backup all my work. (L.B)

Though none of us really liked going to the dentist, he convinced us. We're proud to see a dentist use Wuala to backup his confidential data.

Winner Nr. 4
I'm the leader of a small group of freelancers focusing on creating finest websolutions, design, development etc. We stick with Wuala since early beta and are still impressed how great it works. The most important part is the high level of security because our data is sometimes really confidential. We archive this data in Wuala with a clear conscience. (A.B)

This case proves that Wuala is great for small teams and for creative professionals. Further, they have been using Wuala since early beta - that's more than two years! Yet another point which convinced us.

Winner Nr. 5
I had my laptop stolen and the little music I had left was what I had backed up to my Wuala space! (C.S)

Right to the point. This is the reason why you need online storage!

All participants have been contacted with a little runner-up surprise, while the 10 GB Wuala Cards are on the way to the winners.

Zürich - IT's happening here

2010-11-11T09:07:00.007+01:00

With last week's kick-off event, the city council of Zurich has declared eZurich as the one of the main points in the upcoming legislative period. Aim of eZurich is for Zurich to become a major hub in information technology - or let's put it this way, Zurich should be the Silicon Valley of Europe!

The kick-off event was accompanied by an idea competition open to all citizens of Zurich. Further, there will be a workshop bringing together all major IT-professionals from various companies such as Microsoft or IBM. And guess what: Our very own Luzius is now also an IT celebrity. Together with Myke from Doodle he'll represent the start-up scene. Listen to his quote below (in Swiss German):

If you're living in Zurich, feel free to post your visionary idea to the ideas competition until December 12, 2010. Or if you have a great idea how Wuala could help Zurich, send it to me: oona@wuala.com. Thanks!

Effective Usage: How To Use The Search Function

2010-11-09T14:20:00.001+01:00

Wuala's search function is simple: Use the search box and type in your search request. Most of the time, Wuala will find exactly what you're looking for. However, there may be times when you want to specify your search. For this we have compiled some tips and tricks below.

Introduction

A query for an advanced word search consists of terms and operators. There are two types of terms: Single Terms and Phrases.

A Single Term is a single word such as Wuala or friend.

A Phrase is a group of words surrounded by double quoted such as “wuala group”. Multiple terms can be combined together with Boolean operators to form a more complex query.

Boolean Operators

2 Boolean operators are supported: “+” and “-”.

+ Operator:
The “+” operator requires that the term after the “+” symbol must exist somewhere in the field of a single item.

To search for items that must contain flower, but may contain tree use the query:

+flower tree

- Operator:

The “-” operator excludes items that contain the term after the “-” symbol.
The search for items that contain flower but not tree use the query:
flower -tree

Wildcard Search

To perform a multiple character wildcard search use the “*” symbol. This search is supported only within single terms, and “*” may not be the first character.
Multiple character wildcard searches looks for 0 or more characters.
For example, to search for test, tests, or tester, you can use the search:
test*

Fuzzy Search

To perform a fuzzy search use the tilde, “~”, symbol at the end of a Single word Term.
For example to search for a term similar in spelling to roam use the fuzzy search:
roam~
This search will find terms like foam and roams.

Field

When performing a search you can either specify a field or use the default field. You can search any field by typing the field name followed by a colon “:” and then the term or phrase you are looking for.

To search for the users whose username is Wuala use the query:
user:Wuala

To search for the tag music use the query:
Tags:music

The supported fields are as following:

name (name of items, such as file-name, link-name), description, tags, comments, commentAuthors, owner, path, extras (specific meta data such as artist, song title, album, etc.), fullName, email, skype, founder, uploadDate, modificationDate, firstPublishingDate, content, restricted (0: not restricted; 1: restricted)

If you don’t specify a field, the results are found from the default fields:
name, owner, description, tags, comments, commentAuthors, founder, fullName, extras.

Grouping

Parentheses are using to group multiple clauses to form sub queries.
To search for either tree or present and Christmas use the query ( may exist and either term tree or present must exist):
+(tree present) Christmas

Range Search

Range Queries allow you to match items whose value are between the lower and upper bound specified by the Range Query. Sorting is done lexicographically.
uploadDate:[20091001 TO 20091002]
This will find items which have been uploaded from October 1, 2009 to October 2, 2009 (included).

Effective Usage: How To Sync Your Folders In Your Group

2010-11-05T11:00:00.023+01:00

With yesterday's release Unterstrass we introduced the feature Group Sync. Instead of just syncing your files to your different computers, you can now sync your files in a private group and share the folder with your fellow group members. This is great for small teams who need to have access to the same files on multiple computers.

Your Requirements
Before trying to set up a sync folder in your group, you should bear in mind that you need to be a pro user in order to setup and link a group sync folder to your computer. Further, you can only setup a sync folder in a private group. In order to setup and link a group sync folder to your computer you need to have the permission to do so. In short: Please check your role and its permission in your private group (click on the group and go to File > Roles and Permissions...). Your permission has to be set to Add and delete any items, otherwise you will not be able to sync.

Note that there are two ways how to setup a sync folder in your private group. Either create a completely new sync folder in your group or sync an existing folder to your computer.

How To Setup A New Folder
In order to setup a s new folder in your group, simply go to File > Add Sync. Here it is important to have a look at the Advanced features, since this is where you define the location of the folder within Wuala. By setting the location to one of your private groups, a new folder is created allowing you and your group members to upload files to that folder and to link the folder to the computers of your choice.
How To Sync An Existing Folder
Choose the folder and go to File > Synchronize with this computer. By clicking on Path you can define the location of the sync folder on your computer. From now on you can simply edit and add files to your local folder on your computer and Wuala will automatically sync it to all associated computers.

Tips
When syncing a group folder to your computer you should be aware of the fact that other group members can add and delete any file in the sync folder, hence this affects your local folder on your computer. In case a file is deleted, you can still find the file in the trash of your group as long as the trash has not been emptied.

Let's recap: Group sync is highly recommend for small teams who need to have their files up to date on every computer they are using. When setting up group sync, you can either setup a completely new folder or link an existing folder to your computer. Since files are directly available in a local folder on your computer, we recommend to only use group sync with people you trust.

Release: Unterstrass

2010-11-03T15:53:00.012+01:00

We're excited to have just released Unterstrass a few minutes ago! With our newest release we have done some major bug fixing and have added some excellent new features:

Group Sync
You can now sync folders within a private group. If you're a Pro user you can set up a sync folder in your private group, allowing other group members who are pro to sync this folder to their computer. This is perfect for small teams working with multiple computers. We will explain this new feature in a separate posting.

Enhance Your Uploads
With our new bandwidth checker, Wuala automatically sets your upload and download rates. Simply go to Tools > Options (Win/Linux) or Wuala > Preferences (Mac) and Connection, click on Guess Bandwidth, and let Wuala do the rest. Don't be surprised if you were able to optimize your upload and download experience with just one click!

Quick Access
Our new buttons allow you to access the different tabs faster. Just click on the tab of your choice and you're there in no time. Forget endless scrolling!

Sidepane

The new sidepane makes it easier for you to see the details to selected folders and files. You can enable the sidepane by clicking on the small arrow on the right and instantly edit file and folder descriptions.

Trial for Pro Features
You can now try out the pro features for 30 days. Click on the Backups or Sync tab in the client and enable trial. Enjoy!

Superior Search
We have enhanced the search function. Not only is the local search much faster, it also allows you to use the boolean operators. We will give you a few hints to improve your search in a posting next week.

Another New Team Member

2010-11-02T11:44:00.003+01:00

Hello world,

my name is Bastian. I started together with Peter and today is my second day here.

Before Wuala I was working for a big swiss bank as a software architect and engineer. My goal now is to bring in my experience in software architecture and application development to enhance the face of the Wuala client.

To relax from tough but interesting work I go out into the mountains enjoying the beautiful swiss alps.

I am looking forward to a great time.

Look me up here.

New Team Member!

2010-11-01T14:50:00.005+01:00

Hi,
my name is Peter and as every carreer at Wuala starts with a post in this blog, I want to give you some short facts about me.

I've studied applied computer sciences at the "Fachhochschule Furtwangen" in germany a bit over 10 years ago. Most of my developer life I've spent with backend systems, ranging from my own mail server at home to financial data processing in the banking industry. But I've also collected some experience on the front end side, recently increased by some iPhone development.

Personally, in the last years I moved my focus to microcontroller development, especially for model airplanes. So I stick to things that can crash for my hobbies.

At Wuala I'm starting in the backend area and will soon share some of the high responsibility for your beloved files! And as things are quite dynamic in here, I guess I'll also be involved in some other stuff.

You can find me here at Wuala.

Regards,
Peter

Wuala in Stores!

2010-10-28T11:14:00.009+02:00

Great news today: From now on you can go and buy a Wuala Card directly at selected stores in Switzerland!

With a Wuala Card you get 10 GB and those awesome pro features - automatic backup, sync and file versioning. The cards are exclusively available at Interdiscount (only XXL stores), Data Quest and Heiniger AG.

To celebrate this, we're giving away 5 Wuala Cards. Tell us why YOU need to win a card and send your reason to competition@wuala.com.* We'll pick the best five reasons on November 9. Good luck!

*Competition closes on November 8, 2010 at 12 PM CET.

Effective Usage: Getting Your Paper Done

2010-10-26T12:04:00.012+02:00

One of the greatest advantages of being a student today is that there are various tools helping you to increase your productivity. This is something I clearly missed a few years ago. Since I am now doing additional studies, I am relieved to have access to all those tools, making my life as a student much easier.

Everything In It's Place
For our ongoing research seminar our study group has to create a thesis, conduct research and hand in a paper in the end. Thinking of all those documents and the different stages of doing research - we knew it would be a lot of work. As a group of three, we needed a solution where we could store all data and allowing all of us to access it. For this we created a private group on Wuala - our personal hub for files - where we have carefully organized all files in different folders.

You Know What's Important
For us, conducing research also means having to create a survey. There are many different online survey tools, but which one would match our needs? Which tool would support our questions and their conditions? You can easily search the tools, but in order to make a decision in the end, you would need all relevant information such as features and pricing. For this, we decided to set up a Memonic set were we were able to clip the essential information and share it with each other before making a decision.

Feeling Connected
Since we are pretty busy and don't live in the same city, we decided on having regular Skype calls. A major advantage of having Skype calls is that we're all in front of the computer anyway, so we can directly edit our files on Wuala or look at the set on Memonic and make instant decisions. Furthermore, Skype allows you to do share your screen, making it easy to show your friends what you're talking about.

Face To Face
Though Skype is great for deciding on our next tasks and steps, there are times when we need to discuss things face to face. In order to find a date, we rely on Doodle. Thanks to Doodle we end up at the same table and realize: Though we're literally stuck with our research paper we're having great fun - something we wouldn't want to miss!

For us Wuala, Memonic, Doodle and Skype have given us a clear advantage. Though studying is hard work, the right tools have supported us and made our life a lot easier. By organizing ourselves online, we were able to save time and stress, and at the same time increase our productivity. The good thing is: You can do it too! Check out eKnife - the perfect bundle to boost your efficiency.

eKnife.ch: Get More Swiss Efficiency For Less

2010-10-19T11:00:00.004+02:00

We're excited: Together with Doodle and Memonic we're launching eKnife.ch! With our brand-new online Swiss Army Knife you can now get three cool services for the price of two: Clip the essential with Memonic, schedule your meetings with Doodle and get more storage on Wuala.

A Perfect Match Made On Twitter
After some random tweeting on a Friday night involving ourselves and top three bloggers @bloggingtom, @leumund and @michelrossier we came up with this idea and before we knew it, the eKnife was born. You can read the whole story over here.

Presenting: Doodle and Memonic
You know who we are - but do you know our friends? Let me introduce them to you.

Organizing a meeting for ten people and trying to find a date can be a pain. This is where Doodle comes in: Simply set up your dates, send the link to everyone who should participate and you've got a final date in just two clicks!

Surfing on the web and stumbling upon content you want to keep has always been kind of unsatisfying. Just bookmarking the link doesn't really help, after all you want to make use of the content. With Memonic you can simply save web content and access it from every computer or mobile device. This is great for your travels: Instead of printing out the way to your hotel and the places of interest, simply combine this in a Memonic set and take it with you on your iPhone, iPad or any other mobile device.

What You'll Get
As a eKnife user, you'll be a premium user with the following goodies:

Doodle: No more ads for you and your participants, easily track your polls, choose your default calender and get this really cool Doodle crown ;)
Memonic: Unlimited sets and groups - simply capture as much content as you like.
Wuala: 10 GB of online storage and those nifty features automatic backup, sync and file versioning.

This special bundle is limited until December 31, 2010 and is available for 59 CHF (44 EUR) at eKnife.ch. Get yours now!

Effective Usage: Backup Your Social Life

2010-10-07T10:31:00.009+02:00

Yesterday Facebook announced the ability to download all the information you've ever put on Facebook with just one click: your messages, Wall posts, photos, status updates and profile information. Facebook will gather your information and will send you a download link where you can download your information in a .zip file. After unzipping the file you can easily access the information in your browser.

Don't Forget Your Backup

In order to protect the information you've downloaded, why not store it on Wuala? Just drag and drop the folder to your personal Wuala account to always have a backup of your social life. Since Wuala encrypts your files directly on your desktop, you can be sure that your data is private and secure. Only you - not even we as the provider - can access your files.

Daily Life: Photokina 2010 Recap

2010-09-28T09:18:00.003+02:00

Last week I went to Cologne, Germany, to represent Wuala at the LaCie booth at Photokina 2010.

LaCie highlighted their professional storage solutions, while I showed visitors how to include Wuala into their professional workflow. When talking about online storage, I realized that even though there seems to be a lot of interest in this 'new' way of storing files, most people are still a bit skeptic of storing their files online, as they prefer to have physical control over their data. However, when I asked them what would happen if their external hard drives were to be stolen, most looked at me helplessly.

Wuala as a tool for replacing FTP and accessing data on the go, seems to be the solution most professionals have been looking for. Many were interested in learning how to use Wuala in their workflow for exchanging confidential data either with their own team or with customers.

Since we seldom have direct contact with potential users, being at a fair is a great opportunity for new insights: How do newbies react to online storage? Do they want to use it? For what would they use it? These various reactions help us a lot.

From my point of view, it was a pleasure connecting with new users - I look forward to seeing you again at the next Photokina in two years!

Daily Life: Wuala at photokina 2010

2010-09-07T12:01:00.008+02:00

This year we'll be joining LaCie at photokina. photokina, taking place on September 21 - 26, 2010, is the leading fair of photography and imaging, and the highlight for all photo enthusiasts - amateur photographers, professional photographers or photography aficionados.

You'll find us in Hall 04.1 at with the exhibitor number G039. Shoot me a line if you're there!

New team member!

2010-09-01T17:16:00.004+02:00

Hi there!

I'm just about finishing my first work day here at Wuala. I will spend the next five months here doing my internship. So you might already have guessed it, I'm still a CS student at ETH.

I'm really looking forward to get an insight into the Wuala world and forget about the study duties :-)

Greetings
Luki

Effective Usage: How To Use Wuala As A Photographer

2010-08-31T10:51:00.001+02:00

The following posting is written by guest blogger Michael Schmid. Michael is CTO at Amazee and owner of x-foto.ch. Be sure to check out his amazing portfolio or follow him on Twitter.

As a photographer you are producing a lot of pictures, meaning a lot of data. Carrying this data around is a real hassle, after all you do not always have your notebook with you and an USB stick does not solve the problem either.

I'm not working as a full-time photographer, but as with Murphy's law, there are times when I desperately need a picture. Mostly it is a client needing a picture in full resolution, something I could not guarantee if I’m on the road while the pictures are on my notebook at home. Since I don't want to disappoint my clients, I searched for a good and simple solution to solve my problem, and voilà, I found it!

The Good Thing About Wuala Backups
What I really appreciate is that I do not have to carry around my pictures and still have access to them on the go. Further, all my pictures are encrypted with the best security available, an important aspect for not only me but also for other photographers.

How My Setup Works
I'm using Aperture and have shot around 200'000 pictures during the past eight years. All these pictures are saved on a NAS at my home. Every picture tagged with at least one star or more is stored in a separate folder on the NAS. It is this folder that is backed up via the Wuala functionality. So even if the NAS were to crash or my house were to burn down, I would still have my best pictures available in the Wuala Cloud.

So what happens when I need access to a picture when I’m not at home? I can open my Aperture Picture database, look in which folder the file is and download this folder from the Wuala Cloud, point the Aperture database to this folder and edit the pictures on my local notebook. Or if I don't have my notebook with me, I can access all my files through the web by starting Wuala directly in the browser. I can even give the client direct access to the folder with a secure key, in order for him to choose the picture he wants. The good thing is that the client doesn’t need to register or install anything.

The bottom line: Wuala allows me to respond quickly to a client’s request by directly sharing a folder with a secure key in the web and without needing to take along all my pictures. Further, I don't need to worry about hardware failures of my NAS, since all my pictures are stored in Wuala.

Effective Usage: How To Set Up Sync in Three Steps

2010-08-24T15:43:00.014+02:00

With our recent update it is possible to sync your files online and across multiple computers. This is convenient if you want to sync your files from your home computer to your work computer or if you want to have a copy of your music collection on all your computers. Just follow the steps below and you'll be in sync instantly.

Step 1: Add your local folder
Click on the 'Sync' tab and go to 'Add Sync'. A new window will open. Click on 'Select folder' to select your local folder. A new window will show you the path to your local folder. Click 'Ok' to confirm.

Step 2: View your sync folder
The folder will be synced automatically. You can see an overview of your online Wuala sync folder. If you want to disable sync, please click on 'Unlink'.

Step 3: Add another folder to your online Wuala Sync folder
Start Wuala on another computer. A new window will appear asking you if you want to sync the folder. Select the sync folder and click on OK. You may change the path of the sync folder by clicking on '...'. The sync overview shows you which local folders have been linked to your online Wuala sync folder.
Now you can edit files directly in your local folders (even if you're offline) or drop something into your online Wuala sync folder. Wuala will automatically adjust the changes, keeping your files up to date.

Anniversary Release: Sync, New Look and Updated Pro Packages

2010-08-19T13:17:00.002+02:00

It's our two-year anniversary and we're excited to share the news:

Sync
Your wish is our command. With our newest feature, you can now sync your files online and across multiple computers. Simply choose the folders on your notebook and home computer, and link them to your Wuala Sync folder. Edits on your home computer will immediately be synced to your notebook, while anything added to your online Wuala Sync folder will instantly appear on all your associated systems. Make your edits directly on your desktop - just like you are used to - while Wuala will work quietly in the background without you even noticing.

Use our new sync feature to access your entire music collection on any computer or just keep documents between your home Mac and your work PC in sync. Further, you can also share your sync folder - great for keeping your friends up to date.

We will be following up with a short tutorial next week, stay tuned.

New Look and Feel
If you've started Wuala today, you will see that we have undergone a little makeover. By moving the tabs to the left, you now have a neater overview of all your folders, backups, sync, friends and groups.

There will no longer be a tab 'world'; we have decided to completely disable this tab. Friends and public groups can still be found by using Wuala's features, while public files are shared directly through a weblink. If you want to search for public content on Wuala, we recommend using Google.

Every folder now has a specific icon, showing you the folder type and its sharing status. Though the colors of the folders have changed slightly, they still mean the same: Yellow folders are private, red folders are shared, while blue folders are public. Since usability tests have shown that many users mistake thumbnails for images, folders do not include thumbnails per default anymore. You may still set thumbnails on folders, while existing thumbnails can still be seen by activating the setting 'Show thumbnails on folders' (Tools > Options > Advanced on Win/Linux or Wuala > Preferences > Advanced on Mac).

This is only the first set of updates regarding our new look. We will be rolling out further enhancements in the next few weeks and months.

Updated Pro Packages
We've updated our pricing plans and are now offering a 25 GB plan for 49 USD per year. Note that our pro packages now cover all your online storage needs - automatic backup, sync and file versioning. You can easily get an upgrade and become Pro: Trade local storage for online storage or buy additional storage (10 GB, 25 GB, 50 GB, 100 GB, more upon request).

We hope that you like our changes as much as we do. Let us know your thoughts by commenting below or by sending us an email to feedback@wuala.com. We look forward to hearing your opinion and your inputs.

Effective Usage: Running Wuala as a Windows Service

2010-08-10T09:11:00.001+02:00

The following post is written by guest blogger Tsukasa, a developer from Germany, who has been using Wuala since closed alpha. Read his blog for interesting insights about technology.

One of the more common questions is how to run Wuala as a Windows service. There is in fact a thread in the forums describing how to run Wuala as a scheduled task.

A scheduled task in Windows is not a suitable replacement for a service, though. The most striking difference is that a scheduled task only runs when the user is logged on to the machine. Imagine a scenario where you experience a power outage, your machine boots up again and Wuala is not being started until you sit in front of the machine.

If you want to improve this behaviour you can try to install one of the many Cron clones for Windows. These tools do the same thing as Windows' built-in scheduled task feature - but as a service. This means you do not have to log on to trigger the start of the task.

Again, though, there are drawbacks: A simple search for "cron +windows" gives you a vast amount of software to try. Some of the tools come with dependencies like Perl - things you will not find on a average Windows installation.

So, what else is there? Programs like FireDaemon or Microsoft's SrvAny fit the bill. On top of being quite user-friendly you can find a how-to for Wuala on FireDaemon's forums. The tool isn't free though, so we may want to look around a bit more.

NSSM is promising. Not only is the tool free, it is easy to use and comes with full source-code included. The software allows you to install normal applications as services and even takes care of checking and restarting unresponsive or crashed applications. Furthermore NSSM works on 32bit and 64bit Windows systems.

If NSSM is not for you I have also hacked a quick and dirty, (almost) one-click installable Wuala service (source-code here). Just unpack, click install and do not delete or move.

No matter which solution you prefer there are some points you should pay attention to:

Normally services run under the Windows SYSTEM or LocalService accounts. They have full privileges so be sure never to run any application under these accounts.
Additionaly you should remember that Wuala is saving data in the user profile so make sure there is one. You should be fine as long as you use a normal user account and not a Windows system account.
Best practice is to create a new, limited user account on your system or use your existing Windows user account (given that you are not administrator) to run Wuala as a service. Be sure to make all the necessary changes to the configuration (like enabling auto-login or the Wuala drive) within the user account. Editing Wuala's startup parameters is not necessary since services usually do not interact with a user's desktop unless explicitly set.
If you're not using FireDaemon you can change the account for a service from within Windows' Computer Management console. Select the service you want to change, choose properties and go to the Account tab.

All this should take you as little as 5 minutes and you will have Wuala up and running all the time. A nice side effect: You can remote-control Wuala through either Windows' "net" command or Windows' MMC feature, allowing you to start/stop/monitor Wuala on your entire network.

New Team Member

2010-08-05T09:23:00.004+02:00

Hi Wuala fans!

My name is Christian. Monday was the first day at my new and all exciting workplace...

Well, you certainly guessed it, I just joined the Wuala team. :-)

After finishing my M. Sc. EE at the EPF in Lausanne, I worked at Ascom in Bern, Lucent Technologies in Holmdel NJ, and Bluewin/Swisscom in Zürich. Now I'm looking forward to the many new challenges waiting here at Wuala.

You can find me here.

Best regards

Christian

Wuala's Security in a Nutshell

2010-07-28T14:12:00.008+02:00

One of the main aspects that distinguish Wuala from other services is our focus on privacy. We believe that your data is yours and should only be accessible to you.

Instant Encryption

In order to protect your privacy, Wuala encrypts your data directly on your computer before it is uploaded. This is in stark contrast to other services, which only encrypt the transmission process and not the files itself. Our encryption guarantees that your files are encrypted, not just during the upload process, but also while being stored on our servers and in the Wuala network, always keeping your files confidential.

For added security your password is never transmitted so that no one - not even the employees at Wuala or LaCie- can access your private fies. This approach clearly distinguishes us from other services, which in most cases have access to your files. Therefore, it is very important that you do not forget your password and set a password hint when signing up. If you want to know which services could technically access your data, there's a rule of thumb: If a service offers a 'password recovery' function, then their employees could technically access your data.

Selective Sharing
Though your files are encrypted, you can decide to share them with specific friends. There are three levels of sharing, each of them respecting your specific sphere of privacy:

1. Private: Wuala's encryption process ensures that only friends who are explicitly granted permission can access the files. This is the most secure option.
2. Link: Only friends who know the link can access the files directly in the web.
3. Public on the web: Anyone can access the files in the web.

With Wuala's sharing options you can decide with whom you want to share your files, giving you full control over your data.

Designed to protect
If you're interested in how Wuala manges encryption, simply have a look at our publication on Cryptree or read our technology page.

Effective Usage: How To Embed Your Images in Three Steps

2010-07-22T14:39:00.035+02:00

Since Wuala is focused on securely storing files online, one tends to forget that Wuala actually offers many additional benefits. I'd like to explain one of them today: Embedding images directly to your blog or website.

All images uploaded to Wuala, can easily be embedded to your blog or website. Instead of re-uploading your images to another service, you can embed them directly by following the steps below:

Step 1: Share your folder

You have two ways to share your folder:

Create a secret weblink (access is limited to those who know the specific weblink)
Publish a public weblink (everyone has access to the file)

Click on 'Shared' and 'Set' to create a secret weblink or click on 'Public' to publish your folder. It is up to you which option you want to use.

Step 2: Open the weblink in your browser

The weblink will open in your browser. Change to 'List View' and click on the image you want to embed.

Step 3: Copy the link to the code
If you're embedding an image which has been shared through a secret weblink, use the following code below. Copy the link in your browser and do not forget to mention the unique key at the end of the link.

<img alt="Your image" src="https://content.wuala.com/contents/YOUR-IMAGE?key=1234" />

With a public weblink, simply use the following code, and copy and paste the link:

All images which have been used for this posting, have also been uploaded to Wuala. A small hint: In order to not delete any images by accident, I have created an extra folder called 'Embed'. The folder gives me a nice overview of all images which I have embedded.

Heap Dumps, Anyone?

2010-07-16T12:05:00.006+02:00

Yes, we're looking for your heap dumps. For those of you who don't know what heap dumps are, it is the information that Wuala includes in a special file whenever Wuala has been using too much of your computer's memory. With the help of these heap dumps, we can identify why Wuala suddenly creates an 'OutOfMemory' message.

Since some of you have already sent in their heap dumps (thanks a lot!), we were already come across a problem of an excessive memory usage related to a backup task, which has now been successfully fixed in the meantime.

So, if you have an out of memory error, please share your heap dump (can be found at "<wuala data folder>/HeapDumps/<current date>.hprof") by uploading it to Wuala and sending the link to bug_high_prio@wuala.com. We promise to look into it and maybe you'll even get a small reward :)

Thanks for your help!

Wipkingen Recap

2010-07-07T16:10:00.009+02:00

For our latest release Wipkingen we fixed many bugs and focussed on the stability of the Wuala client. This includes enhancements in detecting and recovering broken network connections and an optimization of the file system integration concerning the usage of resources. Further, we have also decided to remove the "Friends of Friends" section per default (can be activated in the Preferences).

One of the main changes is that the contents of Wuala's memory can now be found at <wuala data folder>/HeapDumps/<current date>.hprof. In case Wuala runs out of memory, you an send us the Heap Dump and we will look into it.

Stay tuned for our next release 'Affoltern' - coming soon!

200'000'000 Files

2010-06-28T17:24:00.002+02:00

We are proud to be storing over 200 million files - our newest record. This number shows us that we are emerging to an universal online storage which can be used for many different purposes: storing any kind of files, sharing documents with friends or backing up important folders.
Thanks for your loyalty and your support - now let's take it to the next level!

Need Help? Have a Problem?

2010-06-23T16:12:00.004+02:00

It is our mission to help. For us, customer support is essential and we do our best to help you out as quickly as possible. We have added several resources to make it more convenient for you to find answers to your questions, updates about our service or a guide on how to use a specific feature.

FAQs
Our FAQs cover the basic questions. As soon as we realize that an important question is missing, we will add it immediately.

Tutorial
Our screencast tutorial shows you how to use specific features of Wuala. It is split up into different categories, guiding you from your first steps to gaining more storage.

Forum
In our forum you can post questions and ideas and exchange with other users.
It is moderated by our genius Wuala Masterminds and us. As long as you are only searching for an answer, you do not have to register.

Bugtracker
Our bugtracker is something for our tech-savy users. Here you can post bugs and feature requests. You'll get straight feedback from our developers, either wanting more details for your feature request or asking you for an error message.

Status Blog
On our status blog we post service updates. Here we will inform you about a scheduled maintenance or if Wuala has temporary hiccups.

Twitter

If you have a short question, direct your tweet to @Wuala. We will try to reply instantly.

Support Email
If you have a specific question, want to give us feedback or just say hello, contact us directly. All support requests are answered in the order they are received and we do our best to answer them as quickly as possible.

We value your feedback and we want to hear from you. So tell us what you're missing!

Backup Overview

2010-06-09T11:51:00.000+02:00

All our PRO users, regardless if they bought or trade storage, profit from backing up their files automatically. As one of the newest features, we've added a backup overview to show the status of a backup.

One can easily toggle this window by going to: View > Show Backup Overview (Win/Linux) or Window > Show Backup Overview (Mac). The overview will show you the details about your backup folders: the name of the backup folder, the path to your local folder, the size of the folder, date of last completion and the current status. The current status is split into five different categories:

In progress: The backup is currently in progress
Succeeded: The backup has been successfully completed
Not yet started: The backup is scheduled, but has not yet started
Warning: Wuala was not able to backup all files. See the log for details
Error: The backup was not successful. Nothing has been backed up

By clicking on a folder, you will see additional information, such as the last execution date and the next execution date.

With this overview we wanted to give you the opportunity to easily check the status of your backups. You can now always be certain that your files are safe.

Just joined the team

2010-06-03T13:47:00.004+02:00

Hi all,

My name is Andrei and I joined the Wuala team on June 1st.

Before joining, I worked for several years at Esmertec (now Myriad Group) where I developed the host Java bytecode optimizing compiler. Then, it followed a short period, of just a few months, in a consulting company (BS Group AG), where I wrote a couple of iPhone financial apps.

Now it feels great to be back in a hardore engineering environment :-)

Cheers,

Andrei

Wuala Now With Proxy Support

2010-05-14T09:35:00.001+02:00

Many asked for it - now it's finally here. Wuala can connect to the internet using a proxy server. The proxy may use basic authentification, but must allow SSL connections. NTLM is not yet supported.

If you are behind a proxy, P2P connections do not work. This means that you cannot trade storage. Everything else works just fine.

To get proxy support, you have to download and install the latest Wuala client from our web site. When starting Wuala for the first time, you will get a dialog. Here you can enter the proxy settings in case Wuala cannot connect to the internet. Enjoy!

LIFT 10 Recap

2010-05-10T13:38:00.006+02:00

Looking back, the three days at LIFT10 have been very inspiring. I have received a lot of diverse input, which clearly made me start thinking about topics I had not been dealing with before.

From a startup's point of view the Alp ICT Venture Night was rather interesting, after all it has only been two years when Dominik himself was standing on that stage and presenting Wuala. This year there were eight Swiss startups pitching: Fontself (your own font for Facebook or your blog), Sobees (a tool letting you track all your different social networks from one single place), HyperWeek (platform for companies and institutions to socialize thier content assets), SECU4 (their product BlueWatchDog is a personal alarm system protecting your valuables from theft and loss), Everdream Soft (Moonga, an online multiplayer game for iPhone and iPod touch), salsaDev (semantic search technology), IceCube2 Net (content management system), and last but not least our friends Atizo (open innovation - sign up if you have lots of ideas and want to contribute).

Since Wuala is also available in Chinese, Basile Zimmermann's talk on Technology and Cultural Differences in China made me think. Zimmermann discussed the cultural differences between China and the Western world, showing us what happens when cultural differences meet technology. Most Western services that have been localized to Chinese are usually not "very Chinese" in the end. For example: If you compare Google's logo with Baidu, you can see that the Google logo in English is much bigger than the Chinese name, while Baidu has the same size for English and for Chinese, thus treating both languages equally. Transferring this to Wuala, this would probably mean that we would have to have a Chinese logo.

As the LIFT conference is about the impact of new technologies, I would like to quote Jamais Cascio: The future is something we create, not something we have. We're making a new future, we can make it the one we want. And this knowledge should be shared.

Impressions from the conference can be found on Wuala.

LIFT 10 Conference

2010-05-03T15:30:00.004+02:00

Similar to the previous two years, Wuala will be at the LIFT conference in Geneva taking place from May 5 - 7. True to the conference theme 'connected people', I'm looking forward to meeting new people and attending inspiring workshops. If you're also attending LIFT or happen to be Geneva, shoot me a line. Hope to see you there.

Now Supporting Major European Languages

2010-04-06T17:15:00.000+02:00

As from today, Wuala is available in four additional languages:
Dutch, Italian, Portuguese-Portugal, and Spanish.

We would like to say thank you to the following translators:

Dutch: WebSpider (Nils), Floris
Italian: Giulio Bordonaro
Portuguese-Portugal: Nuno Teixeira (nmat)
Spanish: Pedro Javier Moya

We really appreciate your great support!

Here are the comments of our translators in their native languages:

Dutch: De nieuwste versie van Wuala is ook in het Nederlands beschikbaar, waardoor het nog eenvoudiger wordt om uw bestanden veilig online op te slaan. Veel plezier met deze nieuwe versie!

Italian: La versione italiana è ora disponibile!

Portuguese-Portugal: Agora, a versão Portuguesa (Portugal) do Wuala está disponível!
Spanish: Pues sí, ¡por fin está disponible la versión en español! Parecía que nunca íbamos a verla funcionando pero ahí está, recién estrenada y a disposición de esos casi 137 millones de usuarios hispanohablantes que convierten a la lengua de Cervantes en el tercer idioma más utilizado en Internet, después del inglés y el c Seguramente, no todo sea perfecto, por más que uno quiere, siempre habrá algo que se podría haber mejorado, revisado alguna vez más o interpretado más al gusto de alguien. De eso no cabe duda, pero tampoco de que hemos puesto todo el empeño posible en conseguir que esta versión en español resultara lo más clara y accesible para todos los hispanohablantes del mundo. Si en algo hemos errado, lo sentimos de corazón. Finalmente, es justo dar las gracias a Sushi, la inmejorable coordinadora de todos los traductores, sin cuya ayuda constante, aliento y estupendo sentido del humor, seguro que este proyecto no habría culminado tan feliz ni rápidamente.

We are very pleased that more people can enjoy Wuala in their mother tongue and are proud that Wuala is now available in 12 different languages: German, English, Dutch, Spanisch, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese-Brazil, Portuguese-Portugal, Russian, Swedish and Chinese.

If Wuala is not available in your mother tongue yet and you are interested in translating Wuala or if you have any other questions about translations, please feel free to get in touch with me (sushi at wuala dot com).

New Team Member

2010-04-06T14:13:00.003+02:00

Hello Wuala Users,

my name is Jonas and I work at Wuala since April 1 (no, this is not an april fool's joke). I completed my M. Sc. in computer science and business administration ('Wirtschaftsinformatik') back in 2004 at the University of Zurich. Before joining Wuala, I worked at ECOFIN, developing software for the financial industry.

cheers,
Jonas

Wuala's Security: Introduction

2010-03-25T09:22:00.001+01:00

The following series is written by Luzius, Bernd and Mastermind Posativ. Follow Posativ on Twitter or read his blog about Wuala.

Wuala uses an elaborate encryption scheme to protect the privacy of its users. All files stored in Wuala get encrypted on your computer before the upload starts. No one - not even we as the provider - can see your files. At the same time, it is possible to share select folders with other users thanks to the Cryptree key management system. Thus, offering full privacy and the ability to share files at the same time, clearly makes us unique.

Some online storage providers have security claims on their website that sound very similar to ours. For example, they claim that their employees don't have access to your data. What they mean by that, is that their employees are not allowed to access it, but technically, they are still able to read your „securely“ stored data. As a rule of thumb, if a service has a "forgot password" feature to email you your password, they can access your data. Since they can send it to you, they can also send your password to any other email address, including one of their own, and then use it to access your data. This is not the case with Wuala. We don't know your password and cannot help you in case you forget it. If you lose your Wuala password, your data is gone forever.

In the following blog series, we will introduce you to Wuala's encryption. For a technical in-depth explanation of our key management, we recommend to read the Cryptree paper (presented at the Symposium for Reliable Distributed Systems 2006).

Official Wuala Blog.

Android Update - New Features!

Wuala Talk with Alumni from the University of Zurich

Group Access For iOS

Wuala supports UNAIDS

The patriot act and cloud storage

Wuala And Certification

And Another New Member :)

Say Hello To Our New Member Markus!

Hirslanden - more storage for everyone!

Wuala Stories: How Wuala Saved My Trip

2 Clicks for your data protection

Our new team Member

Android App 2.0 - Now With Group Access!

Android App 2.0 - Exclusive Sneak Preview!

Sync Stories (Part 2): How To Sync iTunes with Multiple Devices

System Administrator Appreciation Day

Effective Usage: Shortcuts - Because Time Is Precious

Unboxing the LaCie CloudBox

Wuala for OS X Lion

Android Update 1.19

Effective Usage: Outsource Your Files To The Cloud

Sync Stories (Part 1): How to Sync KeePassX with Wuala

Effective Usage: How to Sync Folders in Your Private Group

CloudBox: Safe In The Box, Secure In The Cloud

iOS Update 1.15 - Now for the iPad!

Cloud Security

The Backup Song

Tutorial: The Difference Between Backup and Sync

Tutorial: How To Setup Sync

Tutorial: How To Setup A Backup

Hottingen: New Style & Full-Feature Set

Wuala's Encryption Revisited

Wuala for Android OS

Wuala's Encryption For Dummies

ISSS Lunch Talk: Cloud Storage Security

Forum: New Section For iPhone Feedback

The New Team Member

iPhone Update 1.12

Effective Usage: Why PhD Students Use Wuala

iPhone, Android & Co.: The Answers On The Go

Introducing Wuala For iPhone and iPod touch

A Better Sharing Experience

Computer Hoy Ganador Calidad 2011

Wuala at SXSW 2011

Feedback Welcome!

What's Your Digital Identity?

Time to Switch: The 'Unlimited' Marketing Myth

Wuala at LIFT 11

Jimmy Wales at the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institut

Wuala in Czech!

eZurich Workshop

Looking for a new challenge? We're hiring!

Why Encryption Matters

Last Chance to Get Your eKnife!

2010: Year in Review

Trial: Try Before You Buy

Release: Oberstrass

Gifts For Storage Lovers

Meet Wuala at LeWeb 10!

PC WELT Review

Wuala Card Competition - The Winners

Zürich - IT's happening here

Effective Usage: How To Use The Search Function

Effective Usage: How To Sync Your Folders In Your Group

Release: Unterstrass

Another New Team Member

New Team Member!

Wuala in Stores!

Effective Usage: Getting Your Paper Done

eKnife.ch: Get More Swiss Efficiency For Less

Top Ten Questions and Their Answers: How Long Will It Take To Upload My Data?

Top Ten Questions and Their Answers: The Wuala Client vs. The Wuala Drive

Effective Usage: Backup Your Social Life

Top 10 Questions and Their Answers: What If I Exceed My Account?

Daily Life: Photokina 2010 Recap

Top 10 Questions and Their Answers: What The Local Cache Is Good For

Daily Life: Wuala at photokina 2010

Top 10 Tech Questions and Their Answers: Can I Get A Virus?

New team member!