Navigate your cloud storage services with Otixo

June 11, 2012, 9:17 PM – Cloud storage is exploding. Old standbys like Dropbox and SkyDrive keep convalescing, while new competition like Google Drive keeps things interesting. But with this glut of high-quality online file storage services, a brand new need arises: the way to tie all services together, find where you kept what file, and transfer files between services without needing to re-upload them. Otixo is a $10-per-month service (or free plan with limited bandwidth) that tries to do just that.

I’ve tested Otixo’s free plan that allows up to 2GB bandwidth usage monthly and is otherwise just like the paid plan. To take advantage of Otixo, it’s good to trust it with access to your entire file storage services, so I connected it to my Box.net, Dropbox, Picasa, and SkyDrive accounts.

Otixo is a webapp, so there’s nothing to download. The interface is easy: A tree at the left shows all connected cloud services, and allows you to drill into each service. To the proper of the tree, a huge table lists the files within the folder you’re currently browsing. It is the same setup as Windows Explorer and most other classic file managers, really. Something missing from the UI is a usage gauge: Each service has a distinct quota, and Otixo doesn’t make it easy to work out how much free space I actually have left in Dropbox or SkyDrive (as an example).

Copying a file or folder between services is as easy as drag-and-drop: I clicked a folder in my Dropbox and dragged it over to my Box.net account. The transfer was not instantaneous, however it was smooth. Otixo shows a progress bar within the bottom-left corner explaining what’s going on, and on the end of the method, I had a duplicate of an analogous folder in my Box.net account.

Speaking of “not instantaneous,” that’s something that may be said concerning the Otixo experience mostly. For those who first click a brand new folder, it comes up blank with an enormous watermark that claims “Empty.” Only when you wait some seconds does the folder’s content appear. So while the interface itself within reason responsive, this per-folder delay makes things feel slow, let alone momentarily harrowing.

Otixo’s other highlight is cross-service search, the premise being that you could type something like “*.jpg” into the hunt box and get an inventory of all JPEG images you’ve stored across all cloud services. This didn’t work well for me: Once I searched, results came up only from Dropbox folders I’ve already browsed. Not so useful, because if I already browsed the folder, i’m probably acquainted with its contents. This can be a Dropbox-specific issue and should be remedied soon, Otixo says.

While Otixo supports a variety of cloud-based storage services, it doesn’t support everything. As an example, i take advantage of CrashPlan to back up my entire computer to the cloud, but Otixo doesn’t offer a CrashPlan connection. Still, in the event you use a couple of cloud storage service and are often unsure which files are where, Otixo can turn out to be useful.

Note: The Download button takes you to the vendor’s site, where you should utilize latest version of this Web-based software.

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