DATA TRANSFER
SEND FILES ONLINE DON’T USE Wetransfer https://wetransfer.com
In days gone by, sending someone a file of more than a few megabytes usually meant burning it to a CD, putting it in the post and then keeping your fingers crossed that it arrived in one piece. Although most email services still limit you to attachments of around 10-20MB, there are plenty of file-sending services that will transfer multi-gigabyte files.
Thanks to its quick and hassle-free design (you don’t even need to register for an account), Wetransfer is a popular choice. Simply go to the website, upload your files (up to 2GB), then enter the recipient’s email address (along with your own). When your contact receives the email, they can download the files and, like you, won’t need to register.
But there are two major restrictions. One, the link to the files will be active for seven days only. And two, before it and your files are deleted, you can’t remove the files you’ve shared unless you pay for Wetransfer Plus (£10.50 a month). Most of the time this won’t be a problem, but if you do accidentally send the wrong files or have a change of heart, you’ll find the lack of a ‘delete’ option annoying.
You may be able to get Wetransfer to delete the files for you, but the promise of ‘we will see what we can do’ on its support pages isn’t hugely reassuring (read more at www.snipca.com/29317).
WE RECOMMEND Google Drive https://drive.google.com
Google’s online office suite has neither of these limitations.
To try it, go to the URL above (sign in or register for a Google account if you don’t already have one), then click the ‘+’ button on the left-hand side and select either ‘File upload’ or ‘Folder upload’. Once you’ve uploaded your files, rightclick them, select ‘Get shareable link’ (see screenshot above), then copy the link and share it with whoever you want to access the file.
If you want to cancel the share, follow the same process and set the ‘Link sharing’ option to Off. You can share as many files as you like within the overall 15GB limit. COPY IPHONE DATA TO YOUR PC DON’T USE imazing https://imazing.com
Apple is often criticised for locking down its hardware to restict what non-apple-approved software developers can do. The company will argue it’s all about maintaining quality control, but many users are left exasperated that seemingly simple tasks, such as accessing what you’ve got stored on your iphone, are anything but.
imazing is just one of a number of ‘free’ programs that promise to make this process easy. And while we were instantly suspicious of the ‘Buy Now’ option next to the ‘Free Download’ button, we weren’t prepared for the disappointments ahead of us.
When we installed the program, all went well at first. After connecting our
iphone, imazing displayed a list of everything on our phone that could be transferred. It soon became clear, however, that this was little more than a demo. In the ‘Messages’ section, for example, we saw a ‘10 remaining’ notification (see screenshot on page 55). And that’s not 10 messages per transfer, not even per day. It’s 10 messages per installation. Want to download more? That’ll be £34.99 for your ‘free’ software, please.
Similar restrictions are placed on other content stored on your phone. If you just want to grab a few messages or files, this free version may suffice, but try to download anything substantial and you’ll need to pay.
WE RECOMMEND Easeus Mobimover www.snipca.com/29318
Mobimover has many similarities to imazing, but it doesn’t restrict how much content you can transfer to your computer, whether it’s text messages, notes or contact details. When downloading text messages, it’s not ideal that they are all bundled into a single HTML file (viewable using your
favourite browser). This means you have to search using the Alt+f keyboard shortcut when looking for a specific
message. But this is far better than being able to download only a limited number of messages.
you to 10MB PDFS of up to 100 pages).
If you’d prefer Pc-based programs, Pdfsam is a good option that lets you manipulate your PDFS without restrictions or adverts. It’s also incredibly easy to use. To merge two PDFS, for example, select the Merge option in the main menu, drag the PDFS into the centre of the main window, arrange them in the order you want, then click Run (see screenshot below left).
Just need a few pages from a large PDF? Click Extract, drag your PDF into the window, then select the pages you want. If you want to edit text, you’ll need to buy the premium version, which starts at £45. But for basic PDF tasks, Pdfsam gets the job done well.
CREATE 3D GRAPHICS DON’T USE Sketchup Free www.snipca.com/29321
Until recently, the 3D graphics package Sketchup was available only as a download in the shape of Sketchup Make. Last year, however, the free desktop version was replaced with Sketchup Free, which, while still a very capable program, is entirely browser-based, so you need an internet connection to use it. Many saw this as an attempt to push longstanding users into buying a Pro licence, which costs an eye-watering £530. The new web-only version lacks certain features of the older Make version, such as support for extensions.
Sketchup Make 2017 is still available to download ( www.sketchup.com/ download/make), but it’s not clear how long for. Regardless, it will no longer receive updates, which has left many Sketchup users looking elsewhere for their 3D design needs. WE RECOMMEND Sweet Home 3D www.sweethome3d.com
If you prefer to keep your 3D sketches offline and unrestricted, Sweet Home 3D is a fine alternative to Sketchup. You can design a floor plan from scratch, but if you already have a sketch of your home’s floor plan you can import it into the program as a background image and then use it as a guide to creating each wall. When importing it, you specify the length of one wall – Sweet Home 3D uses this to make sure the plan is to scale.
Once you have the structure in place, you can add windows, doors, stairs and other items, before filling it with other features, such as furniture, kitchen units and TVS. If you need an item that isn’t in the program’s library, you’ll find more as free plug-ins at www.snipca.com/29392.
While building your virtual home, you’ll see a 3D representation of it taking shape in the bottom-right window. You can explore the 3D model to get a feel for how it’s shaping up. Sweet Home 3D also lets you recreate your garden, including adding a range of grass textures, bushes and trees. Once you’ve got a virtual copy of your home, you can test simple adjustments, such as moving furniture around, right through to large-scale home-improvement projects.
If you’re after something with more features and are happy to invest a reasonable amount of time getting to grips with it, Blender ( www.blender.og) is another free, open-source option (just steer clear of the rebranded, paid-for versions – see ‘Why open source isn’t always free’, page 56). It’s more complex than both Sketchup and Sweet Home 3D, but also far more powerful. And while it’s possible to create floor plans (see this excellent Youtube tutorial: www.snipca. com/29393), Blender is more commonly used to create advanced 3D graphics. Version 2.79 was released just last month and a new interface is planned for the next major release early in 2019.