At the beginning of this month I was fortunate enough to be contacted by Dylan Smith the guy in charge of Sales and Finance for Box.net, a virtual online storage service.

He asked me if I would interested in a Beta Account of their upcoming revamped (Version 2.0) online file storage service Box.net so I could search for bugs and possibly write a review on my Blog.

I had never really heard much about Box.net since before this email so I was delighted to be invited to test something out that I don’t think I had ever heard about before though thinking back in time I do remember it being mentioned somewhere before.

Anyway he told me that I could check out the site at http://live.box.net and that if I was interested he would send me the account information in the next week or so, this was great I thought because I just love beta testing new technology.

But first I thought I better check out their site to see what Box.net was really all about because all I knew at the moment was that its a virtual online storage space for your computer files, anyway here’s what I found on their Box.net site:

What is Box.net?
Box.net is a virtual storage space for your computer files. With packages starting at just $2.99 per month for 1GB, you will have enough space to hold thousands of Documents, Photos, Music Files, and Video Clips. Try us out for as long as you’d like by signing up for our 50MB free account. Whether you want to move files among multiple computers, backup important data in the event of a computer crash, or share documents and photos with friends and colleagues, Box.net is for you. Here are just some of the recommended uses:

• Save backup copies of important files
  Always have a backup plan to prevent data loss in case of computer failure

• Move documents between your computers
  Use your Box to transfer files so that you can work on them in any location

• Setup sub-accounts for multiple user access
  A perfect solution for small businesses and workgroups requiring collaboration

• Store photos and other important memories
  Relax! Your priceless files and photos are always safe

• Share files or create online photo galleries
  Hassle-free sharing; show off your vacation photos or send a file to a friend!

Why use Box.net?
If you’re already convinced we’re the quickest, most secure, and easiest file storage service, then feel free to click here to signup. Otherwise, here are some of the top reasons to use Box:

• Our website is easier to use than any other service
  Our friendly user interface makes storing and retrieving your files easy

• Nothing to lose or break, really.
  Unlike physical storage, your Box won’t break, get lost, or become obsolete

• Security, Security, Security
  Our servers are secure and redundant, so your files are always protected

• Responsive Technical Support
  We are here to help and welcome you to call or email 24 hours a day!

• No banner ads, spam, or annoying popups
  Box.net’s zero-ad policy means nothing will get in between you and your files

• Try us for free, for as long as you want!
  Signup for a free 1GB account and you can try us out for as long as you need!

Ok great I thought this sounds really interesting I really don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to test this out not when I love beta testing so much!

So I emailed him back straight away to tell him the great news that I would love to beta test it and write a review for it on my Blog, he then emailed me back telling me that he would send the account information out sometime next week, a week went by and I was starting to wonder if I would ever get back another reply but then it happened, I got a reply this time telling me where I could sign up and what to expect next.
So sure enough I raced my self over to the sign up page and signed up straight away, well that was after I discovered my first bug which was that you couldn’t sign up using Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Preview, so I had to use firefox, some of you may argue to me that I shouldn’t be using IE7 anyway as it’s Beta but hey I need to test out IE7 as well right? Plus I actually prefer using IE7 too firefox believe it or not!

Anyway apart from that IE7 Registration bug and some other small bugs I found out about, all of which I reported to Aaron Levie from the Box.net team, I must say I’m pretty much impressed with the whole look and feel of Box.net, it’s just that good!

Sure Migration of Box.net from Version 1 to version 2 was done successfully today but there’s still some bugs floating around, as acknowledged on their development Blog:

Migration was a success. If you login to your account you will notice a few minor issues that we will have taken care of by the weekend (or so). Firstly, you will notice that there are no thumbnail images, and file is represented by a document icon. This is just a temporary issue and we should have all thumbnails and file-specific icons working for old files shortly. If you upload a new file (whether it be photo or powerpoint) the icon will be the appropriate one.

Also, if you have been using our direct linking feature, it is currently disabled. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we needed to sort a few things out before having this added traffic and bandwidth on our hands. This should be working by the end of the weekend as well. Those are the two main issues that we’re dealing with now. There is a submit bug button in the options menu in your account now. Please use this whenever you feel something is wrong with the site. If you have an account specific problem, simply email support@box.net.

Thanks for your patience, it is much appreciated.

So why not help out and sign up for a free account or even a premium account and find them last remaining bugs!

But before you do here’s some screenshots:

Now you know what box.net is why not sign up via the link below, by doing so youll be helping me get an upgrade for my box.net account!