An Easier Way to Send Large Email Attachments
Free Application Helps
To Avoid Clogging Inboxes;
Speeds Still Might Vary
How many times have you wanted to email a large attachment -- like a bunch of digital photos, an album of songs, or a hefty video -- but didn't do so because it exceeded your email provider's, or the recipient's, limits on attachment size, or because it might max out the recipient's mailbox?
This frustration is growing increasingly common as better digital cameras produce bigger photos and large video clips, and digital music becomes more widespread. Computer hard disks have grown nicely to accommodate these files, but limits on the size of email messages haven't. And, even if you could send such large attachments, it can take forever to send them via email, partly because broadband upload speeds lag far behind download speeds.
Instead of suffering the frustration of a bounced email, many folks have resorted to Web-based services like Shutterfly or Kodak EasyShare Gallery or YouTube.com or Google Video for sharing digital photos and videos. They upload the files to these sites, then send links to their friends and family. But this method has major drawbacks. The recipients don't get the full-size files on their own computers, and sometimes must register with the sites to view your material.
This week, we tested a new, free, application called Pando that aims to solve this problem without requiring you to use an intermediary Web site. Pando lets you email huge attachments -- up to one gigabyte each -- to anyone, without breaching email size limits, or clogging anyone's inbox. It comes in versions for both Windows and Macintosh computers, available for downloading at
www.pando.com.It sounded fishy to us, too, but Pando, from Pando Networks Inc., performed really well in our tests -- even in its current "beta," or trial, stage. It's simple, fast, and effective, and it solves the large-attachment problem.
Pando works by merging the mechanism of email with its own small program and a modified version of BitTorrent, a back-end file-transfer system best known until now for speeding up the downloading of large, unauthorized files, like pirated movies.
Here's how you use Pando. First, you download and install the small Pando program. Then, you select the files you want to send. These can be any type of files you want, or even whole folders of files. Then, still using the Pando software, you type in the addresses of the recipients, the subject, and a message. The software then does three things: it creates a Pando Package, a small special file that instructs the recipient's computer on how to fetch the files; it sends an email containing that package file, plus any text you want; and it uploads the files to a Pando server.
On the recipient's end, an email is received in his or her normal email program containing the Pando Package as a tiny attachment (one huge 94 megabyte attachment we sent required only a 22-kilobyte attachment). The recipient just opens the Pando Package attachment, and it in turn launches the Pando software, which then downloads the files or folders you sent. The first time the recipient receives a Pando email, he or she will have to download and install the Pando software. There's a link in the email to the download site.
Once downloaded onto the receiver's computer, all Pando files can be found in a special folder that Pando automatically creates. In Windows, it's called My Pando Packages and is in My Documents. On the Mac, it's called Pando Packages and is in the home folder. The files are also listed in the handy Received list in the Pando software.
As a bonus, Pando can sometimes transmit these large files faster than your email program or Web browser could. That's because it uses a modified version of the speedy BitTorrent technology.
We downloaded and installed Pando in just a few minutes. Opening the small Pando email attachment from Microsoft Outlook on Windows or Apple Mail on the Mac prompted a little Pando window to pop up, in which all sent and received files were organized. This window is simple, showing a thumbnail image and text description of each file. A list of received files shows who sent the file and when; the sent list shows to whom you sent files and when.
We started out big, sharing a 95-megabyte, high-resolution video. You must create a username and password to send using Pando, which we did, entering our email and first and last names. A simple "Send New" icon opens the email-like form, where we dragged and dropped this big video file.
No Pando Package can total more than one gigabyte, and an automatic tally shows you how large the Package is becoming as you drag and drop more files into it.
The Pando software program allows users to send large email attachments without running afoul of normal size limitations.
Another way to send files using Pando is by right-clicking on any file or folder in your computer and selecting a "Send With Pando" option that appears after the software application is downloaded. Selecting this also opens the familiar sending window. But this works only in Windows.
The 95-megabyte video took eight minutes to upload, and nine minutes to download -- impressively fast times. Another Pando Package filled with 44 high-resolution digital photos totaling 65 megabytes took six minutes to upload, and six minutes to receive.
But Pando can't entirely overcome slow Internet connections, so your speeds may vary considerably. This is especially true on the uploading side, as even broadband cable and DSL connections typically offer upload speeds that are a fraction of their download speeds. In our tests, at our office and homes, our download and upload speeds ranged from 30 kilobits per second to 250, depending on where we were and when we were testing.
Even if you didn't see any speed improvement with Pando, you'd still benefit from the sheer ability to send huge attachments. That's a big deal.
On July 25, Pando Networks will introduce a special plug-in for Outlook, making it even easier for users to send huge files without worrying about inbox congestion. And the company also has plans to introduce plug-ins for Web-based email programs like Google's Gmail and Microsoft's Hotmail.
If you're tired of bounced emails, and of using Web sites to share your personal videos or photos, Pando is a straightforward solution that anyone can understand in a matter of minutes. It's a great solution to a vexing problem.
大附件 轻松发
你是否有时想发送一个大附件──比如一批数码照片、一个歌曲集或者一段较长的录像片──但却无计可施，因为它超出了你的或者接收者的邮箱限制，或者它有可能把接受者的信箱塞满？
双语阅读
? An Easier Way To Send Large Email Attachments随著先进的数码相机不断创造出更大的照片及影像，随著数字音乐的日益普及，这已经变成人们普遍的难题。为了存储大文件，电脑硬盘的容量明显扩大，然而对于邮箱容量的限制却始终没有改进。而且，即便你能够发送这种大附件，它也要耗费你大量时间，因为宽带网的上传速度远远比不上下载速度。
在邮件容量的问题上遭遇挫折后，很多人开始求助诸如Shutterfly、Kodak EasyShare Gallery、YouTube.com或Google Video这样的网络服务。他们将文件上传到网站上，然后把网址发给家人和朋友，让他们到网站上分享自己的照片。但这种方式存在著严重缺陷。接受者不能从自己的电脑上收到完全大小的文件，而且有时他们还需要在网站上注册才能浏览你的文件。
本周，我们测试了一种新的叫做Pando的免费服务，你无需借助任何网站即可解决问题。通过Pando，你可以向任何人发送大附件──最大可达一个G，再也不用担心会超出邮箱容量限制或者把某些人的邮箱挤爆。它有适用于Windows和Macintosh电脑的不同版本，可在
www.pando.com下载。
即便在我们看来也有点难以置信，但Pando Networks Inc.设计的Pando在我们的测试中的确表现很好──即便它目前还处于beta版的试用阶段。它简单、快捷、高效，有效地解决了附件过大的问题。
Pando将电子邮件程序与自己的小程序以及BitTorrent的改良版整合在了一起。众所周知，BitTorrent是一种后端文件传输系统，可快速下载大的、未经授权的文件，包括很多盗版电影。
那么如何使用Pando呢？首先，你要下载并安装一个小小的Pando程序。然后，找出你要发送的文件。可以是任何文件，甚至是整个文件夹。之后，仍然使用Pando软件，敲上你的收件人地址、题目以及发送的信息。之后就轮到软件工作了，它可以帮助你做3件事：创建一个Pando Package，这是一种很小的特别文件，指示收信人的电脑如何去获取文件；发送包括Pando Package以及你想说的话在内的电子邮件；将文件上传到Pando。
在收件人的电脑终端，他们将通过正常的电子邮件程序接收到包涵Pando Package附件的邮件（一个94兆的文件，发送到他们的邮箱中只有22K）。收件人只要打开Pando Package附件，开启Pando软件，它就会自动下载你所发送的文件乃至文件夹。收信人第一次收到Pando信件时，他们需要下载并安装Pando软件。邮件中有一个提示下载网站的链接。
一旦被下载到收信人的电脑上，Pando文件就可以在Pando自动生成的一个特别文件夹中找到。在Windows系统中，它叫My Pando Packages，存放在My Documents下。在Mac系统，它叫做Pando Packages，存放使用者目录(home folder)中。同时这些文件也将出现在Pando软件触手可及的Received清单中。
更加值得一提的是，用Pando传输大文件有时会比通过邮件程序或网络服务器更快。因为它使用了改良版的BitTorrent高速下载技术。
我们在几分钟内就下载并安装了Panto。在Windows电脑的Microsoft Outlook或Mac电脑的Apple Mail打开Pando邮件附件，可以看见一个小的Pando窗口跳出来，所有已发送和已接收的文件都井然有序地摆在上面。这个窗口很简单，只显示文件的粗略样子以及对每个文件的文字描述。上面有接受文件的列表，显示文件来源及接收时间；已发送文件的列表向你显示著发送时间及收件人。
我们从一个较大的95兆高清晰录像试起。使用Pando发邮件，你必须创建用户名和密码，我们输入了我们的电子邮件名称以及我们的全名。按下那个简简单单的“发送新邮件”的图标，就进入了类似邮件的界面，在这里，我们把一个庞大的录像片放了上去。
Pando Package不能超过一个G，在你放上更多文件的时候，有一个自动标签会显示Package的大小。
另一种办法是选中文件或文件夹，击右键，选择“使用Pando发送”，但是前提是你已经下载了这个软件。选好你就进入了你所熟悉的发送窗口。但这只在Windows电脑中适用。
上传这个95兆的文件只花了8分钟，下载时用了9分钟──比正常下载快很多倍。我们又测试了另一个Pando Package，装著总计65兆的44张高清晰度数码照片，结果，上传和接收均用了6分钟。
不过Pando不能完全克服网速过慢的障碍，因此你传送文件的速度可能与我的测试结果大有不同。特别是在上传的时候更是如此，因为即便是使用宽带网和DSL，其上传速度通常也只能达到下载速度的几分之一。我们在办公室和家里分别进行了测试，因操作地点和时间的不同，我们的下载及上传速度也从每秒30K到250K不等。
即便你感觉不到使用Pando时的速度提高，你仍然可以在发送大邮件的过程中体验到它的好处。这真的很了不起。
Pando Networks将于7月25日举行一次Outlook版特别宣传活动，用户可能会更轻松地实现大邮件的发送，无需再为邮箱容量烦恼。该公司还将会推出类似谷歌(Google)的Gmail以及微软(Microsoft)的Hotmail的网络邮件程序。
如果你正在为带附件的邮件感到烦恼，或者不得不借助网站与朋友分享你的照片，不妨试试Pando，它简单易懂，所有人都可以在几分钟内学会。而它却能帮助你解决大问题。
Walter S. Mossberg / Katherine Boehret
