Opera Unite Beta: I Don’t Get It

Have you read about (or tried) the Opera Unite beta yet? Announced in the middle of June, the Opera folks say it will “reinvent the web.” I’ve read the Opera articles and some reviews (for instance) but so far haven’t had the urge to try it out.

Frankly, I don’t think Unite is going to reinvent anything.

Opera Unite allows you to easily share your data: photos, music, notes and other files. You can even run chat rooms and host entire Web sites with Opera Unite. It puts the power of a Web server in your browser, giving you greater privacy and flexibility than other online services.

Yay, the dream of hosting from home arrives for the common folk!

Here’s my problem with that: My upload speeds are a lot slower than my download speeds. Anything I serve up to folks is going to suffer from very slow transfer rates. And I bet most folks have the same issues in this age of asymmetric connectivity.

Next issue: How about data caps? Internet providers are starting to consider / trial bandwidth caps. Home hosting can definitely run you up against your monthly limit rather quickly.

Let’s not forget that your computer must always be on – and your browser open.

As for me? If I want to share stuff I’ll probably use a service like Dropbox (yes, that’s an affiliate link). I upload it once and anyone can download it from them as fast as their individual connections will go. My cheap internet plan isn’t the limiting factor!

Long story short is that this seemed like a really sweet concept when I first heard about it. But, upon reflection, I’m just not ready to jump on board.

Of course, I’m willing to reconsider if anyone has thoughts to share. For instance, is there a “killer app” that makes Unite a no brainer?