Get ready for Mega from the flamboyant Kim Dotcom. The Internet entrepreneur and accused digital outlaw recently launched Mega (short for Mega Encrypted Global Access), a new file storage and sharing service that features 50GB of free storage. Mega is just one component of what Dotcom and his team hope will be a suite of online encrypted services from Mega Ltd. including email, voice calling, instant messaging, and video streaming.

For now, Mega is a Web-based end-to-end encryption file storage service that encrypts your files in the browser before uploading them to Mega's servers. You can also use Mega to share files with others, and add other Mega users to your contact list for easy drag-and-drop sharing.

Mega says it "pushes the browser to its limits" thanks to the technology it uses for encryption and file transfers. All the current versions of the major browsers (IE, Safari, Firefox, Chrome, and Opera) are supposed to be compatible. The problem is all except one work very poorly.

Use of Internet Explorer 10, for example, has a bug that forces you to close and reopen your Mega tab every hundred megabytes or so worth of uploads, according to Mega. For best results use Google Chrome; Mega says its only deficiency is lower-grade text rendering. Chrome also has the added advantage of allowing you to upload folders with one drag-and-drop action.

PCWorld