Ask most people what they use to send files, and mostly all of them will give you the same answer: e-mail. And e-mail is ok… to a certain extent; downloading, editing and resending is tiresome, specially for many files. Also, any file bigger than 10 mb is usually a no go. For non-critical files, uploading via web remains a viable alternative for bigger files, but then again manipulating several files is long, and the same resending routine applies, just like email. So far, all file hosts have looked the same to me… not a single stood out from the pack.

And along comes Driveway. Spawned by Pro Softnet, the same guys who brought us the excellent iBackup which I have recently reviewed, this totally free service has what it takes to make it’s mark amongst the competition. Of course, it offers what pretty much all the other file hosting sites can brag they have, like a 500 mb size limit, high uprates, but don’t mistake it for it’s generic cousins, there is much more to Driveway than that.

The flagship feature is really what makes your life so much more simple, that is the ability to edit and share Office documents stored online. The days of emailing documents for proof-reading or collaborative writing are over: once you have the link to the file, you can go ahead and open it right up in Word, Excel or Power-Point, edit it, then tell your buddy that you have done your job, so he can fetch the file right back. This feature is excellent for say, sending group homework to your groupmates right across the internet, and bypass the traditional emails which make multiple edits by multiple people very laborious.

Another very handy side of this service for the file sharing regular: the Driveway app which integrates into Windows to let you create Driveway links for files within a couple of clicks. You get to share individual files of course, but you can also send entire folders directly, which are automatically converted to a zip archive.

Finally, for all you web-savvy people, there also is an option of creating flash-powered widgets to display your uploaded files, very practical for posting a set of files on say a forum, a blog, or whatever else. Superb for sharing big files without burning up all your bandwidth.

Personally, I think I just found my favorite online file sharing site: great features, no disturbing ads, very long file conservation times, and best of all, it’s free! Check it out at http://driveway.com.