They offer a free vserver at least until the end of the year, with the following features:

• CPU Power about 1000MHz
• 512MB RAM guaranteed
• 1024MB RAM dynamically assigned
• 10GB of harddrive
• 100Mbit/sec network connection
• unlimited traffic included
• 1 static IP address

You can choose from the following available linux distribuitions:

• Debian 4.0r4 64Bit minimal
• Debian 4.0r4 32Bit minimal
• Gentoo minimal
• Debian 5.0 32/64Bit
• Fedora 10 32/64Bit
• OpenSuSE 10.0 32Bit
• CentOS 4.0 32Bit
• CentOS 4.7 32Bit
• CentOS 5.0 32Bit
• CentOS 5.2 32Bit

The following services are not allowed:

• TOR / anonymous proxy
• IRC-server and bouncer
• Distributed Computing (SETI ecc.)
• Filesharing
• massiv Audio- and videostreaming

I’m using the service now since last december, and have to say that after a few problems right after the activation of my account I’m now pretty happy with the service. As far as I know, it will be free at least until december 2009, so there is still a lot of time for doing tests ecc. To signup, you need an invitation code, so hear we go, you can use this one:

tFGbzu$j

You need to copy it and to paste it in the field right after “Geben Sie hier den Bestell-Code ein:” and then click on “Bestellen”. After that, you have to register for an account and you are done. In about 24 hours you get all the data to access your new vserver. And, remember, you don’t need a creditcard to sign up! If you have troubles with the german language during setup, just write here a comment and I might try to help you.

• the web uploading interface is easy to use
• although I heard bad things about speed problems, I’ve to say, I didn’t have any problems with slow page loadings ecc.
• the geotagging of the photos is great! Guys, I love you for that!
• the organizing of the photos in smartsets is different at the beginning, but once you know how to use it, it’s very useful
• the trackback feature is intersting. That what I really missed at flickr.
• people can be added to the photos. So you can build up a social network
• you can use your google account to login (or you create an openid, which you can use for other services as well)

I don’t like:

• they don’t have an api (well, I’ve to say, the api should be on the way, Kris wrote that in an email, after I requested an api-key)
• they only have a web interface where you can upload photos, no desktop application or other way of uploading photos (if they get the api running, then this should change quickly)
• you can’t add notes to the photos (I, as an old flickr user, really like that)
• you can’t create specific photosets with selected photos only (the smartsets are always created based on certain rules, so for example, it’s hard, if not to say impossible, to create a photoset with your favourite pictures)
• you can’t have a favourite photo collection (I really miss that!!!)
• they don’t have a community system, there are no groups, they don’t even have a support forum (well, they have a blog)

I found some articles on the web, where they say that zooomr is planning to charge about 20US$/year for 2.5GB transfer volume per month. So, if I had to choose a paid service already now, I think my choice would have been 23hq, more or less same features as flickr, a lot faster page loadings then flickr, and unlimited photo hosting. The lack of geotagging wouldn’t have been a problem for me. Don’t get me wrong, zooomr is interesting, and for sure I keep following what they’re doing. But there are other things which made me confuse: Guy’s you’re copying flickr, even your logo. You’re trying to do it as flickr-like as possible, but the lack of some so muched love features won’t help you to get flickr users like me to use your service. And, what’s disturbing me most, is the fact, that I don’t know how zooomr is going on. When do they bring new features? When do they start to charge for the accounts and how much? When is the api finally coming? For a lot of flickr users out there, the obvious answer and my recommandation at this time is: stick with flickr. For myself I keep trying out zooomr, for the fact that I don’t like that you can’t access your photos if you don’t renew your membership with flickr and that zooomr is still free. If they start to charge for the accounts, without integrating new (old?) features, I’m off to 23hq.