I recently came across this handy and easy-to-use online file conversion utility called Zamzar. Before going into the details about its features, a little something about the origin of this queer name.

The name Zamzar was derived from Gregor Samsa, a character in Franz Kafka’s book Metamorphosis because of its association with change, which the site is all about.

This service is absolutely free of cost, and that is what makes it all the more amazing. There are a few google ads, though. But they don’t interfere with the interface or the navigation.

Their four step conversion process is pretty effective as well. Upon selecting the file to convert (from your hard drive, of course), the nearby drop-down box automatically changed to show only the possible formats to which the file can be converted.

For example if you select a .jpg file, the file can be converted to formats like bmp, gif, ico, pcx, tiff etc. This saves time and prevents whackos from trying to convert files to unrelated formats.

It is also essential to give your email address (any one ID would do). This is to ensure that the converted file remains private. An e-mail would then be sent to you shortly containing a link to the converted file.

Also, one must remember that the converted file would only remain on their servers for one day. So, remember to check your mail soon after submission to the site, lest you forget later. And remember, the 24 hours is from the time of receiving the mail and not the uploading of the file.

My Test:

File Uploaded: Video

File Type: .avi

File converted to: .rm

File Size: ~30 Mib

Time taken to receive link to converted file: 15 mins

The one thing I found was that the size had not reduced by much even when converting to rm format, though I could play it on my mobile phone.

A list of conversion types currently available at Zamzar can be found here.

Summary:

Site: Zamzar

Merits:

• Simple, smooth interface
• Easy to access and use
• Wide variety of formats available
• Free to use without restrictions
• Quick to convert most files
• No extra software or plugins needed

Drawbacks:

• File stored only for 1 day after conversion
• Video conversion does not affect filesize much
• Maximum of 100MB of data split between up to 5 different files

Thats about all I could come up with. Post your experiences about the site if you’ve used it already.

Till next time,

Cheers

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