Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series at Mashable - The Startup Review, Sponsored by Sun Microsystems Startup Essentials. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

STARTUP DETAILS:

Company Name: Streamfile

20-word Description: Streamfile is an emerging startup with revolutionary technology in the file transfer space.

CEO’s Pitch: Streamfile.com allows anyone to “stream” files that are too big to email without any additional need of installed software other than a browser. Streamfile is a hosted FTP replacement solution that allows streaming functionality. By streaming, we mean that when an uploader sends a file, downloaders are able to start the download process immediately. This single functionality enhancement actually allows time savings of up to 90% (compared to a traditional FTP server-to-client transfer). It’s like P2P, but with a 24h answering service. All of the file transfers have the option to be encrypted with high-grade AES 256-bit SSL encryption.

Mashable’s Take: Streamfile is intriguing not only for its ability to rather quickly broadcast files of up to 2GB in size to specified email addresses, but its simple construction as well. Everything is done via the browser within an elegant and sparse input menu. There is absolutely no need to operate proprietary software. Just browse for a file, provide one or more email addresses (you can also specify whom the package is from), and begin “streaming.”

At the backend, Streamfile operates as a replacement to your traditional FTP transfer service. As with some other modern transmission options of today, Streamfile allows for files to be downloaded almost immediately after an upload is begun. A similar option is offered by Pando, yet that service requires the use of proprietary software at either end of an established link to function properly. Streamfile can go without. And the fact that it is able to maintain 256-bit encryption if requested will please some privacy seekers.

As it explains within its site copy, Streamfile hosts data for a total of 24 hours. Which might irk some users, particularly if a situation isn’t time-sensitive and could ideally do with, say, a week’s worth of server/network access. The reason provided for this limit is quite logical for a startup of its type to cite: “By storing data for shorter time periods than our competitors… we can maximize performance and bandwidth to guarantee superior door-to-door delivery speeds.”

For the time being, Streamfile, based in Stockholm, Sweden, comes free of charge for users. (Period ends August 31.) Its stated profit model is business-to-business file transfers (integration with corporate websites is said to be possible). Such subscriptions run 49€/month or more.

Sponsored By: Sun Startup Essentials

socialbrowse, the Firefox plugin that lets you surf the Web in a link-sharing social manner, has just re-released its service with a couple of major new features. The Y Combinator-backed startup as been in private beta for some time, and will remain in private beta for a little while longer, but those users testing the service will be able to access and utilize its new features (get your invite below).

The new features revolve around the social sharing capabilities that socialbrowse has already laid out. The first new feature supports in-page commenting, which allows you to leave comments on a link you’re visiting without having to leave the page. Submitting a comment, just as with a shared link, will broadcast your content across the Web in real time. Comment icons will also appear on pages you visit so you and your friends will immediately be able to see the connection between your own activity and that of your friends.

An interesting visual tool accompanies the socialbrowse sidebar, offering a very direct and internally circular view of the Web as well as your own browsing behavior. This of course can be turned into immediate recommendations as well as useful information regarding a particular site that may be more difficult or time-consuming to find otherwise via standalone bookmarking sites. This capability also ties in closely with socialbrowse’s second major new upgrade, the embedded icon expansion option.

Icons that display on pages as you surf the Web, indicating comments and shared links, can now be expanded when you hover over them, so you can get an at-a-glance view of the details behind each icon; who submitted the link, and what friends have contributed to the comments thread. Similar to the concept now being employed by JS-Kit, the act of turning comments into a more visual and social component of Web surfing is a budding function that can be leveraged for all sorts of things.

While socialbrowse uses these comments on a more internal basis and JS-Kit acts as a centralizing factor for comments you leave across the Web, they both result in a useful capacity for direct and indirect marketing and recommendations. JS-Kit has already begun to expound upon its features for the use of third-party sites like evite, and Socialbrowse being the existing community that it is can begin to leverage its capabilities in different ways, which will be interesting to observe as Socialbrowse continues beta testing and moves into a more public space.

socialbrowse is offering Mashable readers 400 invites. Click here to get yours.

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The 140 million dollars that Google dished out for Russian contextual ad company Begun now seems rather cheap, given their fantastic financial results for the first half of 2008.

As reported by Profy, Begun has had 25% higher profits in the first two quarters of 2008 than in the entire 2007. Add to that the 173.000 publishers (an increase of 30.000 over last year) in Begun’s roster and it’s obvious that this company is on track to completely corner the huge Russian contextual advertising market.

In other words, Begun was ripe for acquisition; it probably needed funds to be able to sustain its quick growth, and on the other hand it showed huge potential. The question is, how do Microsoft, AOL and others always manage to miss chances like this one, while Google always seems to snag them at the exactly right time?

Check out the press release (in Russian) here.

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