Dropbox: Or oh look magic!

Feb 4

RyanTechnology software No Comments

This is part of a new (and most likely short lived) series where I talk applications I use on regular basis that allow me to the amazing and unstoppable things I do.

Let’s talk about Dropbox, a service that allows synchronization of files between different machines and devices (along with a cloud service).  A free service for upto 2GB and very affordable rates of $9.99 month and $19.99 for 50 and 100 GB accounts.  Dropbox will synch a folder on your computer (Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad) to their cloud service.  It does this automatically in the background.  Sounds simple right, but synch is a headache that has stumped a lot of developers in the past.  Dropbox pulls it off smoother and more consistently then any other platform I have used.

Here is how it looks, you save your IMPORTANT SPREADSHEET on your desktop, and head off to work. Crap! You realize you need to make a change post haste. Easy. You can jump on to dropbox.com, sign in download, change, and upload to the service.

Wait, it get’s better. If you are running their light weight software on each machine the folder is automatically updated at each location. Say Wha!?! So you can make a change and your files are updated back at home.

It is also retains revisions. So, you save your IMPORTANT SPREADSHEET only to realize you changed something you shouldn’t.  Dropbox retains a copy of older versions of their files on their online service (login, download).  Neat. Note:  Revisions are only kept on their servers. It would get pretty clunky presenting you with various drafts of the same file on your machines.

It uses a SSL for uploading and some nice encryption on your files (meaning your files are pretty dang secure).

Dropbox plays very well with photos, it will automatically put together photo galleries. It let’s you share you these galleries along with other files, playing as the world’s easiest hosting service ever.

I would suggest this to any kind of user.  I use it to move mediar, to create backups of files automatically, to access my files on any machine, and to share large files easily.

Download today to start using the very generous 2GB free monthly service.

And now, a very lengthy dump of the features that Dropbox offers from their site.

Dropbox Features

File Sync

Dropbox allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically.

• 2GB of online storage for free, with up to 100GB available to paying customers.
• Sync files of any size or type.
• Sync Windows, Mac and Linux computers.
• Automatically syncs when new files or changes are detected.
• Work on files in your Dropbox even if you’re offline. Your changes sync once your computer has an Internet connection again.
• Dropbox transfers will correctly resume where they left off if the connection drops.
• Efficient sync – only the pieces of a file that changed (not the whole file) are synced. This saves you time.
• Doesn’t hog your Internet connection. You can manually set bandwidth limits.

File Sharing

Sharing files is simple and can be done with only a few clicks.

• Shared folders allow several people to collaborate on a set of files.
• You can see other people’s changes instantly.
• A “Public” folder that lets you link directly to files in your Dropbox.
• Control who is able to access shared folders (including ability to kick people out and remove the shared files from their computers).
• Automatically create shareable online photo galleries from folders of photos in your Dropbox.

Online Backup

Dropbox backs up your files online without you having to think about it.

• Automatic backup of your files.
• Undelete files and folders.
• Restore previous versions of your files.
• 30 days of undo history, with unlimited undo available as a paid option.

Web Access

A copy of your files are stored on Dropbox’s secure servers. This lets you access them from any computer or mobile device.

• Manipulate files as you would on your desktop – add, edit, delete, rename etc.
• Search your entire Dropbox for files.
• A “Recent Events” feed that shows you a summary of activity in your Dropbox.
• Create shared folders and invite people to them.
• Recover previous versions of any file or undelete deleted files.
• View photo galleries created automatically from photos in your Dropbox.

Security & Privacy

Dropbox takes the security and privacy of your files very seriously.

• Shared folders are viewable only by people you invite.
• All transmission of file data and metadata occurs over an encrypted channel (SSL).
• All files stored on Dropbox servers are encrypted (AES-256) and are inaccessible without your account password.
• Dropbox website and client software have been hardened against attacks from hackers.
• Dropbox employees are not able to view any user’s files.
• Online access to your files requires your username and password.
• Public files are only viewable by people who have a link to the file(s). Public folders are not browsable or searchable.

Mobile Device Access

The free Dropbox iPhone app lets you:

• Access your Dropbox on the go.
• View your files on your iPhone or iPod Touch.
• Download files for offline viewing.
• Take photos and videos and sync them to your Dropbox.
• Share links to files in your Dropbox.
• View interactive photo galleries.
• Sync downloaded files so they’re up-to-date.