Dropbox is a file sync and sharing tool. I’ve been using it for the last 7 months and it’s saved my rear end a few times already.
How it works is you install the client and it creates a directory in your Documents folder (for Windows, the location is different for OSX and Linux) which is synchronized to the dropbox servers. You can then install the client on another computer and anything in your “dropbox” that has been synchronized will be downloaded. Any changes you make on either machine will be synchronized with each other as well as the dropbox server. You can access your files by installing the client or logging into the dropbox server via browser and downloading files from the website.
One of Dropbox’s best features is the sharing option. You can share any folder with any number of other Dropbox users. This allows for some decent collaboration. The only issue with this is that as with any synchronization scheme, concurrent edits are difficult if not impossible.
As well as synchronization and sharing, dropbox creates a Photos folder within your dropbox. Any pictures within that folder or subfolders can be viewed anonymously via the website in a gallery. For example, I have all the pictures of my son since the day he’s been born in his own gallery. That page is always up to date so friends and relatives can see the latest and greatest photos as they’re uploaded. For example, I have a gallery of flowers I’m going to pick for my wedding.
Also, there is a folder labeled Public. Have you ever ran into the “Attachment is too large” problem when sending files via email? You could upload to an FTP site, but then you’d have to explain to the other person how to download from an ftp site, and many people don’t have access to one anyway. Just drop the file into your public folder, wait a few seconds for the file to upload and then right click the file, choose Dropbox, then click “Copy Public Link”. That copies a url to the clipboard for you to email, post on a forum, what have you. For example, this is a south park avatar I made last night.
Lastly, like I alluded to above, Dropbox is cross platform. If you are a Ubuntu user, other Linux user, or a Mac user, you are not left out in the cold like you are no doubt used to. Yes, you get some Dropbox love too.
As for mobile access, which is Dropbox’s competitor SugarSync’s claims to fame, Dropbox has an Iphone application currently in the approval process. Due to this I cannot test it to give you a proper review of the app. Other smartphone users and Iphone users who cannot wait can still get to their dropboxes via the mobile interface.
All in all, Dropbox does a small number of things, but it does them extremely well. There is a 2GB free plan, as well as a 50GB and 100GB paid plan.
If you want to try Dropbox, I must in the interest of fairness tell you that these are affiliate links. This in no way colors my review as the affiliate program is new and I’ve loved dropbox for the better part of a year. The affiliate program just made me write it up sooner than I probably would have.
I’ve installed SugarSync last night and will write up a review of their service and compare soon.
Via: Dropbox – Secure online backup, file sync and sharing made easy