This article is the first in a series of application reviews, useful for professionals in the public event industry.
Sync Computers and Share Files with Dropbox
Occasionally I get enthusiastic when I find a new online tool or piece of software that makes my life easier. The real test to see if such software makes a real difference is to check if I am still using it several months later. Dropbox is probably my most favourite free download from the last six months.
Rating: Full Five Stars!
Dropbox is software that syncs your files online and across your computers. In addition it is an ideal tool to share large files that are unsuitable as email attachments.
The best part is that this free piece of software gives you up to four Gigabytes of storage online at no costs. For premium users, affordable hosting plans with 50 or 100 Gigabytes storage are available. Dropbox works on Apple OS, Linux and Windows.
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Dropbox is a simpler alternative to what you may have used in the past.
Dropbox replaces:
- Emailing file attachments to yourself and other people
- Using USB drives to move files between computers
- Renaming files to keep a history of previous versions
- Complicated backup software
- FTP servers, system-specific sharing methods, Network Attached Storage (NAS)
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.
A mobile-optimized version of the website is available for owners of Blackberry phones and other Internet-capable mobile devices.
