Last night at a July 4th BBQ, a group of guests were discussing technology. I listened as one enthusiastic party-goer explained a number of tools to an interested, but much less informed friend. I was partially listening as I heard the conversation move to the topic of Dropbox. I quickly whipped out my Droid and demonstrated what the other person had been trying to explain for the last five-minutes.
My latest favorite tool is the online file sharing and back-up program, Dropbox. This is one of the easiest tool to use and seamlessly allows files to be stored and shared on the “cloud” and accessed from any machine that the Dropbox software is installed on. I use Dropbox on my PC, Mac, Droid and on my newest toy, the iPad.
Dropbox makes it easy to share large files with others without clogging up email servers. So even if you aren’t interested in using it for primary back-up, this functionality alone makes it worth checking out.
What’s even greater about Dropbox is that in addition to it being so easy to use, it is free-cheap, depending on your needs. A basic account is free and the largest account, which can store 100 GB of data, is less than $20/month.
Dropbox now has over 14 million users which suggests that it has some staying-power. This tool is perfect for small businesses that need to make sure that they have a solid back-up mechanism and great for personal computers for saving valuable information like family photos.
What can I say? I love this app that might just be better than cake! If you are using this app, share your experiences here.
Delphia Consulting, LLC
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Dropbox sounds like an awesome tech tool…thanks for bringing it to our attention, Jessica!
I love this tool too, Jessica! When I was was writing my book, I kept all the associated files on Dropbox, and felt secure that they were being seamlessly backed up to the cloud and all my other computers without having to do a thing.
Another great feature is that Dropbox will keep older versions of your files for 30 days (free account) or forever (paid account, using “Pack-Rat). So if you accidentally delete or edit a file, you can retrieve an earlier version. This feature is accessed through Dropbox’s web interface.
-Adrian-
Great point Adrian. I also subscribe to Pack-Rat.
Just curious – do you only use this for your book or do you use it for everything?
Dropbox has made my life with iPadraig a dream! Our company proposals, event binders, etc. are all kept in the cloud so we aren’t bogged down with storing local data.
For the past year I’ve been using Dropbox with one of my clients – USA Gymnastics. As a contractor out in Calif, I have to collaborate with USA Gym depts in Indiana (Sports and Competition, Marketing, Event Production, etc.), NBC, Venue Opps (whatever city the event is held), in order to produce their live event. Dropbox has been a LIFESAVER! We all upload and share the necessary docs. They are at our disposal at all times which is so great! I have also uploaded Dropbox to other computers (like mom’s, my finance’s and my sister’s) so no matter where I am – I can pick up the docs and start working away in someone else’s office without missing a beat. Finally, there is an app called Droptext (coincidentally created by my USA Gym’s brianiac son) that let’s me modify docs from my iphone! Yep Better than cake! YUMMY!
I’ve been using Dropbox for it seems like forever! I’ve found that the free version works just fine for me. I keep all my work documents on it, as well as my nonprofit work. One nice thing that you didn’t mention is that even though storage is “in the cloud,” you still always have your documents stored on your own computer. This means that even if Dropbox disappeared tomorrow, you wouldn’t lose your documents.
I mainly use it for automatic backup purposes, but it was also a great timesaver when I bought a new computer and gave my wife my old one. I didn’t have to move everything at the same time, but could pick and choose, moving stuff to Dropbox when I needed it. I did that just yesterday – I found an MP3 album that I’d downloaded ages ago but never put on my own computer. So I just moved it on my Wife’s computer to the Dropbox folder, and picked it up in the Dropbox folder on my own computer. So simple to use!
Thanks for the comments. For those that are using the free version, would you pay for Dropbox if they only offered it at a low cost, but not free?