DropBox – An Easy Way to Sync and Share Files
DropBox is a cool software that allows you to share files across multiple computers. In order to use DropBox you have to download it from www.getdropbox.com and install it on your computer. During the installation process you will be asked to create a DropBox user account.
In order to use DropBox on multiple computers the software has to be installed on each computer. For example, you might install DropBox on your home PC, your laptop and your work PC.
Lets assume you are a blogger and you are working on a blog post at home and would like to review it the next day during lunch time at your work.
To do this you will simply create your post document and store it in the DropBox folder on your computer. When you copy the document into your DropBox folder the software will automatically upload (and sync) your document to the secured DropBox server.
DropBox provides you with 2GB of storage space on the server. For more storage space you have to pay a service fee. Since most of the time you would be storing documents that you are currently working on, 2GB of storage space is ample for that purpose.
Once you store the document in the DropBox folder it will be available for use from any of your computers that has DropBox installed on it. The DropBbox folder can be opened by simply clicking on the DropBox icon on your Windows Task Bar.
DropBox Folder
DropBox Icon on Windows Task Bar
DropBox also supports the concept of Public folders. A file that is stored in the Public folder can be shared with anyone on the Internet. In order to access documents in the Public folder you do NOT need the DropBox software. To share a file in the Public Folder simply right click on the file and select DropBox –> Copy Public Link. Now you can email this link to anyone who wants to access the document via a web browser.
Sharing a Link in Action
DropBox provides a way to seamlessly share and edit document across multiple computers in a very intuitive and user friendly way.
Today TechCrunch.com reported that the DropBox application for iPhone has been approved by Apple. Soon you will be able to sync and share files on your iPhone using DropBox!
Aaron, first time I’ve heard of this, thanks! Question – what’s the advantage of this over something like Google Docs where I can also access my docs from anywhere?
Niro, Google Docs is a great tool. But like many web based tools I find it slow. I prefer using a desktop application as my word processor. Therefore I find DropBox more attractive.
Another benefit of DropBox is that you do not have to login all the time. DropBox is actually a file sharing system. It can handle all types of files including music and video.