This is the first post in a series I am starting called “Featured Application”. Every so often I will feature an application that I find helpful, time-saving, or even just fun.
I will try my best to include cross-platform applications when possible. However, since I am a Windows, Mac OS X and Linux user I occasionally may feature one that is exclusive to a certain platform. My hope is that you will learn about and even start using some great new programs that you previously may not have know about.
Dropbox
Although I will not be able to accurately express my love for Dropbox with just words, I will try my best. Dropbox is a multi-platform cloud syncing application that keeps all of your computers up to date. When you first install Dropbox, it sets up a folder and anything you put inside of it is automatically uploaded to their servers in the cloud. You can then access those files from the Dropbox website or your mobile phone.
Dropbox iPhone App
The real magic happens when you have Dropbox set up on more than one computer. After installing Dropbox on your second computer, it automatically downloads the contents of your Dropbox folder and from then on, keeps it in sync.
Now all of that may sound a little confusing so let me give you some examples that show you what I use Dropbox for. Say I finish typing an assessment for class on my desktop computer at home. I save it to my Dropbox folder and grab my laptop and leave for school. It is already on my desktop at home and now in the cloud, accessible from the Dropbox website. If I need to quickly check something about the paper to make sure I did it right I can grab my iPhone, open the Dropbox app and there it is. Now when I get to school all I have to do is open my laptop, connect to the internet, and instantly my paper is already sitting in the folder on my laptop. No flash drives required.
Dropbox Folder on a Mac
Through out college I have had to do multiple presentations for classes. Most people either use a USB flash drive or email themselves the Powerpoint file so they can get access to it from class and use it during the presentation. All I do is save the file into my Dropbox folder. Once I’m in class all I have to do is login to the Dropbox website and I’m ready to go.
Dropbox Website
As you can see, Dropbox is really handy and speeds up every day tasks a lot, especially if you have multiple computers. This just scratches the surface of what Dropbox can do. For example, you can share folders with groups of people so you have one constantly updated folder shared between the group.
Dropbox gives you 2GB for free and you can upgrade to more space if you need to. It is available on almost every platform you can think of, including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry and even your web browser. I urge everyone to sign up and start using Dropbox, once you do, you will be wishing you found out about it sooner.
