Michal Ždanský Dropbox is a service that has gained a lot of popularity recently. Its use is becoming more and more important with the increasing support of third-party applications. So, if you belong to that group of people who don't yet have a Dropbox account, read what this modern-day phenomenon has to offer.
How Dropbox works
Dropbox is a standalone application that integrates with the system and runs in the background. It then appears in the system as a separate folder (on Mac you can find it in the left pane of the Finder in Places) into which you can put other folders and files. In the Dropbox folder, there are several special folders, such as Photography or folder Public (public folder). All content that you upload to the Dropbox folder is automatically synchronized with the web storage and from there with other computers where you have Dropbox linked to your account (now you can also set which folders will be synchronized and which will not).
It significantly eliminates the need to transfer files between computers with a flash drive and to a large extent solves the problem of backing up important documents. Only the size of the storage, depending on your needs, and the speed of the Internet connection, especially the upload speed, can be limiting.
1. The best way to send and share files
Sharing and sending files is one of the key features of Dropbox. Dropbox has essentially replaced sending files via email for me. Most freemail servers limit the size of incoming and outgoing files. If, for example, you have a package of photos with a size of several tens or hundreds of megabytes, you cannot send it in the classic way. One option seems to be the use of file hosting services such as Ulozto or Úschovna. However, if you have an unstable connection, it can often happen that the file upload fails and you have to wait for several tens of minutes and pray that it will succeed at least the second time.
Sending via Dropbox, on the other hand, is easy and stress-free. You simply copy the file(s) you want to send to a public folder and wait for it to sync with the site. You can tell by the small icon next to the file. If a check mark appears in the green circle, it's done. You can copy the link to the clipboard by right-clicking and selecting the Dropbox option. You then send it via e-mail, for example, and the recipient can then download the content using this link.
Another option is shared folders. You can mark a specific folder in Dropbox as shared and then invite individual people using their email address who will then have access to the contents of the folder. They can access it using their own Dropbox account or via the web interface. This is a great solution for students or for work teams who need to have constant access to the files of an ongoing project.
2. Application integration
As Dropbox grows in popularity, so does support for third-party apps. Thanks to the publicly available API, you can link your Dropbox account with a number of applications on iOS and Mac. So Dropbox can be great as a database backup from 1Password or Things. On iOS, you can use the service to synchronize applications PlainText a Simplenotote, you can save files downloaded via iCab mobile or manage the content completely, for example via ReaddleDocs. More and more applications in the App Store support the service, and it would be a shame not to use its potential.
3. Access from anywhere
In addition to automatically syncing your folders between computers, you can access your files even when you don't have your computer with you. In addition to the desktop client, which is available for all 3 most widespread operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux), you can also access your files from an Internet browser. On the home page, you simply log in to your account and you can work with files just as you would on a computer. Files can be moved, deleted, uploaded, downloaded, even where you can get a link to that file (see reason #1).
Plus, you get bonus features like tracking account events. That way, you know when you have uploaded, deleted, etc. Another way to access your account is through mobile applications. The Dropbox client is available for iPhone and iPad, as well as for Android phones. There are also third-party applications that can take full advantage of Dropbox - ReaddleDocs, Goodreader and many others.
4. Backup and Security
In addition to the fact that the files are stored on the site, they are also mirrored on another server, which ensures that your data is still available in the event of an outage and allows another great feature - backup. Dropbox doesn't just save the last version of the file, but the last 3 versions. Let's say you have a text document and after accidentally deleting a significant part of the text, you still save the document.
Normally there is no going back, but with a backup you can restore the original version on Dropbox. Additionally, if you purchase a paid account, Dropbox will store all versions of your files. The same is true for deleting files. If you delete a file in Dropbox, it is still stored on the server for some time afterwards. It happened to me that I accidentally deleted (and recycled) important photos from the work folder, which I did not find out until a week later. By mirroring the deleted files, I was able to recover all the deleted items and saved myself a lot of other worries.
There is nothing to worry about when it comes to the safety of your data. All files are encrypted with SSL encryption and if someone does not know your password directly, there is no way to access your data. Additionally, even Dropbox employees cannot access the files in your account.
5. It's free
Dropbox offers several account types. The first option is a free account limited to 2 GB. You can then purchase 50 GB of storage for $9,99 per month/$99,99 per year or 100 GB for $19,99 per month/$199,99 per year. However, you can expand your free account up to 10 GB in several ways. How to do it? One way is the various social media testimonials you can find on This page. This way you will increase your space by another 640 MB. You can get another 250 MB by visiting this link. If you like to exercise your brain and master English, then you can participate in an interesting game Dropquest, after completing which you will increase the space by a total of 1 GB.
The last and most beneficial option is referrals to your friends. Using a special link that you can email them, they will be taken to a registration page and if they sign up and install the client on their computer, they and you will get an extra 250MB. So for 4 successful referrals you get an additional 1 GB of space.
So if you haven't got Dropbox yet, I highly recommend doing so. It is an extremely useful service with many benefits and no catch. If you would like to create a new account right away and at the same time expand it by another 250 MB, you can use this reference link: dropbox
I just have a question, how did the author manage to have the individual components of the finder up like Tabs? I would like that, it would be quite useful, could someone pls advise me how to turn it on? thanks a lot :)
Total Finder, viz http://jablickar.cz/total-finder-finder-na-steroidech/
It is an extension of TotalFinder
Thanks a lot for the interesting article, I was looking for something similar. I currently have about 3-4 computers where I am constantly moving something between them. GoogleCal solved my work calendar synchronization problem recently, Opera browser synchronization, this is a good thing for data sharing, we'll see how it takes hold. Unfortunately, only Droquest is already closed, but it will open sometime in the future.
I think 2 GB is fine for data.
The only thing that bothers me about Dropbox is that when I send photos from the iPhone there, they lose quality, which is why I have HQ set. I almost stopped using it because of this.
Try using ReaddleDocs or Goodreader, they will send the photos as they are.
Dropquest is over. Runs only for those who have started the drive.
So this route fell flat.
btw: I also think that 2 GB is fine.
PJ
Whoever wants to send an invitation is not a problem..write an email here and we will all earn from it……
I would just like to point out that as far as security is concerned, it is based on trust. On the one hand, it's great that it's encrypted using AES-256 based on the password for honor, on the other hand, you enter the password in the client application and it's not a problem for that application to send the password to "Dropbox employees".
But thanks for the article... I knew about dropbox, but decided to learn it only after reading it.
I stopped using.
For unknown reasons, it stopped playing all MP4 videos, but when I open it with a link in the browser (which Dropbox gives me) or save it to another application on the iPod, it works. So it's a Dropbox problem - it won't play my saved and synced (offline) MP4 videos. Tried clearing sync again - no help (and it worked).
I've been using Dropbox for about a year now, it's great - no irony.
if you are going to register and want to have 250MB more right away, register via this page:
http://db.tt/xV4KYSj
Dropbox would be a great service if one could install the server part on one's own server. I do not entrust my data and the data of the client to a service that I do not control. I'm too paranoid about that…
I like using Dropbox very much, the integration into Mac OS X is great and together with Automator it does a great service for me.
I'm just dealing with one thing that I don't think is possible anymore, but maybe someone can help me crack it. I have one PDF file in Public that is accessed by several of my friends who don't use Dropbox. I update it almost every day and sometimes I would like to entrust the update to someone - so it must be a Dropbox user. How to enable the file to be shared so that it is still publicly available to others?
Create a folder and then have it shared via email invitation. I think it's called "share with colleagues". Then that folder will be automatically bound to them in their dropbox folder
Well, yes, but it will not be publicly accessible for non-dropbox users, which is my main condition. I want the certainty file to be seen by anyone who knows the link to it. So it has to be in Public, otherwise it won't work. But again, nothing can be shared in Public. :-(
Well, I use it as an emergency to share unimportant data as links via mail.
http://db.tt/ydnHDDf
I have more confidence in iDisk as a follow-up to iWeb as part of my MobileMe service.
Also feel free to send an invitation, drop me an email or ICQ, good luck
If you need an extra 250MB, you can go here
http://db.tt/vLTxb1Z
Otherwise, I've been using it since it was still beta and the satisfaction is the highest... Iphone, NTB, PC and sharing directories is handy, that is, when the content is synchronized with other users..
Well, I don't know about you, but trusting sensitive data, even encrypted Dropbox, seems pretty frivolous to me. It's more like a toy like Facebook and everything similar on the Internet. I like all these services, but I see them as a double-edged sword. Let no one tell me, if, God forbid, he became the creator of some similar world service, that he would not abuse it for himself. People should be properly warned in advance before, for example, sharing the 1Pass database, etc. I'd like to trust Dropbox, but I really can't.
I have also been using "Dropbox" for a long time and I recommend it 100%... It will make it easier for you to constantly move files between e.g. MacBook and iMac...
Where can I find an email address to send a Dropbox photo to?
I have my dropbox - how to send an email to dropbox? To what address?
try SugarSync