Image via Dropbox.com
If you're anything like me, you might have a computer at work, another computer at home, and maybe a mini-computer (iPhone) rattling around in your pocket. They all have different hard drives, and it can be a hassle to transfer files from one computer to another. Your options are basically a flash drive, an external hard drive, burning a disc (yuck!), or some kind of FTP transfer to a server. Dropbox falls into that last category, but it makes things a lot more simple.
Whatbox?
Dropbox, which launched in September 2008, is a freemium service for syncing and backing up files via an external file server. Once you install the Dropbox application on your computer(s), whatever you put in your "Dropbox" folder is automatically synced with the Dropbox server and any other computers on which you've installed Dropbox.For example, I could snap some photos at work, copy them to my Dropbox folder on the hard drive and, by the time I get home, those files should also be copied to my Dropbox folder at home.
You can also share specific folders with specific friends or colleagues. So that same folder I put those photos in before could be synced with my friend's computer and they'll download those photos automatically.
What's awesome?
- No more carrying around flash drives or external hard drives (most transfers you make are probably less than 2GB, right?)
- It's a great way to share files with friends. For example, I can share music (shhh!) with a few select friends or share photos from family events.
- It's free! Up to 2GB for free, but you can buy more space.
- They made an iPhone app so you can manage your files on-the-go.
What sucks?
- It can be tricky if you're transferring a large file(s). It's easy to forget about it and shut the computer down before it has finished the transfer.
- You can't verify if the person you're sharing with has copied the files you shared with them, so files can just sit taking up valuable space for no reason.
- Conversely, if someone shares files with you, they may delete them before you have a chance to copy them to your hard drive.
