The article posted below is the latest (originally posted 2/17/10) in a long line of articles about one of our very favorite utilities/programs called Dropbox.  The blog post itself should have been enough to convince any PC user to begin integrating Dropbox into their daily routine, but the owners of this already well-known company have gone and “sweetened the pot.”  Recent changes (shown throughout the article) have made Dropbox even more accessible and attractive.  Read on and enjoy!

JumpstartMyPC.com was started to help PC users get the most out of their computer and no product exemplifies this idea like Dropbox! Dropbox is a file-syncing, file sharing, online backup tool that you can access from just about anywhere and you can start using it for FREE! I have written about this product many times, shared it with clients, friends and family and I use it myself, every single day. If you aren’t using it yet, you are in for a real treat. If you are using it, read on to find out what’s new and how you can now access your files without even using a computer.

DropBox is a storage application and service operated by Evenflow, Inc. The service enables users to store and sync files online and between computers. There are many great features to this product, but best of all IT IS FREE. Click below and watch the video (created by the folks at CommonCraft) to see for yourself.

Features

A complete feature list is available on the Dropbox web site, but we have a few highlights for you:

• File Syncing – Start with 2GB of storage for free and synchronize any file type to as many computers/devices as you want. Within seconds of adding a file to your Dropbox, it is synced to any and every computer you have installed Dropbox on.
• File Sharing – Want to share files with friends and family but aren’t sure how? If you can right-click, you can use Dropbox to send anyone a link to a file. Create a shared area for pictures, movies or even work documents.
• Online Backup – Your files are stored on the Dropbox servers, so if your computer crashes or you accidentally delete it locally, your file (and previous versions) are still available.
• Security – Without going into a lot of technical jargon, your files are secure. User names and passwords are required to access any files and all of the transmissions of your data are encrypted.

Access

Dropbox started as a computer software and has evolved into something more. Over the last year, Dropbox has added an iPhone app that lets you access your files on the go. Setup takes less than 2 minutes (I just did it myself) and your files are instantly available. It’s like adding storage space to your iPhone or iPod touch and (as we mentioned before) it is FREE! There is currently no support for other smartphone devices, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Android support was added within the next year. In the mean time, you can still access your files via a web browser.

UPDATE: (4/05/2010) A recent blog post titled The Dropbox Android App! confirms our suspicions and warms our hearts.  Dropbox for Android may not be running on my G1 just yet, but “this app will be available for all flavors of Android within the next couple months.”

Dropbox is on your Desktop, in your Web Browser & on your iPhone!

Pricing

Getting started with Dropbox is FREE and they start you off with 2GB of space. You can refer friends, family and colleagues to increase this space up to 3GB, which is adequate for most users. To give you some perspective, I use Dropbox for JumpstartMyPC every day. I’ve been storing blogs, invoices, install files, images, etc. for 7 months now and haven’t even used 30% of the 3GB provided to me.

UPDATE: (4/05/2010) News began to circulate last week that Dropbox has increased their referral program rewards and I just confirmed that users can now earn up to 8GB of additional storage by passing the word on to friends and family.  Pair that with the 2GB of FREE space provided to all “free users” and you can now max out your storage space at 10GB.

If, or when, you feel that you need more space, you can sign up for the Pro 50 ($9.99/mth) or Pro 100 ($19.99/mth) account. Yearly plans are also available and you can save some cash by paying for the year in advance. Although the pricing is fair, it is my hope that pressure from similar services and an upcoming Google storage offer will cause the Dropbox folks to lower that pricing a bit. That being said, if I fill up my 3GB 10GB of space, I won’t hesitate to pay for the Pro 50 plan.

Tags: Android, cloud, drive, Dropbox, file share, file sync, flash, FREE, iPhone, Online, program, Storage

This entry was posted on Monday, April 5th, 2010 at 8:30 am and is filed under Free Programs, Tips and Tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.