What is it?
Dropbox is a replacement for the USB flash drive. Files placed in a Dropbox folder are stored on a server, which allows files on one device to be instantaneously accessible to all your devices that have the Dropbox application installed. Dropbox automatically backs up and synchronizes any changes you make to your files, giving you access to your most up-to-date revisions. Many other mobile applications synchronize data through Dropbox making it a must-have app for any mobile device user.
How does it work?
After creating an account and downloading the application on your computer and mobile devices, a folder will be created on your hard drive called “Dropbox.” Any files you place in the Dropbox folder are automatically synchronized across all your computers and mobile devices. Any changes you make to a file in the Dropbox folder also are automatically synchronized across all your devices. Any mistakes you make can be corrected because Dropbox saves a file revision history, allowing you to recover any prior version of all your files. Folders within Dropbox also can be shared with colleagues.
All files are encrypted on Dropbox using the 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard and sent over the Internet between your devices using a secure channel that uses Secure Sockets Layer encryption. This level of security is the same encryption standard used by banks to secure customer data. Data is stored using Amazon’s Simple Storage Service (S3), which uses military-grade perimeter control beams, video surveillance, and professional security staff, according to Amazon, to maintain physical security of your data.
The user interface in the mobile Dropbox application is simple. There is a left pane showing stored files and a right pane showing individual file contents (ie, text, images, slideshows, music, movies). The left pane has 6 buttons, allowing you to upload files, delete files, view files, view photographs, mark files as favorites, and enter the settings pane. The right pane has 3 buttons, allowing you to share the viewed file, mark the viewed file as a favorite, and open the file in an alternate program (eg, another text-editing app, presentation app, music app).
How can it help me?
I use Dropbox to keep my important files with me at all times. A particularly useful feature is the star-shaped Favorites button, which allows me to temporarily download files to my mobile device’s RAM before going on plane trips or being in other areas that may not provide Internet access, that way I can work on a paper or presentation during my flight and be assured that all my work will be stored online and synchronized as soon as my device regains Internet access.
I also use Dropbox to share large files, such as presentations, movies, and photograph albums. The Share button can be used to e-mail friends and colleagues a link to files that are too large to send by e-mail. Because promiscuous USB drives are a source of malware, I also use Dropbox to share small and large files with computers of unknown security; if I do not know that a computer is free of spyware and viruses, I assume it is infected.
How can I get it?
Dropbox can be downloaded from the Apple App Store for your iPhone, iPod Touch, and/or iPad; the Google Play Store; or the product Web site. A free account provides 2 to 18 GB, but if you need more storage, there are Pro and Business accounts that offer more than 100 GB starting at $9.99/month.
For more information, go to www.dropbox.com.