Dropbox – Finally a free online storage and review service that works
My business partner John has been trying to get me to use www.dropbox.com for awhile. Finally, I gave it a try. I don’t think that I’ll be going back to the other file sending sites I’ve been using anytime soon, and there’s a bunch of them. One guy here likes YouSendit.com for sending files up to 100 megs. I used mediafire.com for awhile also. They’re all great, but Dropbox is a nice step above for us video guys, and not just cause you get 2gb’s for free.
Here’s the short, short version. Dropbox makes a folder on your computer that’s shared. Simply drag files into that folder and it automatically syncs them to their servers. From any browser, anywhere in the world, you can access your files, share them, or store them to that computer or phone. Did I mention they made an iPhone and Android app, and that they rule? No? Well they made an Android and iPhone app and they rule.
The best part….
For video pros, Dropbox automatically recognizes pics and video. So, when someone sends you a video file, you can stream it right there on your phone or PC. No downloading first. This will surely be useful to anyone seeking client approval from someone who’s in an airport bathroom or a baby baptism. Just kidding about the baptism. There are times to not be on your phone. Although, they’re becoming less and less. Also, you can share a folder and reedit the documents in them, and they will instantly show the results to whomever you’re sharing the folder with. Very cool indeed.
What else…
For those with bigger aspirations, Dropbox does have paid plans. 50gb for $99/year and 100gb for $199. 2gb is completely free. For those of us with $99/year MobileMe accounts, you might find too much similarity in services between the two. This is why I would recommend the free version until you feel you can’t live without more space.
The one service I still wish Dropbox provided is one that YouSendit does for me; which is to upload the file without having to wait for it to upload and email me a confirmation.
For the definitive list of all Dropbox’s free features, read here.
Disclosure: I was not paid or cajoled in any way by anyone to make this recommendation, and I don’t own any shares of Dropbox, nor do I have the money to be investing in things right now.
3 Responses
Hey, another good thing is that if you are compressing files, let’s say in a program like Compressor, you can save them directly to your dropbox public folder and then go do something else (or go home) without having to wait around – they’ll automatically sync when they’re done. Just check later through your iPhone app and let the client know they are available to view. Mobile Me does this too but dropbox is free and (so far) solid as a rock.
I’ve heard of Dropbox before, but never bothered to give it a shot. Maybe I’ll look into it now. You mention a free version, is that just a trial or is just really limiting on what you can do?
Rob,
The 2gb version is completely free and not a trial. Since you’ve probably got more than one email address, technically I assume you can have multiple free versions.
John pointed out something really cool for video pros in that you can just compress right to the folder and leave. No sitting around and waiting to send the email.