Dropbox

I was given an invite to Dropbox. In a nutshell, it’s an online storage service that allows you to sync files across multiple computers. I’m syncing files via my PC running Vista and my MacBook running Leopard.

The service is very easy to use. You download the application and install it. In Windows it creates a folder in My Documents called My Dropbox. You drop any files in there you want to put on the server and it automatically uploads them.

Once you have files uploaded to Dropbox you can log into the Dropbox website and view the files using the web interface.

On the Mac, the Dropbox app adds it’s location to Finder, much like the .Mac iDisk does.

As soon as the files have been uploaded from one computer they will sync to all computers running Dropbox that are linked to your account. This came in handy for me when I downloaded a Habari theme on my PC but wanted to test it out on MAMP on my Mac later in the day. I didn’t want to remember the link or upload the file somewhere else, so I just placed it in the My Dropbox folder on my PC and when I booted up my Mac it automatically downloaded it in the Dropbox folder on my Mac. Very simple.

You can also put files in a public folder that is accessible from a link. Right click the file and go to the Dropbox subfolder and choose “get public link” and you will be able to send that link to anyone you want to view the files. Right now Dropbox is in private testing phase, but I can already tell that this is a great idea and the simplicity of their solution makes it a winner. They give you 2gb of online storage space. I can see them charging for more space in the future, which if you are someone who is on multiple computers a lot and want to keep track of files, say from home to work, this will be an ideal solution for you. I can’t wait to see where they go with this. I also have a few invites if anyone is interested in trying it out. Just leave me your info in the comments.