What is Dropbox?
Dropbox is a web application that helps you synchronize your files and also keep a backup online. A more detailed review will follow.
What can I do with Dropbox?
For the sake of argument let’s say we have 2 PCs and a mobile phone, an iPhone, for instance. One of the PCs is a notebook and the other is a desktop. We carry our notebook around with us to meetings, conferences, to school or anywhere we travel. We are constantly gathering new files on the notebook and it would be useful to be able to access them from wherever we are and also from our desktop at home. We would also want to have a backup for certain files that are of great importance especially because the notebook is a fragile device that is exposed to significant risks and it could suffer data loss.
Dropbox can help you fulfill these needs and many others. Dropbox is an application that needs to be installed on all the PCs you want to be synchronized and even on an iPhone and it will take care of the rest. Furthermore, the program will make an identical copy of the file structure on your computer on to the Dropbox servers.
When you register you receive 2.25 GB of free storage memory. After completing a few easy steps: copy a file in the Dropbox folders on to your computer, invite a friend, share a folder with a different Dropbox user or you install the application on a different computer, you will receive another 250 MB so, when you complete all the settings, you will have 2.5 GB of free storage space.
The storage space may increase
The people at Dropbox want to offer you alternatives. Besides the premium packages that cost 10$/month for 50 GB storage space or 20$/month for 100GB storage space, you can double the initial storage space. For every person you introduce to Dropbox, that installs the application, you receive another 250 MB up to a maximum of 3 GB received.
Let’s get down to testing
I was pleasantly impressed by the Dropbox team. After reviewing the application I thought I would enjoy an account with more storage space so I asked the Dropbox team if they would give me a premium account for review. The next day, I received a 50 GB account.
I proceeded to testing it. Because I live in a dormitory I asked some of my friends and neighbors to install the Dropbox application. I enabled sharing for a folder and now we can share files a lot easier.
The download and upload speed is unexpectedly high. From my dorm room I was able to upload files with speeds up to 3MB/sec and download with speeds up to 2-3 MB/sec, through a wireless internet connection. From the university I study at, the download speed reached 5-6 MB/sec and the minimum upload speed was 200Kb/sec.
If you upload photos you can copy them in the Photos folder, that is automatically created, and you can use one option to create online albums instantly. If you wish to share files other than photos, with people that are not Dropbox users, you can use the Public folder where you can copy any file and a download link is automatically created.
Conclusion…
For me this web service is becoming more and more useful. The scenario presented before is not entirely fiction because I have 2 desktops at home plus a mini server and I carry a notebook with me…I only need an iPhone now.
If my review has made you at least one bit curious or even if not you can watch the presentation video or you could ask me question through the comments section. If not, register and use Dropbox every day, it is quite useful.