The future of the USB memory is grim, Long live the Dropbox (Dropbox)

Member Name: gump103

Product:	Dropbox
Date:	13/05/09 (104 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Feature packed, value for money + free, data is everywhere you are

Disadvantages: none

Like lots of people I work on several different computers each week, I have my work PC, my home Pc, and my laptop when I'm mobile. Across these machines I like to be able to access a core set of documents and files that allow me to work from where ever I am at any given time. Most people (myself included until recently) use USB memory sticks to move save these files and folders on in order to get them from one machine to the other.

The problem with USB memory sticks is that they have several inherent flaws: They break, fail, get lost, get forgotten, and unless secured properly they and the data they contain are easily stolen.

Dropbox fixes all of these issues for me as it works securely over the internet to synchronise a selected folder and all the files within with all machines it is installed on, along with this it also saves a copy on a web server which does automatic versioning (keeps record of changes made to a file and allows recovery to any point in time) and recovery of deleted files.

You start by navigating to www.getdropbox.com and downloading the client for your operating system. Dropbox works with MacOS, Windows and Linux and allows for files to be synched between different operating systems seamlessly. Installing the agent on windows and linux (ubuntu) is an easy affair (I assume mac is as simple but don't have one to try) and it is followed by creating an account for use. This account needs to be used on all subsequent machines so as to sync the same data.

Once installed I creates a folder called dropbox in the My Documents folder but this can be easily moved to another location. On my windows PC's I have placed the folder in the C drive and then redirected the my documents folder to the same location so as to make saving documents there easy.
The agent runs in the task tray and allows you to see what your dropbox is doing, a tick means its fully synchronised, a blue circle with arrows means its synchronising. Right clicking on the icon shows you how much space you are using, allows you to open the dropbox, or visit the web interface for your dropbox account.

The initial folder created by dropbox contains a folder for pictures, a public folder where you can add a file and then provide others with a web link to download with out password. Right clicking on any folder in your dropbox allows you to call up the previous version of that file by taking you to the web interface.

The web interface gives you access to all the files you have synchronised across your computers, it also allows you to create folders and share them with other dropbox users allowing you to collaborate on documents, as well as share files with them without leaving a computer on all the time. You can see all files that have been deleted/changed and recover them if needed, and they will automatically restore to each computer. It also has a really useful tool that shows history of all the files in your dropbox so you can track back on any changes that have been made.

Dropbox comes in 2 flavours free, and paid for. The free account allows you access to 2gb of storage and but this can be extended to 5gb by referring friends to the system. The paid for account is for 50gb of storage and costs $99 per year which I feel is good value.

The best thing with dropbox is that it works exactly as it says it does, it has a forum based community where suggestions are listened to, It's built on solid foundation in the form of Amazons S2 platform (google if you want to know more) so you know the backend is going to be stable.
Compared to the faults of a memory stick: Its unbreakable, it anywhere there is a connection to the web, it won't get lost, it can't be forgotten (except the password), its automatically secured, theft of data is minimised by good pc security (passwords and encryption).

I conclusion I would say that the dropbox product is an indispensible part of my computing needs now and would suggest that everyone signs up to at least the free version to see what its all about, even if its only just to use it to back up a few files to the web for safe keeping. My usb Memory sticks haven't left the house in the last 6 months and I can't see them doing so anytime soon.

Summary: Try it, you won't be disapointed

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