Dropbox for iPhone is The Perfect App
By: Hillel Fuld
There are not many apps, mobile, Mac, or PC, that can actually change the way we behave. Every computer user is familiar with the problem of sharing and syncing your files. Whether you need your file on another computer, want to share it with a friend, or would like to access it on your phone, everyone is presented with this difficulty at one point or another.
As a result, many solutions have been developed, some enable you to share larger files with friends, others backup your files to the “cloud”, and there is always the “email it to myself” trick. However, none of these techniques offer a comprehensive solution to sharing and syncing your files. Dropbox does.
I actually started using Dropbox on my computer last week and it did not take long till I realized this is the solution I have been waiting for. So what is it? To simplify things, Dropbox creates a virtual box on your computer, into which you can “drop” files of any kind, then access that box on any platform, including iPhone with the Dropbox app.
There are different capacities of storage, but as was explained to me last week, the primary idea of Dropbox is not complete backup of all your files, in fact, I am pretty sure they do not even offer an unlimited account. The concept is more for sharing files with your friends, and syncing your important files across multiple PCs, Macs, or mobile phones.
Since we are talking about an iPhone app, let’s talk a little bit about the app, although it is the service that makes the app so awesome. The app is simple, straight forward, and extremely user friendly, just like the service itself. When first logging in, you are asked if you already have an account, which I did. If not, you can create one straight from the app. When logging into your account for the first time using the app, within seconds you can already see your files, which in my case was hundreds of pictures.
Maybe I am old fashioned, but the fact that i have pictures on my home computer that I can now see on my iPod Touch, without ever transferring one single file, seems pretty amazing to me. Am I wrong?
Along the bottom of the Dropbox app, there are three tabs, Favorites, My Dropbox, and Settings. Favorites enables you to add any file and then access that file offline, so not only are you viewing pictures that are on your home computer, you can even do it with no internet connection.
In the My Dropbox screen is where you can view or access all your files. The files supported include images, music, movies, Microsoft Office files, Web pages, as well as text files. I don’t know about you, but that pretty much covers all the files I have on my computer. OK, except .exe files, but I can understand why they are not supported.
In the app’s Settings tab, you can see what percentage of your account is being used as well as the email address with which you registered. You can watch the below video from within the app, which does a better job than me explaining what Dropbox is. You can also take an online tour of Dropbox and its various features, as well as view an FAQ style help section. There is also a Feedback option if you want to tell the developers how awesome of a job they did.
All in all, the Dropbox concept, unlike the hundreds of apps I have tested, will actually change the way I interact with my various computing platforms, and as soon as I finish this review, I will be moving the Dropbox app to my iPod’s first home screen, right next to apps like Facebook, Linkedin, IM+, Tweetdeck, and Echofon. Dropbox definitely deserves a spot there.
Our Rating: 5/5
Developer: Dropbox
