Landscape Architect Articles

LASN February 2012 Technology: Dropbox: A Versatile Tool That Nears Perfection01-31-12 | News

Dropbox: A Versatile Tool That Nears Perfection

By Sean Hufnagel, professional graphic designer, and MLA candidate at the University of Georgia

Dropbox comes preloaded with a public and photos folder. Need to email a 30MB file? Put the file in the public folder, right click and copy a unique web address for that file.

Computer utilities are a dime-a-dozen in today?EUR??,,????'?????<www.dropbox.com), a file saving and sharing application, is amazing in its simplicity and power to bridge the gap between your desktop, laptop, mobile device, neighbor?EUR??,,????'?????<

The software performs as its name implies, you drop a file into your Dropbox folder and automatically that file is made available to a multitude of connected devices and stored in the cloud for anytime worldwide access. Let?EUR??,,????'?????<

After you download the software and create a simple account, a file folder is ready and waiting to accept any file you throw its way.

I drag my Word document into the folder and instantaneously it begins to upload to my 2MB of free space on dropbox.com. My online Dropbox mirrors my desktop Dropbox at all times. So if your file is in Dropbox, you can access it securely from any computer, anywhere.

Edit that file while on a business trip at a shared computer in the hotel, save it back to your online Dropbox, and the latest version will be ready and waiting for you when you get back to your own computer at the office.

The true genius behind Dropbox is when you download and setup your Dropbox folder on your home computer, laptop and mobile phone. Now, I can put my Word doc in my Dropbox at work, edit it at home, make more changes on the subway, and then share it with my boss while at the game (more on sharing later). No uploading, downloading, or syncing is required. It truly is tech magic. The files are right there in the same folder, wherever you are. If internet access isn?EUR??,,????'?????<

To share a set of photos, create a ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Landscape architects rarely work on a project without office or partner collaboration. Connect with them using Dropbox, and workflow just got easier. Any folder within your Dropbox folder can be shared with any number of collaborators. Invite them by email and once they accept your invite, all the files in the folder are added to their own Dropbox. You make changes, they add files, no matter the file activity, everyone has the latest files without you having to invite, email, share, etc. Any party can organize or edit the files at will.

Dropbox comes preloaded with a public and photos folder. Need to email a 30 MB file? Put the file in the public folder, right click and copy a unique web address for that file. Simply paste the web address in an email to your client, and that file is ready for download at your client?EUR??,,????'?????<

Files are encrypted, safe and secure, even from your own mind-numbing mistakes. Dropbox keeps a one-month history of each file. If you deleted a paragraph from that client agreement by mistake, go online and dig up an earlier version. Even if you delete the client agreement all-together, the file can be undeleted online with a simple click. I even use Dropbox to keep an extra safe temporary backup of current projects, just in case my pretty laptop takes a dip in the pool on a lazy Saturday.

Dropbox is free to use up to 2MB of storage. For simple text files or spreadsheets, this is more than enough space to work with. If you start using the photo galleries, or save some hefty Photoshop docs, they you need to look into upgrading. You can increase your free space by inviting others to download Dropbox. For every person that installs their own Dropbox, you get 250 MB of free storage (up to 10 GB total). If being social proves too slow for your needs, you can upgrade your storage to 50 GB ($99/yr.), 100 GB ($199/yr.), or negotiate a 350 GB + plan with the Dropbox team.

Dropbox works with Windows, Mac, Linux, iPad, iPhone, Android and BlackBerry, so it is easy to get connected. Are you a hybrid computer owner? Files are synced from Macs to PCs. Partner apps (dropbox.com/apps) are growing in popularity and allow you to take advantage of Dropbox syncing with programs such as 1Password (a great password manager) or manage your Quicken data across two computers.

If problems do arise, help is well organized online. If you are on a paid plan and see you need to upgrade or downgrade your storage space, easily go up or down online with a credit card or paypal payment or refund. Very quickly, you find out what Dropbox does and it just does it, with little to no hassle.

I find Dropbox useful on a daily basis, a true companion to my digital life. I highly recommend it for anyone who regularly uses more than one computer or mobile device. You will find yourself syncing, sharing, and securing your files with unfounded ease.

Simplify your life. Take a tour at dropbox.com/tour.