Dropbox is testing a new feature that allows users to automatically upload photos and videos from their USB-connected camera, camera phone, or SD card reader.

In order to use the service and receive additional free space, you will need to download a beta version of Dropbox and install it on your Mac or PC. (It might be wise to back up your current Dropbox data before downloading and installing the beta version.)

This experimental build of Dropbox works with Windows, Mac OS 10.5 and above and Linux. Link to this forum page for the latest listings and upgrades.

After the beta version is installed, you simply connect say your camera, phone, or SD card to your computer, and Dropbox will automatically detect images and ask if you want them imported to a Camera Uploads folder automatically installed in your Dropbox account.

 

Dropbox clarified that “you can’t get up to 5 GB of free space with this feature, if you count the initial 500 MB space for the first photo import.” Because Dropbox is testing the importing process, you most likely cannot receive space increase unless you use the importer popup window.

Dropbox encourages users to keep plugging in their cameras so they can “snipe all the common bugs during the beta testing.

I, for one, needed my PDF slides to review for class so I definitely needed to find a way to sync it to my Acer tablet. Dropbox is my preferred syncing service, which works wonders on computers. However on mobile devices, especially Android devices, it leaves a lot to be desired, mainly because of the lack of support for two-way syncing goodness.

Dropbox may or may not implement this feature soon, but in the meantime, Dropsync does a superb job of uploading and downloading files in real-time (Pro version), or other intervals if you so prefer. If you use Dropbox, this app might just make your mobile life easier.

Dropbox doesn’t just shine for syncing files so you’ll have the same set on different devices that you own, but it’s also great for backing up those same files in case of any emergency. It’s not the only one that does that either. SpiderOak and SugarSync are also excellent syncing services with mobile apps, and while I tried all three services, I stuck with Dropbox because it had virtually no learning curve, it had clients for all three OSes that I’m familiar with, and it synced things without noticeable delay.

There are two versions of Dropsync, free and pro. The version I’m testing here is the pro version that’s available for $5.99 on the Android Market.

Syncing SD Card Folders With Dropbox Folders

When you download and launch Dropsync, there’s not much to see beyond the status and preferences screens. The first screen shows the status of your syncs, how much has been transferred to your device or to Dropbox’s servers, as you can see in the next cropped screenshot.

If you tap on Settings, that’s where it gets a bit more interesting.

You can choose which SD card folder to sync with which Dropbox folder in the Settings.

If you’re using this on a mobile phone and need to set limits on how much data you’re consuming with this app, you can set file size limits for all the files you’re transferring whether they going from or to your Android device.

If you’re watching your limits, it’s probably good to uncheck the Instant Upload option, which uploads and downloads changes in any modified files in real-time (pro version only). You can also set Dropsync to sync every 15 minutes, 1 hour to once a day.

This app is not optimized for tablets. In fact, you’ll notice it allows you to set whether transfers occur via Wi-Fi or your mobile data connection.

Other options include whether to offer notifications on each sync. I’ve used this app for a semester and would recommend to uncheck that option as it gets tiring to have to clear that message on a tablet, where there’s no “Clear All” button, at least not on my tablet as far as I know.

Differences Between Free And Pro Versions

There are several differences between the free and the pro version. First, as I’ve mentioned, real-time syncing is only available for users with the pro key.

There are also more size limits you can pick from so only files up to a certain file size are allowed to be transferred, which is handy especially if you’re on a data plan with caps.

Apart from having no ads, the last benefit of the pro version is that you can sync more than one pair of folders, which for me was the main reason I needed to purchase this version. Having relied on this pro version for over a semester, I think it just allowed for fewer headaches and more efficiency.

There are a number of similar apps that can sync your Android device with your computer. Which are the applications  you prefer? Let us know in the comments section below.

You can’t edit formatted documents with this tool, but if you at least do your first drafts in TXT files you’ll find this tool useful. Even better, it connects with Dropbox, meaning your work will sync with all of your computers. Jessica pointed this tool out when she showed you how to edit and compile code online, but TextDropApp isn’t just useful for programmers. It’s also perfect for the writer on the move.

Using TextDropApp

Ready to check this out? Just head over to TextDropApp, click the “login” button and you will be re-directed to Dropbox. You will have to log into Dropbox, assuming you’re not already, and then you will need to give TextDropApp permission to read and edit your documents.

This makes sense: the app can hardly edit anything without permission. Still, some people might be worried. That’s smart, but according to the app’s creator Sam Nguyen, there’s not much to worry about:

TextDrop does not save your password. It doesn’t even see your password because it uses Dropbox’s OAuth system.

So rest assured, your password is safe. TextDropApp, as a text editor, is very low-frills. You can’t customize much of anything, and there is no code syntax highlighting. This is a simple tool for simple purposes.

The minimalist interface works well on a variety of devices, so give it a try on your tablet or your smartphone as well as your browser. It’s a great, simple way to quickly edit a document in your Dropbox.

You can open any file in your Dropbox, provided it has a “.txt” extension.

You can also create new files and save them to whatever sub-folder you prefer. It’s a very functional tool.

Security Concern

I mentioned above that your Dropbox password is safe via this service. You should know, however, that the information you write may not be. Again, from app creator Sam Nguyen:

[TextDropApp] does transiently transmit the contents of your files through its servers, although it never saves any of your contents to disk. The transmission from your browser to the TextDrop server is unencrypted, so please only use TextDrop for non-sensitive material.

In summary, don’t use this app to make a list of your credit card numbers, because that information won’t be encrypted. Grocery lists or blog posts should be fine, though.

Conclusion

I have to say, I’ve been looking for something more or less like this for a year or so. I’m glad I found it, and will be making more use of it in the months to come.

What do you think? Do you like being able to quickly edit text documents in your Dropbox, or would you prefer something more full-featured, like Google Docs integration for Dropbox? Let us know in the comments below, along with any other useful Dropbox tools we might not know about.

Well now, if you’re heavy user of Dropbox like I am, you might be interested in a new online service, Dropbox Automator, that can automatically perform all sorts of tasks when you add files to your designated Dropbox folders.

The developers at Wappwolf.com have created an online application that automatically performs tasks on files added to a Dropbox folder, such as converting text files to PDF (or PDF to text), emailing a file to a designated recipient, renaming or encrypting/decrypting files, or sending information to your Twitter or Facebook timeline. (See entire list below.)

These types of folder automations are typically done with applications like Apple’s AppleScript, Automator, or Hazel, but now they can be performed with Dropbox online, without any knowledge or use of computer coding. It takes several minutes to set up, but you gain all that back when it begins performing actions for you.

Setting Up Dropbox Automations

To get started with Dropbox Automator, click this link to go over to the site and login into your Dropbox account. Dropbox Automator will of course need to access your account in order to do it’s thing on folders you designate.

Next, select a folder (or create a new folder in your Dropbox account) to attach an action to.

If the number of folders in your Dropbox account is like mine, you will need to scroll down to the end of the page to click the “Next” button, which will take you to the “Choose an action” page of the  application. This is where you select one of a few dozen actions to attach to your selected folder. This is the entire list:

So for example, you may choose the email action which when set up will automatically send a file you drop in your designated folder to the email box of your preselected recipient.

Another useful automation is Downscale, which automatically resizes any picture file, say to 640×480 for web posting.

After you add an automation, scroll to top of the page and select “finished?” or select to add another action to attach to the folder. When you’re finished, Dropbox Automator will confirm the automation you have set up on your designated folder.

When Dropbox Automator runs an action, it typically creates two folders in the designated folder–a “processed” folder for the files that actions were performed upon, and a “result” folder for processed copies of the original files.

Dropbox Automator Account

You can also sign up and create an account on Wappwolf.com to view all its free and paid actions. You can select actions as favorites, view a history of the actions performed on your designated Dropbox folder(s), as well upload files directly to your account to have them processed.

So far, all the listed actions are free except the “Send postcard with your photo” action, which requires the purchase of credits to use.

With Dropbox Automator account, you can perform actions from other sources, including direct upload, your Google Docs account, and other websites.

Wappwolf App

Wappwolf also has its own iPhone and iPad app for file and document handling, from your Dropbox account or other sources.

I tried several Dropbox Automator actions and most worked as described; however, the send to the Twitter action never seemed to work for me.

Let us know how well Dropbox Automator works for you. And for other Dropbox related hacks and tutorials, check our list of articles here.

Dropbox brought cloud-based file synchronization and storage to the masses, but it’s been hindered by high-profile security problems. While Dropbox once claimed that its employees were unable to access your files, they now claim only that employees aren’t allowed to view your files. In June 2011, Dropbox left the door wide open and anyone could log into any account without knowing its password for nearly four hours.

Sure, if you only use Dropbox to share the latest lolcat pictures with your friends, security doesn’t matter. But you’re taking a risk by storing sensitive data in Dropbox. Fortunately, you have another option — an alternative service that secures your files with local encryption and decryption. The encryption keeps your files private, outwitting hackers and preventing rogue employees from snooping around.

Most services, including Dropbox, claim to offer some form of encryption. These services transfer your files over an encrypted connection and store them in an encrypted form. Some services even advertise this as “military-grade encryption.” The problem is that the service itself can decrypt your files without your help. Alternatives like SpiderOak, Wuala and TeamDrive encrypt your files on your own computer before sending them over the Internet; the service only gets a blob of unreadable, encrypted data.

SpiderOak

SpiderOak brands itself as a secure online backup service. It generates encryption keys from the password you provide; your SpiderOak password never even leaves your computer. Even SpiderOak’s employees can’t access your files.

Unlike Dropbox, SpiderOak doesn’t have its own sync folder — instead, you can customize the folders SpiderOak uses. SpiderOak offers to back up common categories of files by default, but you can also click the “Advanced” button and select specific folders. SpiderOak watches the selected folders and automatically updates your SpiderOak account with any new or changed files.
Somewhat confusingly, backups and synchronization are separate functions in SpiderOak. After backing up files on the Back Up tab, you have to click the Sync tab and create a new sync. If you create a backup without creating a sync, SpiderOak just backs up your files online and doesn’t synchronize them to your other computers.

Like Dropbox, SpiderOak offers 2 GB of free space. You can get an additional gigabyte for each friend you refer, up to a total of 50 GB.

Wuala

Wuala, a service from data storage manufacturing company LaCie, has similar security. Wuala also encrypts your files locally and never sends your password over the network.
Wuala appears as a network drive after you install it. The drive works just like your Dropbox folder — any files added to it are automatically backed up to your Wuala account and synchronized to your other computers.

Wuala also includes a desktop application for managing your files. It only synchronizes files on the Wuala drive by default, but you can synchronize another folder by clicking the New menu button on the toolbar and selecting Sync.

Wuala includes 2 GB of free space, but you can get up to 5 GB total. Just click the File menu in Wuala and select Invite People You Know; each friend you invite scores you another 250 MB.

TeamDrive

TeamDrive is focused on secure collaboration, but you can also use it to synchronize files between your own devices. TeamDrive uses “spaces,” folders that it backs up online and synchronizes between devices. You can click the Create button on the TeamDrive window’s toolbar to create a new space.

TeamDrive automatically “invites” your other devices when you create a new space, giving the devices permission to access the space. Just sign in to TeamDrive on other computers to access your files. You can also invite other people to a space, which gives them access to the space’s files. Each space is stored in an encrypted form online; only devices you invite can decrypt and access the space’s files.

TeamDrive also includes 2 GB of free storage space. Unlike SpiderOak and Wuala, it doesn’t have a referral program, so that’s all you get unless you’re willing to shell out for more.

Conclusion

As with all software, there’s an element of trust involved. You’re still typing your password into the app, so you’re trusting the service to behave as promised. If you’re worried about this, you can encrypt sensitive files yourself instead of relying on your sync program.
You can also continue using Dropbox if you prefer it; just encrypt your sensitive files before adding them to your Dropbox folder. Many programs can encrypt files, but you’ll have to decrypt them before reading them. Encrypting and decrypting your own files can be a hassle, so this solution works best for backups you don’t access very often.

I have previously explored some advantages of Dropbox’s online features. In this article, I will focus on the Dropbox for Android.

How It Works

The Dropbox app installs with a homescreen shortcut and no widget. The app interface is very basic, but provides access to more key features than you would think. The folder icons reveal the content of a folder or whether it is shared with others or the public.

Tapping the settings button (highlighted in red below) opens a menu with options to search your files, create a new folder, upload files to your Dropbox, refresh, access the help menu, or change your Dropbox settings.

Via the Dropbox settings you can enable a passcode lock for your Dropbox, report a problem, or clear your cache, among other things.

To open, download, share, or delete a file (bottom menu) or folder (top menu), press the file or folder for a few seconds until a menu with the respective options pops up as shown in the two in one screenshot below.

Saving, Sharing & Sending Files

Dropbox integrates as a sharing option with several apps. For example you can use your Android file manager to send files to your Dropbox, as demonstrated below using File Station.

After choosing Dropbox from the sharing options, you can select a folder to send it to.

Things That Do Not Work

The Android app does not allow you to download an entire folder, view or restore previous versions or deleted files, or edit sharing options, as is possible via the web interface. On the other hand, with the exception of downloading folders, none of these options are available through the desktop application either, so the Android app does not present a huge disadvantage. The main difference between the desktop and the Android app is that files are not stored locally on the device. The Android Dropbox app merely acts as a portal to the web interface.

While testing the Android app, I noticed an unusual frequency of error messages. However, when I compared features with the desktop app, I also ran into the same issue, which suggests that Dropbox was having issues in general.

Conclusion

Dropbox is a must-have app if you want to backup and sync documents between multiple devices. It’s also fantastic for sharing files and folders with friends. Be sure to combine it with the right document viewing apps on your Android. Depending on the types of files you are sharing, you will need an image viewer, a video and audio player, and a document viewer that can handle documents, presentations, and spreadsheets. Check out our 100 Best Android Apps for some suggestions.

MakeUseOf has previously covered Dropbox, including a manual by Matt:

• 5 Ways To Send Files To Your Dropbox Without Using Dropbox
• Download Files Directly To Dropbox Or Email Using sideCLOUDload
• Make Your Dropbox Portable With DropboxPortableAHK [Windows]
• Transfer Web Files Directly To Your Dropbox Folder With URL Droplet
• How To Get More Free Dropbox Storage With Your School Email Address [News]

If you are interested in cloud computing in general, you should also look at these articles:

• How Does Cloud Computing Work? [Technology Explained]
• How To Permanently Store Your Data In “The Cloud”
• 3 Ways To Escape Cloud Storage Solutions If You Don’t Trust Them

How do you currently share and sync files between your Android device and your computer?

However, using just the basics of the software may make you miss out on some useful stuff that could make your life even easier. I know, I know, it’s hard to fathom the idea that life could get even better, but just listen (or to be more accurate, read).

Bandwidth Limits and Pausing

File synchronization is great, right? Well, not when it’s trying to update almost 2GB worth of data all at once and in the process sucks on all of your bandwidth, leaving you unable to do any kind of web surfing whatsoever. Worse yet, what if you need to do some time-sensitive work? Well, Dropbox gives you a solution to the said problem.

You can set bandwidth limits and even pause the synchronization. By default, the download portion of synchronization doesn’t have a limit while the upload portion is set to be limited “automatically”. If that doesn’t seem to be working for you, you can always manually set limits yourself, especially when it comes to downloading. This way, you can still be synchronizing while doing your precious work.

On the other hand, if you want to speed up synchronization, you can also enable LAN Sync, which will update information between computers on the same network. This should be plenty faster than going through Dropbox’s servers.

The pause feature also exists to, you know, pause the service. Technically you could also just exit Dropbox, but logically speaking you just want to pause it, not exit it, right?

Get More Space with .EDU Email Address

Are you lucky enough to be a student, faculty member, or more with an .edu email address? If so, Dropbox would like to make your educational experience even easier. While Dropbox lets you refer people to the service for a gift of 256MB of free space per referral up to a maximum of 8GB of extra space (10GB total for a free account), those who verify that they have an .edu email address can refer people to the service for a gift of 512MB of free space per referral up to a maximum of 16GB of extra space (18GB total for a free account).

If you have already referred people in the past before you verify your .edu email address, the previous referrals will be upgraded to the 512MB size.

You can verify your .edu email address by going to this page, entering in your email address, and clicking on the verification link that will be sent to that address.

Consolidate to a Local “Dropbox Server”

If you’re tired of having to update all your data on each computer, why not consolidate the number of computers that poll Dropbox for updates? You could easily dedicate one computer to synchronizing with Dropbox, and then connect from your other computers to that one via Shared Folders or any other method you prefer. This way, less computers need to be constantly updated, less computers need to run the software, and less computers will have to store the data that is being synchronized with Dropbox.

This is very helpful if say you have a Pro account that syncs 100GB of data, as you’ll take up 100GB on one computer, instead of 100GB on every single one. Imagine what you could put on those other computers with 100GB of free space!

Use Dropbox’s Web Interface

I know this may be a very simple tip that automatically brings out the “duh” response, but some people still need to be reminded about it. Dropbox offers very excellent web tools to upload and download files, as well as change anything else that you normally can without a browser. Just because you may be on a computer that doesn’t have Dropbox installed doesn’t mean that you can’t access your data. However, with the website, you can be anywhere in the world, on any computer, and get the exact files that you need.

Conclusion

Dropbox is still my number one synchronization tool and will stay that way for the foreseeable future. With these tips, you can make your Dropbox experience even better and love it that much more. However, things can get really interesting if you start using it in very unique ways.

How do you use Dropbox? Any other tips you’d like to add to this article? Let us know in the comments!

As Apple explains it, iCloud is a service “which stores your music, photos, perhaps, calendars, and documents and wirelessly pushes them to all your devices.” The service is free for iOS 5 and OS X Lion users, and provides up to 5GB of free storage. This MUO article, What iCloud IsAnd Why It Changes Everything, explains in more detail the pros and cons of the service.

If you use one or more output devices you will definitely want to sign up for an iCloud account. However if you are a current MobileMe user you will need to move your MobileMe account over to the iCloud service. While Apple has made the transition relatively easy, there are a few things you need to know.

System Requirements

Before you move your MobileMe account you will need to have your Apple devices upgraded to iOS 5 and OS X Lion. A computer for example not upgraded to Lion will not be able to take full advantage of the iCloud services. See more about the limitations here.

MobileMe Services

If you try to sign in or create an iCloud account on one of your mobile devices, you will be instructed to first move your MobileMe content over to iCloud. This means you can move your MobileMe Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Safari Bookmarks, Fine My iPhone, in Back to My Mac to your new iCloud account.

What you won’t be able move to iCloud are your iWeb websites, existing photo galleries, and iDisk content. This is unfortunate for MobileMe members who have developed and published iWeb sites and photo galleries over the last several years. Apple says you will have until June 30, 2012 to move your content to another server or lose it altogether.

Apple also says that any of your publicly shared iCal calendars will be unpublished in the transition. You will need to share those public calendars again after moving to iCloud.

Additionally, other MobileMe features including Mac Dashboard Widgets, Dock Items, Teachings, References, Mail Accounts, Rules, Signatures, and Smart Mailboxes will not be synched after moving to iCloud.

Start here to move your MobileMe account to iCloud.

Why Apple Made the Move

Because iCloud is an Internet service that automatically pushes your designated content between all your supporting devices, it is clearly better than the limitations found in MobileMe. I have been a long time user of MobileMe and have never experienced major problems with the service. However, the yearly $99 subscription fee seemed excessive for the services MobileMe offered.

Except for iWeb Internet hosting, you could easily find similar MobileMe-like features and services for free on Internet. For example, MobileMe iDisk storage is light-years behind cloud services like Dropbox, which offers 2GB of free service and has much better third-party support and integration with cross-platform applications.

Many MobileMe users probably have found the Gallery feature very useful because it integrated with iLife applications, including iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD. This integration made it very easy to upload photos and homemade movies to well-designed MobileMe Galleries. Well, though the MobileMe Gallery feature is no more, Apple has already updated at least one of its iLife applications, iPhoto, for iCloud support.

iCloud users will now be able to use services like iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream, Documents in the Cloud, and automatic download and purchase of apps and books from iTunes Store. So basically all your designated data will be synced between all your devices–including documents you create in the iWork suite of applications (Pages, Keynote, and Numbers.) You will no longer need to manually add data to say iDisk in order to download them to other devices.

In the next several weeks, we’ll get to see how just how well iCloud works in everyday use. Drop us a comment and let us know how the transition is working for you.

A number of new features have been introduced including search, a new “file quick action” menu, share, delete, and account settings. All of these have been a part of the service for some time of course, but the mobile site redesign makes them more readily accessible on a smartphone or tablet.

Support for this new version of the mobile site is limited to the iPhone, Android 2.1+, and Windows Phone 7. In other words, most mobile devices should be compatible. Dropbox did not specifically state that Android Honeycomb is compatible, but judging from the design of the mobile site, those with 10-inch tablets would likely find the normal site a better choice.

You may be wondering why you’d use this instead of the app. If you’re using your own device, the app is likely a better choice. If for some reason you are not using your own mobile device, the website will be easier to access, and now offers functionality almost identical to the app.

Source: Dropbox Blog

Enter Pigeon Carrier, a unique Chrome extension and Firefox add-on that combines the powers of Twitter and DropBox to create something truly amazing. With the extension, you can easily upload files to your DropBox through Twitter and then share the link with the world.

How Can I Use It?

If this is your first time using Pigeon Carrier, you need to make a DropBox account for yourself if you don’t already have one. Theoretically, this is going to be pretty easy, and you can just choose the free 5GB space option. Upon your first usage of Pigeon Carrier, you will be prompted to authorize Pigeon Carrier to connect both your DropBox and your Twitter. This is perfectly safe, and the app developers won’t be stealing your soul in any way (as far as I know).

After installing the Pigeon Carrier extension, you’ll notice that there is going to be a brand new “Add Attachment” option right next to the Tweet button. At this point, you can already be sure that this extension is going to be incredibly easy to use.

When you are fully ready to Tweet attachments, all you have to do is type in your message (whether it be directed towards someone or just a general announcement), click “Add Attachment”, and then upload your file. After it uploads, confirm the attachment and send out your Tweet. Right next to the message will be the word “Attachment” in which anyone can click and download your selected file.

What About People Who Don’t Have The Extension?

By now, you may be wondering, “Josh, what about the folks who didn’t spruce up their browser with Pigeon Carrier? They won’t be able to see that fancy attachment link, will they?”

Well, my friend, you are too right. They won’t be able to see that fancy attachment link at all. However, what they will see is any standard “t.co” URL that you would use when sending out any link (like when I tweet out my MakeUseOf articles).

You see, when you use Pigeon Carrier, all it does is upload a file to your Public folder on DropBox, copies the link to this said file, and then pastes it in your Tweet upon your command so that it can be accessed through the Pigeon Carrier website. As a matter of fact, it does all of this with the click of a single button.

Imagine doing this all by yourself. It would take a ton of clicking, right? All Pigeon Carrier does is streamline it for you.

Since you have the extension, you will, of course, see the “Attachment” link in your Tweet, and if you happen to see attached files from anyone else who Tweets them out, you will see that same “Attachment” link. Basically, don’t worry at all about this not working for other people. The function is purely identical, but the form is slightly different.

Conclusion

Pigeon Carrier is a browser extension that basically conglomerates multiple functions into one swift process, allowing users to send files with their Tweets. Ideally, you can publicly send files to a mass group who may need them (say, for instance, a design team), or you could even just Tweet it out to one person (with the knowledge that other people can see the file).

Have you used Pigeon Carrier yet? What do you think of it? Do you know of any other ways that you can share files through Twitter?