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Showing results for tags 'dropbox'.
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Scanning, sharing and creating files just got easier thanks to a handful of new Dropbox features. During a press event in San Francisco, the file-hosting and cloud-service company announced several additions to its software platform, particularly with its mobile app for Apple iOS. The most notable update includes document scanning through the Dropbox app, and the ability to create Microsoft Office documents directly from the app with a front-and-center "plus" button. "For individuals, we're simplifying workflows," Dropbox vice president of product and design Todd Jackson said. "For teams, we're unifying the workspace." Through their camera phone, users can scan and organize documents like sketches, receipts, printouts and Post-its. Similar apps provide this service for both iOS and Google Android, such as Evernote Scannable and CamScanner, respectively. With the feature natively built into Dropbox however, you can also search text and keywords within these scanned documents. View the full article -
Dropbox Pro users gain access to a raft of new features including automatically expiring shared links, password-protected sharing, and adjustable permissions. In recent times, Dropbox has moved away from being just a simple cloud storage platform into a cloud-based collaboration tool. Password-protected files sharing is the first line of security that's now available, but it has been bolstered by the ability to have the share automatically stop after a set period. This is something that is particularly useful for sensitive data, and is a helpful addition to the manual disabling of a shared link -- a set-it-and-forget-it option. Catching up with other file collaborative tools, Dropbox Pro now also takes into account the fact that you might want to share files with others without giving them the option to edit those files. The new ability to add view-only permissions to files and folders has this covered so it is possible to share sensitive files without worrying about them being changed. For anyone using Dropbox on mobile devices, there is always the fear of losing a handset; a new remote wipe feature takes care of this. Rounding off the news for Dropbox Pro users is a change to the pricing of storage options. Packages have been streamlined so there is now just a single option -- a 1TB tariff for $9.99 per month. This is a huge increase in storage, or a massive price drop depending on how you look at it. Until recently, $9.99 would have gotten you 100GB of storage, while $19.99 per month bagged users 200GB, and $49.99 was the monthly cost of 500GB of storage. The new pricing structure means that twice as much storage is now available for a fifth of the price, making Dropbox Pro and increasingly competitive option. View the full article
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Despite its high profile in the tech world, patent trolling — in which companies sue for damages over patents they don't intend to use — has been difficult to address. Reform efforts in Congress stalled earlier this year, when Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) failed to broker an agreement that would have raised the bar for sending patent infringement warnings and increased the risks for bringing a frivolous lawsuit. In the wake of this defeat, Google, DropBox, Canon, and others are forging a truce that they hope will stop trolls from building a patent arsenal. The License on Transfer (LOT) Network is a coalition of seven companies that, according to the site, hold 50,000 issued US patents and 300,000 total patent assets between them. It's intended specifically to combat patent assertion entities, the nebulous companies that buy large numbers of patents and use them to reach settlements. Even if the patent doesn't exactly fit the case, settling is often cheaper than fighting a suit, and unlike companies that manufacture their own products, they can't be countersued in defense. The LOT Network can't help with patents these businesses already own, but they could defuse new ones. Any time a member sells one of its patents to a non-member, all other member companies are granted a license to use it. If a member is outright acquired by a patent assertion entity — as opposed to another hardware or software company — other members will be granted a perpetual license to its entire portfolio. View the full article
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Cloud storage and sharing service Dropbox has been looking to grow its footprint in the business industry, adding Dropbox for Business, along with a steady stream of new features for the service. Now the company is attempting to consolidate its enterprise efforts with those for home users. "On one hand, people wanted to access their personal stuff at work; meanwhile, IT admins wanted to keep company data separate and free of personal files. Both needs were real, but people had to choose between two Dropboxes", claims the company. Your separate Dropbox accounts will now appear in the same location, allowing you to choose which you wish to access at any given time -- both appearing on the same File tab. The cloud service promises to not mix the two, for example your auto-photo uploads will still be private in your pictures folder. View the full article
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Dropbox is a name that's usually associated with online storage where it finds itself pitted against the likes of Google Drive and Microsoft's SkyDrive. But now the company could be branching out in a new direction with the purchase of Sold, one of the simplest online selling services ever invented. Sold existed as an iOS and Android app and the idea was that a user uploaded a photo and brief description and everything else was taken care of by Sold -- no worrying about determining the best price or calculating postage. Or as Sold put it "doing all the dirty work for" users. There are no details about what will happen to Sold now that it has been, er, sold, but for now the site has been effectively shut down. A statement on the Sold website reads: "As of today, our service will no longer be accepting new items". View the full article