Anoop Verma
DROPBOX is one of the world’s most popular cloud storage and file synchronisation services. Nowadays when many of us are using many computers and devices to view and modify our files, a utility like Dropbox is of great importance. With it you can create special folders in all your computers and devices. Each one of these folders will be automatically synchronised with each other; they will appear the same, regardless of which device you are using to view.
There is no end to the ease that Dropbox can bring to your computing related activities. You can use the service to back up and organise important files that maybe scattered all over the web, stream music, or even host a website. Here is a list of some innovative ways by which you can use Dropbox:
Backup photos from your smartphone
This feature from Dropbox has been around for more than a year, but many users are yet to take advantage of it. All you need to do is connect your digital camera or smartphone to your Dropbox-enabled laptop. Immediately you will be prompted to back up your pictures to your Dropbox account.
Turn your Dropbox documents folder into “My Documents”
You reach your office, only to discover that you have a vital document in your home computer. This would not happen if the My Documents folder in your home computer had been synced with your Dropbox account. Those of us who are using multiple devices like computer, tablet and smartphone to do their work, can use Dropbox to keep everything in sync. The process for syncing your My Documents folder with Dropbox is very easy. You can do it by right-clicking your Documents folder, selecting Properties, and then on the Location tab you can specify the new file path.
Star your files to view them offline
Dropbox downloads your favourite files to your smartphone or tablet. If you are a Dropbox user, you must already know that for making a file a favourite, you have to Star it. A starred file can be accessed from the favourites tab even if you are not connected to the Internet.
Backup your entire Android phone
If you have purchased an Android device, you would already be having a Dropbox app. pre-installed in it. In addition to backing up your pictures, you can use the app. to back up your entire Android device – contacts and all other data. You never know when the device might get corrupted or even lost. Dropbox is the easiest way to back up your phone for free.
Share music and other files with your friends
It is easy to share files that you have added to Dropbox. All you have to do is click on the chain link in the Dropbox app in your smartphone.
Send and receive large files
Most popular email systems place limits on the size of the files that you can send as attachment. Dropbox has a feature called DROPitTOme, which allows you to easily send and receive larger files through your Dropbox account. Basically, you setup a unique upload address and can add password protection.
Publish straight from Dropbox
Dropbox also makes it easy for you to create and maintain a web page. All you need to do is create a text file, and save it into the special Pancake folder in your Dropbox account. Pancake will automatically turn that file into a web page for you. The best thing is that updating your page is as easy as opening the text file up in Notepad (for Windows), TextEdit (in case of Mac) or your favourite text editor, making the changes you want, and saving the file. Your website gets updated automatically.
