Oh How I Love (and Hate) Dropbox

In case you haven’t heard about it, Dropbox is an online service that allows you to synchronize files across multiple computers.  It was founded in 2007  and launched publicly in 2008.  This is single handedly the best free service that has enhanced my productivity on a daily basis.

Why is it great?

It allows you to easily access your files from your home computer, laptop and office computer without having to do anything.  No more emailing myself files home to work on in the evening, or adding files to my jump drive to access while I’m on the plane.  Not at your computer? No problem – you can also access your files online.

How does it work?

Sign up for an account at www.dropbox.com.  It’s easy an d free for the basic level that provides you 2 GB of storage.  You could opt for 50 GB of storage for $9.99 a month.   After you sign up, just download the installer.  A small little program installs on your computer.  You’ll set up a dropbox folder during the installation process. This is where your files will be stored.  The software runs down in the system tray but don’t worry, it isn’t a memory hog.  You install this on all your computers and even your Max and mobile devices.  Any file you put in that folder will instantly be copied to the folders on the other computers.

Sounds Great – What could I possibly hate?

There are just a few flaws that drive me crazy.  The biggest flaw is that you can only use one dropbox account on your computer.  This doesn’t sound like it would be a problem.  However, I use a dropbox account for my business but I also work with a non-profit that uses their own dropbox account.  I can get to their files, but not as easily. I have to log in online.  It would be great if Dropbox would just let me assign two different folders on my computer for the two different accounts.

The other flaw is that sometimes it just hangs.   The other day I went home for lunch but kept working on a project from my home computer.  I saved the file before I rode my bike back to the office. However, Dropbox didn’t upload the file.  This happens every so often – you just need to reboot your computer.  It’s just annoying when you have to ride your bike home,  and restart your computer to access your files.

The last flaw isn’t technical, but concerns the paid accounts.  I love free accounts and I think the 2GB of storage is very generous.  However, with a new company on a budget I have choose to not pay for an account yet. I plan to, especially when my dropbox is full and I’m having to rearrange files (of course this only happens when I don’t have time).  My beef with the paid accounts is that the first level is $9.99 for 50 GB of storage.   50 GB is huge to me!   It would be great if there was a lower level account, something like $4.99 for 10 GB.

Overall, Dropbox has been a life saver.   Not having to worry about sending myself files so that I can work from home or on the go makes a daily impact on my time management.  If you haven’t checked it out yet, I’d suggest going to www.dropbox.com today.