This week both Microsoft and Google got their acts together and released Dropbox-like applications for their online storage services, SkyDrive and Google Drive respectively. I’ve dabbled with SkyDrive, but have never become a convert. I use DropBox every day! Now I’m waiting to see what I might (or might not) do with my Google Drive.
Indications are that Google Drive is more a revamp of Google Docs than it is a brand new service. Essentially, Google is rebranding Google Docs to Google Drive, and modifying its user interface to suit a bunch of new features.
Signups for Google Drive are open, although you may see a notice that “your Google Drive is not ready,” and asking you to sign up to be notified by email when it is turned on. The Google Drive service includes 5 gigabytes of free storage. Google Drive will initially be available for use with PCs, Macs, and Android devices. A version for iPhone and iPad users is under development.
Luckily, there are plenty of schools around the globe that are ‘up to speed’ with technology change, with good folk who share their knowledge and experiences.
Hello Dropbox – here I come 🙂
What is Dropbox?
Put away your flash drive, and stop emailing yourself files, because once you get Dropbox, the ways you deal with moving, sharing and backing up your files will change forever. Whether you are sharing things with your family, working on school projects, collaborating with colleagues, or just securing your own work, Dropbox is an amazing tool.
Drop Box it is a service that provides 2GB of free online file storage (with paid upgrades possible for heavy users).
What impresses me the most is the speed at which it backs things up.
Dropbox for Teachers
Jonathan Wylie has put together a Top Tips for Using Dropbox at School, explaining how it works for a busy teacher, expanding on the advantages for teachers. Did you know this includes being able to run a drop box for your students? DROPitTOme is a free service that works with Drop Box to allow people to upload files to your Drop Box account without giving them access to the contents of your Drop Box account.
Essentially though:
It’s free
It’s convenient
It saves you time
It synchronises your files across all your computers and devices.
Would you like to quickly access your Dropbox files while you’re browsing or using web apps in Chrome? You’ll need to head over to the DropBox extension page and add Dropbox to your Chrome browser. You can pick up instructions on how to do this by reading Access your Dropbox quickly in Google Chrome.
With the ‘Dropbox for Chrome’ extension, you can:
Browse all files in your DropBox account
Instantly download files from your account
View recent events (uploads, downloads, and file modifications)
But essentially, this extension allows you to peek into your dropbox on the fly, without further ado! Neat!
If you are already using Dropbox, and are wondering what else you could be using it for, here are a few additional reads:
Is Dropbox and Google Docs Integration on the Way? That would be grand – but it seems that we’ll see Dropbox Rewind first. This will let you “hop to your Dropbox at any point in the past.” For its users, this could be the perfect defense against deleting files by accident and never remembering to make backups. Dropbox users can also expect to see file system usage analytics.
If you’re still on holidays and want a challenge – why not take part in the The Inaugural Dropbox Dropquest and win nice things like 50 Gb storage for life!
This week both Microsoft and Google got their acts together and released Dropbox-like applications for their online storage services, SkyDrive and Google Drive respectively. I’ve dabbled with SkyDrive, but have never become a convert. I use DropBox every day! Now I’m waiting to see what I might (or might not) do with my Google Drive.
judyoconnell.com 