Dropbox badge and comments ease collaboration headaches

Remember that Dropbox badge we heard about in December? The ones that'll tell you when someone else is editing a shared file? Well, after a period of early access for some, that handy feature is now ready for the masses. If you're in need of a refresher, the badge allows you to see who is viewing or editing a file, and how long they've been at it. They can also be used to nab the most recent version of a file with a single click and grab a link for you to share the document.

But that's not all: Dropbox is adding another tool for enhanced collaboration. Comments are available for folks in that early access program, which means that Dropbox now offers a similar system for adding feedback as Google Drive and others. When you open a file, the collection of notes will appear in the sidebar on the desktop and iOS (Android is still in the works). Anyone that you shared the file with can comment, and if you need to get a specific contributor's attention, an "@" followed by their email address will send both email and mobile notifications. Hopefully the commenting feature will arrive for all soon enough, just like the badge did. If you don't want to wait, though, you can sign up for that early access right here.