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Dropbox tackles security fears surrounding its Mac app
Dropbox has already raised some eyebrows over its requests for ever-deeper access to your computer, and recent discoveries aren't helping things much. Users now claim that Dropbox's Mac app asks for overly broad permissions, swipes your password and even hacks the operating system. The cloud storage service denies the claims and is trying to allay those fears, though. Desktop app team member Ben Newhouse has responded to concerns on Hacker News with both an explanation of design decisions and a promise to improve its transparency.
Dropbox hacker stole 70 million log-ins in 2012
Back in 2012, Dropbox admitted someone hacked into the cloud storage service and stole log-in details, but it didn't reveal the extent of the breach. Well, apparently, it was a huge one. Motherboard has obtained a number of files containing 60 million username and password combinations that came from that incident. A senior Dropbox employee who chose to remain anonymous confirmed the files' contents to the publication. Microsoft Regional Director Troy Hunt verified the details by finding his and his wife's log-ins in the mix, as well.
Apple launches 2TB iCloud storage for $20 a month
Apple has introduced a way to stop that annoying "full storage" iCloud message from popping up in the near future: a new tier that offers 2TB of space. The company has updated its iCloud pricing list ahead of its September event to include the new option, and it will cost you $20 a month in the US, or £14 in the UK. 9to5mac, which first reported on the new tier, noted that there are rumors swirling around that Cupertino is launching a 256GB iPhone 7 during the event. If that's true and you decide to get both, then you won't have to worry about deleting photos and videos for quite sometime. The bigger storage option would also allow you to save more folders on iCloud when macOS Sierra comes out.
Amazon now offers unlimited cloud storage for £55 per year
One of the benefits of being an Amazon Prime member is unlimited cloud storage for photos, as well as 5GB of space for other file types. If you own any of the retailer's Fire devices, too, you get unlimited storage for photos taken with that product, as well as 5 gigs for whatever else. Amazon's latest offer is altogether more simple: For £55 per year, you can get unlimited cloud storage, full stop.
Dropbox is making it cheaper for schools to live in the cloud
For the last few years, Dropbox's main revenue focus has been on its business-focused offering, not its consumer one. More than 150,000 companies have signed up with Dropbox Business, and a push for huge enterprise businesses is underway. But today, the company is making colleges and universities its target with Dropbox Education. The product is essentially the same as the Dropbox business offering, which combines gives businesses unlimited cloud storage combined with a variety of security controls, extensive version history and the administration controls needed to keep data safe in large organizations.
Dropbox will soon show all your cloud-based files right in the desktop
If you're one of the 500 million people who've used Dropbox at some point over the last few years, you know what you're getting in to. It's a reliable way to back up all the files on your computer, sync them across multiple devices and share them with friends, family or coworkers. It's fast, it works and Dropbox has added a decent set of collaboration features over the years (like its strong Microsoft Office integration) -- but by and large, its core "sync and share" features have remained largely the same. But today at the Dropbox Open event in London, the company is previewing an intriguing new feature called Project Infinite. In a nutshell, it looks to close the divide between our ever-increasing cloud storage vaults like Dropbox and the corresponding decrease in hard drive sizes.
Google Photos now shows Live Photos from your iPhone 6s
If you frequently snap Live Photos with your iPhone 6s, you now have an easy way to preserve those photo/video hybrids for the ages. A fresh Google Photos update for iOS lets you both back up and view Live Photos, so you shouldn't have to choose another cloud storage service or (gasp) resort to taking still shots. And it's still a useful update even if you aren't in a rush to get a 6s -- there's better navigation (fewer times accessing that omnipresent hamburger menu) and lower cache use when you're tight on device space. Grab it now if you're determined to keep your Live Photos for posterity.
Gmail gets visual cues to alert you to suspect emails
Google is making an annual event out of Safer Internet Day, offering tools and incentives to help keep its users safe. Today, Mountain View is adding a couple of visual cues to Gmail to alert you to potential email risks. First, you'll notice a broken red lock icon in the corner of the compose window when responding to a source that's not encrypted. Clicking the icon will remind you to double check before passing along sensitive info. Second, if you receive and email from an unauthenticated sender, the profile image will be replaced by a question mark. Of course, not all messages that Gmail flags will be malicious, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious.
Dropbox adds real-time collaboration for Office Online docs
Following the release of a Windows 10 app for tablets, Dropbox is expanding its Microsoft Office integration. The cloud-based repository allows multiple users to edit a file with Office Online with all of the updates synced in real time. This means you won't have to alert someone when you're making changes to avoid overwriting tweaks from a colleague.
Google Photos saves space by deleting images you've already backed up
Google Photos is a handy way to backup and organize images, and starting today, Android users are getting new features to help with the task. First, a "Free Up Space" option in the Settings menu will automatically delete photos stored on your mobile device that have already been backed up in the cloud. To make sure that you don't delete any copies that you might need on your phone or tablet, you'll have to confirm the action before it happens. You'll also be able to nix any photos stored on your device's SD card from inside the app so they won't continue to be visible there. On the web, you can opt for the smaller "High quality" setting after photos have been uploaded in "Original quality." Doing so not only saves space with smaller files, but those files won't count against the storage cap like the full resolution images do. The new features are hitting the app today on Android devices, so you should see the changes soon.
Microsoft shrinks OneDrive storage for Office 365 and free users
If you're a OneDrive user, the changes Microsoft just announced for its cloud storage service are almost certainly cutting down the amount of space available to you. Last year it was flying high and announced unlimited OneDrive storage for Office 365 consumer users -- an option that is now disappearing. Now, if you're on Office 365 Home, Personal or University your space is capped at the (still sizable) old limit of 1TB that matches its professional offering, but is a far cry from the 75TB Microsoft claims some were using its service to hold. Next year, both current and new free users will see their available space shrink too -- from 15GB to 5GB -- and the 15GB camera roll bonus go away. There were paid plans for 100GB or 200GB of storage, but they're going away too, with only a $2 per month 50GB plan remaining.
Adobe and Dropbox make it easier to edit PDFs from the cloud
Dropbox got cozy with Microsoft Office back in the spring, offering a way to easily edit files stored in its cloud-based repository. Now, Dropbox is getting friendly with Adobe Document Cloud, too. More specifically, the company is playing nice with Adobe Acrobat DC and Acrobat Reader to serve up quick and easy access to edit PDF documents. Once you connect your Dropbox account with the Adobe apps, you'll be able to pull in files without leaving the app. What's more, when you're browsing files in Dropbox, you'll have the option to open a PDF in the appropriate Adobe app to edit, e-sign, comment and markup the file as needed. And as you might expect, no matter how you open the document or which device you're using, everything automatically syncs in Dropbox across desktop and mobile. PDFs are by far the most common file format stored with the could-driven storage service,and now its improving the workflow for power users. The new functionality goes live on the desktop today with iOS integration arriving "in the coming months." Android users can expect to employ the PDF-editing workflow next year.
Xbox 360 cloud saves prep you for Xbox One backwards compatibility
Microsoft has done right by Xbox 360 users lately, making their games backwards-compatible on Xbox One consoles and introducing Windows 10 game streaming. A new update gives users of the last-gen console cloud storage, albeit a tiny amount -- 2GB. Still, the idea is to give you enough to port your Xbox 360 game saves over to an Xbox One for any compatible titles you decide to port over. The new feature is a good sign that backwards compatibility is coming out of preview soon, so you may want to get the update and upload your game saves forthwith.
Dropbox for iOS just got a lot faster (and simpler)
When you're juggling a lot of files in the cloud, every little bit of time you save is a big deal... and Dropbox knows it. The online storage outfit has released an iOS app update that's all about speeding up and simplifying its core tasks. The centerpiece is a new action menu that sits next to every file -- tap it and you can modify or share that file without skipping a beat. If you're on iOS 9, you'll also see your recent and offline files in Spotlight searches. And if you're spending big bucks on an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, you'll be happy to know that 3D Touch gives you both home screen shortcuts (such as uploading a photo) as well as peeks at files. Dropbox's upgrade is live as I write this, so you only need to visit the App Store to see what the fuss is about.
WD's latest cloud tech gives you a reason to forget Dropbox
Let's be honest: the cloud features bundled with hard drives tend to suck. They're seldom more than nice freebies that you ignore while you set up Dropbox, Google Drive or another more sophisticated option. However, WD (aka Western Digital) might give you an incentive to try its in-house offering. It's launching My Cloud OS 3, a platform that gives connected hard drives (including network-attached storage) some of the features you take for granted on dedicated online services. It'll automatically sync not just between PCs, but from the camera rolls of your mobile devices. You'll have web- and app-based access to your storage, as well. True, you can find this kind of syncing elsewhere, but this gives you an alternative that won't leave you feeling pangs of regret... so long as you're using WD storage, at least.
OneDrive's Groups feature shutting down October 16th
Microsoft officially announced it's axing the Groups feature in OneDrive in the coming weeks, meaning stalwarts still using the online storage service for collaborating will need to start migrating their data to new locations. This shouldn't come as a surprise, though: The feature has been largely shuttered for months. As it is, users haven't been able to create new groups; they can only work within existing ones.
Lock down your Dropbox account with a USB security key
If you're so concerned about the security of your Dropbox account that even two-factor authentication through your phone seems too risky, you can rest easy. The cloud storage outfit has added support for USB keys as part of the two-factor sign-in process. Rather than punch in a code, you just plug in a stick to prove that it's really you. You'll need a key that meets FIDO's Universal 2nd Factor standard, but this key will also work with Google and any other U2F-capable service. Frankly, this is a long-due upgrade -- if you regularly access Dropbox from PCs, you won't have to worry quite so much that someone will get your login details and swipe your files.
OneDrive will tell you when someone's editing your files
If you've ever worried that someone was editing your shared documents behind your back, Microsoft might just set your mind at ease. The folks in Redmond are rolling out an update to OneDrive that tells you when someone is editing a file you've shared, whether through a mobile notification or a daily summary email -- you'll know if someone is diving into that quarterly report a little too soon, or if that spreadsheet will be ready for tomorrow. Only some users will see these alerts at first, but they should be "widely available" in the weeks ahead.
Roku's Dropbox channel puts cloud files on your TV
You can already access your Dropbox files on all your PCs and mobile gadgets, but what if you want to put them on your TV? If you have a Roku player, you're set. Roku has launched a Dropbox channel that lets you browse your photos and videos on its set-tops, including in slideshows. Yes, you now have an easy way to recap your vacation on a big screen without turning to other cloud services. The channel isn't flawless -- TechCrunch notes that you can't play long videos, so this won't work if you're trying to stream full-length movies. Even so, it's a big help if you'd rather not have everyone gather around your computer to see your snapshots.
Kim Dotcom promises to launch an open-source competitor to Mega (updated)
Third time's a charm. Kim Dotcom -- creator of Megaupload and Mega file-sharing sites, New Zealand politician, US fugitive -- plans to launch a third cloud-storage company when his existing non-compete clause runs out at the end of the year. Dotcom briefly outlined his plans for a new site in a Slashdot user interview, saying, "I will create a Mega competitor that is completely open source and non-profit, similar to the Wikipedia model. I want to give everyone free, unlimited and encrypted cloud storage with the help of donations from the community to keep things going."
