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Dropbox snaps up CloudOn to help you work online
Dropbox has already done quite a bit to help you get work done in the cloud, but it's increasingly clear that the company isn't done expanding beyond its storage-focused roots. The firm just acquired CloudOn, giving it a team that got its chops building a hefty, internet-based document editing suite. The companies aren't saying what they plan to do together, but it's reasonable to expect beefier internet productivity tools from Dropbox before long. If you're a CloudOn user, though, you'll have to switch to another editing suite sooner than that. CloudOn has already stopped taking new customers, and it'll shut down its service on March 15th.
Dropbox's Carousel will offer to delete local photos you've backed up
The photo backup features in mobile apps like Dropbox's Carousel and Google+ are there partly to take the load off of your phone -- you don't have to keep every shot close at hand. Wouldn't it be nice if the software got rid of local images when they're merely taking up space? Apparently, it will soon. Dropbox is giving some Carousel users a "sneak peek" at a feature that offers to scrap local photos (after they've been backed up, of course) when your device storage is almost full. It's a simple gesture, but it could save you some time; you won't have to fret over which pictures to delete just to make sure you can snap a few new ones. We've reached out to Dropbox to get an inkling of when this feature will be available to everyone, and we'll let you know if it can provide a timetable.
Google is giving away 1TB of free Drive space with new Chromebooks
Google really, really wants you to pick up a Chromebook this holiday, and it's sweetening the deal to make sure a Chrome OS-powered laptop is on your gift list. The company is now offering 1TB of free Google Drive space to anyone who buys a Chromebook between now and the end of 2014; while it'll only last two years, that gives you about as much value ($240) as a low-end Chromebook model. If you're particularly fond of storing your stuff in the cloud (or know someone who does), this is potentially a huge bargain.
Court order stops Bitcasa from deleting your cloud data, for now (updated)
If you're miffed that Bitcasa not only dropped its unlimited cloud storage option but made you migrate to a costlier limited tier just to keep your files, you'll be glad to hear that you're getting a reprieve. Angry customers have filed a tentative class action lawsuit against Bitcasa for allegedly breaching its contract through the sudden switch. In tandem with the suit, the court handling the case has granted a restraining order that forces Bitcasa to save those files until at least November 20th. That's not exactly a long interval, but there's a hearing on the 19th that could extend the grace period further.
In Germany, these servers want to keep every home warm
Most places around the world are getting ready to bring out the blankets and coats, in preparation for the cold, cold season ahead. Knowing this, a company called Cloud & Heat has come up with a very interesting idea, one that's beneficial to both it and the parties interested in giving it a try. In exchange for heat, the Germany-based firm is offering to put a cabinet filled with servers in people's homes. As Slate points out, Cloud & Heat isn't the only company working on heat-for-server-housing program, but others aren't as advanced in the implementation stages. Unfortunately, the service isn't free for home owners, since there is a one-time (undisclosed) installation fee. The good news: Cloud & Heat takes care of the electricity and internet bills, so the deal could turn out to be more than decent.
iDrive promises unlimited cloud-based phone backups for $5 per year
You probably know to keep backups of your smartphone's data in the cloud, but backing up everything can be an expensive proposition in an era when 128GB phones are a practical reality. That won't be quite as much of a sore point now that iDrive's new Unlimited Mobile Backup option is here. As the name implies, the subscription service lets you back up your Android, iOS and Windows Phone devices without fretting about storage limits. Everyone can at least safeguard calendars, contacts and media (including Facebook and Instagram photos); if you're on Android, you can also preserve call logs, text messages and whole apps.
Bitcasa drops its unlimited cloud storage due to underuse (and abuse)
If you were thinking of milking Bitcasa's unlimited cloud storage for all it's worth, you'd better have an alternative lined up. The company is dropping its signature Infinite storage option after November 15th, in tandem with an upgrade to new infrastructure. You'll have to migrate to a limited tier (such as the new 10TB, $999 per year Pro plan) if you want to keep all your content. Why the sudden clampdown? According to Bitcasa, you probably weren't using it -- only 0.1 percent of its accounts chew through more than 10TB. Moreover, some of those that are consuming that much space are reportedly abusing it at a level which "seems impossible" for any one person. The company hasn't elaborated on what these nogoodniks are doing beyond violating the terms of service, but it's easy to see a company trying to use Bitcasa as a makeshift storage server.
Amazon's Instant Video app now shows your homemade movies
Amazon's Instant Video isn't just for watching blockbuster hits (or the occasional original series) any more; you can now use it to watch some of your own content, too. Upgraded Instant Video apps for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and certain TVs from LG and Samsung can show photos and videos stored in Amazon Cloud Drive, letting you both relive your kid's dance recital and play Frozen without switching apps or devices. The option is only available in Germany, the UK and the US right now, although Amazon is promising at least support for more gadgets in the long run. Having said this, there isn't a big rush for further app upgrades when you can just switch to the Cloud Drive apps on computers and mobile gear -- this improvement matters most when you're glued to the big screen.
Dropbox bug wipes some users' files from the cloud
Cautious types will frequently tell you not to rely on cloud storage as your only backup, and a handful of internet denizens have just learned this the hard way. Dropbox has confirmed that a bug in some older versions of its desktop apps deleted the files of some people who turned on Selective Sync, which limits cloud syncing to certain folders. Typically, this would happen after a crash or forced reboot, making a bad problem worse -- at least a few users found that they'd lost years' worth of content through no fault of their own.
Dropbox for Android can now move your cloud files to an SD card
If you're a longtime Dropbox user on Android, you've probably bemoaned the lack of SD card support. What good is having gobs of cloud storage if you can't use all the free space you have on your own phone? At long last, though, Dropbox has released an Android update that lets you export files directly to external storage. It's a simple addition, but it's potentially a big deal -- you no longer have to worry about downloading that multi-gigabyte video so long as you have a card with enough room. The upgrade is already available in Google Play, so go and grab it if you're eager to fill up your device.
Microsoft doubles your free OneDrive storage if you auto-upload pics
Microsoft has been rather generous with free OneDrive storage lately, and that doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon. Now Redmond is bumping the previous gratis 15GB up by 100 percent, to 30GB. What's the catch? There isn't much of one, really. All Redmond says you have to do (regardless of if you're a new user or seasoned veteran) is activate auto-upload on your device of choice's camera roll between now and the end of the month -- even on a Windows PC. Seems simple enough. The announcement focuses on the storage woes that've been associated with upgrading to iOS 8, and given the iPhone 6 Plus' fancy video tricks like HD time-lapse capture we'd imagine the off-device storage should come in pretty handy.
Security app automatically encrypts your shared files so you don't have to
In this post-PRISM world, basically everyone is worried about privacy (and rightly so!) -- especially when it comes to cloud-based storage. Offloading your files to the likes of Dropbox doesn't come without a share of caveats regarding security, so that's where Places comes in. What sets the startup's service apart from its peers, according to TechCrunch, is local, automatic, end-to-end encryption for your documents and media. There apparently isn't another step you need to take between uploading the video of your toddler's first steps and it being securely locked away. What's more, Places uses your local machine to host offloaded content, relying on its centralized servers only when your PC is otherwise unavailable. And because your digital life is encrypted on the client side, Places claims it doesn't have the key to unlock anything stored on its end should the government or anyone else come knocking. That, of course, is reserved for the intended recipient and no one else.
OneDrive takes cues from Dropbox to make file-sharing easier
Looking for some OneDrive news? Good, because we've got it. First up, now you can upload files as big as 10GB using the Mac and Windows desktop apps, and all of the mobile applications, according to Microsoft. Redmond says that its also increased the amount of simultaneous uploads and downloads which allows for faster syncing as well. Perhaps the biggest new bit, though, is the ability to get shareable file-links directly from Windows Explorer without the hassle of going to the web client and copying the file-address that way. It sounds a whole lot like what Dropbox has been doing for awhile now, and Microsoft says that this was a top feature request. Last but not least, the outfit says that it's worked to bring dragging and dropping folders directly into the OneDrive website via browser, specifically namedropping Chrome, into the fold too. If there's anything else you want to see in the app, drop Redmond a line -- it seems like those requests don't fall on deaf ears.
Dropbox Pro plan now offers 10x the storage for the same price
Beefing up your free Dropbox account with extra space isn't hard if you know what to look for, but the company just smartly streamlined its Pro plans in case you need even more cloud action. Kiss those tricky tiered plans goodbye: all that's left now is a 1TB option that'll set you back $9.99 a month (or $99 a year). Not a bad deal considering that's how much you would've paid Dropbox monthly for 100GB of cloud storage just a few days ago, and the company is sweetening the pot with some neat new sharing and security features too. Left your laptop at that seedy diner over in Toledo? A few clicks is all it takes to remotely wipe all the synced files that were still on it. You can exercise a bit more caution with your shared links too by slapping password protection and expiration dates on them, too. Really, it's those features that Dropbox hopes will give it an edge over some larger rivals -- Google Drive's monthly rate plans dipped to similar levels earlier this year, while Amazon still costs a ton compared to both.
CloudFella manages cloud accounts but is hampered by crashes
CloudFella for iOS manages your files in four of the major cloud services: Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, and Evernote. CloudFella gives you access to all of your files across these services, provides searching, statistics, local storage, and a duplicate files finder. Unfortunately, it is marred by a cumbersome interface and frequent crashes. CloudFella requires iOS 7 or later, and costs US$1.99. It's a universal app, but is optimized for iPhone 5. Getting started is simple. After tapping on the big cloud (the only way to reach the "Link Cloud Services" screen) you tap on each service and authorize CloudFella to access your files. Once linked you need to download the information about your files by swiping right on each service. The item you swipe your finger across does not actually move as it does in other apps, but just begins downloading the data. If you swipe to the left by accident (as I did my first time through) you unlink the account and have to start over. There is no warning or confirmation. It just happens. Downloading the files info went smoothly for three of my four accounts. Downloading files info from Dropbox led to a cascade of error dialog boxes. After clearing twenty of these dialogs, I force-quit the app and re-launched it. Dropbox showed up in my statistics on the dashboard even though the "Link Cloud Services" screen still showed it as not downloaded. Subsequent attempts to download the files info for Dropbox resulted in crashes. When I unlinked Dropbox, it still showed up in the dashboard. The dashboard shows you some statistics about your cloud accounts. Unfortunately, the main pie chart cannot handle the number of files I have and displays a graph with largely illegible numbers that are either cut off the left edge of the screen or jumbled together. Other charts display file sizes, last modified dates, and the number of files and directories. CloudFella has a search function that can search all four services at the same time. This, for me, is incredibly useful as I am a heavy user of both Dropbox and Evernote and being able to search both at the same time would be helpful to me. Unfortunately, searching did not always work. When you perform a search you have to click cancel to begin a new search, which is non-standard and initially confusing until you get used to it. More concerning is the fact that some of my search queries did not return files I know exist. CloudFella lets you download files for local storage and fast access. With the first PDF file I tried, it indicated that it was downloading the file. After a few minutes of this, I force quit the app again (I could not tap on anything else) and re-launched it. The file appeared in the vault anyway and I was able to open it and scroll through it. Finally, CloudFella offers a duplicates feature that is supposed to find duplicate files across all four services. There is little I can say about it because the app crashed every time I tried to use it. CloudFella has the potential to be a useful tool for anyone who manages more than one large cloud account but its non-standard approach to many basic functions and instability get in the way of its usefulness. Once the interface and bugs are cleaned up, it will be worth its US$1.99 price tag.
Dropbox for Android finally gets a smarter search system
With cloud storage options becoming as numerous as actual clouds peppering the sky, it's nice to see app developers hunkering down to make serious improvements. That's exactly what the folks at Dropbox did with their latest Android app update -- it packs the ability to preview documents (perfect for all those lengthy, similarly titled PDFs you've got kicking around) but the biggest draw here is the app's much-improved search system. Need to find a pesky file hidden in a certain folder? That's a cakewalk now. Hazy on the exact name of the photo you're looking for? The app suggests filenames while you peck out your furtive queries, and highlights potential matches while you type. If anything, the only sore spot here might be the brief wait involved: the update hasn't hit our devices just yet, but Dropbox says it'll trickle out into the wild over the next few hours.
Microsoft OneDrive arrives on Amazon's Kindle Fire and Fire phone
Folks who fancy Amazon's Kindle Fire and/or newfangled Fire phone just got another option for go-to cloud access. Microsoft has released a OneDrive app outfitting both of the aforementioned devices with easy access to stored files from the slate or handset. Of course, we'd surmise most OneDrive users have hitched their wagons to Redmond's own fleet of OSes. At any rate, apps now exist not only for the web retailer's gadgets, but for PC and Mac with mobile options on Android, iOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10. Bases covered. Microsoft's OneNote also sorts those trusty reminders and to-do lists across the Fire fleet, too. Ready to employ this version? Head over to Amazon's Appstore to do just that.
Dropbox for Business lets you limit your coworkers' access to shared files
Dropbox for Business is good for collaborating on files stored in the cloud, but it hasn't had fine-grained permission control -- not great if you have a sensitive project you'd rather not share with the folks in Accounts Receivable. You'll be glad to hear, then, that Dropbox is introducing some much-needed access limits. You can now say which of your colleagues can edit or view a given file, and you can both set expiry dates and passwords for shared links. In other words, contractors won't get to peek at that big company report once their work is done. The new tricks are available through Dropbox for Business' early access program today, and there are promises of more features within a few months; they'll get the ability to search for text within files, work on Office documents with others and preview that same content on Android.
Dropbox makes syncing your large files faster
Cloud storage service Dropbox has announced a feature called Streaming Sync, which promises to improve the way its platform handles the syncing of large files. Thanks to Streaming Sync, which is part of a revamped desktop client, users will get a major speed boost when syncing any file over 16MB -- up to twice as fast as any regular sync, according to the company. Dropbox notes that it was able to accomplish this by overlapping the upload and download phase of the file synchronization, meaning it can use its servers to push the data to your device, rather than letting your smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop do all the work. Along with Streaming Sync, Dropbox also brought support for four additional languages to the app, as well as the ability to view your most recent account activity via a new notifications menu.
Revamped Google Drive for Android makes it easier to tinker with your files
Google unveiled a lot of things at the start of its I/O conference, but there was also a pair of stealthy updates that could make a big difference for cloud storage lovers. To begin with, there's a brand new version of Google Drive for Android that makes it much easier to manipulate your files. Instead of sifting through a top menu bar, you just have to tap a button to rename, share or star a document; it's also a little quicker to print a file or scrap it entirely.
