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Dropbox doubles storage on Pro plans -- for free
Dropbox users who have one of the Dropbox Pro 50 or 100 GB plans woke up to a pleasant surprise this morning -- they now have double the storage space in the cloud and didn't have to pay a cent more. According to a post last night on the Dropbox blog, they've been getting requests for bigger Dropboxes since Day One. The biggest request has been for extra space for photos and videos. I don't know about other Dropbox users, but when the company started making it possible for photos to be automatically uploaded from cameras and phones, I started worrying about taking up all of my Dropbox space overnight. Not to worry! Now those who had 50 GB have 100 GB of space to play with, and the 100 GB folks have 200 GB of storage to stretch out in. Dropbox is also adding a new 500 GB plan for those with super-sized needs. If you need all of that space, you'll be paying $49.99 a month or $499.00 per year. The 100 GB plan is available for $9.99 per month (or $100 annually), while the 200 GB plan can be yours for $19.99 per month ($200 annually).
Dropbox Pro accounts get double the storage for the same price, 500GB option thrown in for kicks
Are you a digital packrat, uploading anything and everything you can possibly think of to your Dropbox Pro account? Happy days are here again, friends: the storage service has upgraded its Pro accounts, doubling its 50GB and 100GB plans for the same cost (the Pro 100 is $10 per month or $100 per year, and the Pro 200 is $20 per month or $200 per year) while adding a higher-tiered 500GB option. We're still waiting to hear exactly how much the top-end storage option will cost, but Dropbox expects to publish its new pricing plans this evening.
Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i delivers scans to Android or iOS, spreads a little cloud love as well
Fujitsu's original ScanSnap S1300 earned a soft spot in our hearts -- no mean feat for a scanner -- so it's with piqued interest that we catch word of a direct upgrade. The S1300i is all about serving those of us who might never send scan results to a printer. Android and iOS aficionados now only have to send the results to a relevant mobile app, skipping the usual computer-to-phone shuffle. That stack of receipts can also go skip devices entirely and go straight to the cloud, whether it's Dropbox, Evernote, Google Docs, Salesforce Chatter or SugarSync. However that paper gets converted to digital, it'll be accomplished about 50 percent faster, or 12 double-sided, color pages every minute. All the extras lift the price price even higher, though: $295 is a lot to ask for a scanner. Even so, if that stack of bills is high enough to trigger an avalanche, it might be worth the premium to avoid being snowed in.
PSA: Dropbox scraps Public folders July 31st, your sharing stays intact
Would-be Dropbox users who want to lean on the cloud storage service's Public folder, heads-up: when July comes to a close, new accounts won't get that common storage pool. That's not to say it's the end of sharing, however. The company's recent sharing link support is still very much in effect to let groups share files or whole folders between each other. Some will point out that it's still not a direct substitute, which is true; if you're not already packing your virtual bags for a trip to Google Drive for that reason, just remember that grandfathered Public folders will carry on for the foreseeable future.
Dropbox updates iOS app to 1.5, says goodbye to size limitations, hello to automatic uploads
Sick of letting your Android-toting friends lord their slightly fancier Dropbox app over you? Relief has arrived: Dropbox 1.5 is now available for iOS. The latest update brings the app in line with its Android cousin, adding automatic uploads for photos and video over WiFi and cellular connections, the ability to upload files of any size and a new Gallery view. Cloud storage aficionados who take advantage of the new automatic upload feature will score up to 3GB of additional storage space, doled out in 500MB increments as needed. Sound good? Of course it does, check it out for yourself at the iTunes link below.
Dropbox confirms Galaxy S III on AT&T and Verizon won't include 50GB storage
If that extra Dropbox storage helped swing the Galaxy S III pendulum in your favor, and you're a customer of AT&T or Verizon, it's not good news. Droid Life reports that one such expectant customer was asking Dropbox, via its forums, where their storage was. The cloud-space provider informed them that not all carriers are offering the deal, with those two big hitters being among them. This is further confirmed elsewhere on its support pages (check the source). So, just as we thought operators were loosening their grip, it seems some old habits don't die so easily.
Dropbox for Android adds support for Korean language, ICS-only video streaming UI
You can't deny Dropbox has been doing a pretty decent job of handing out constant updates to Android users since its beginnings on the platform, and, well, today's no exception. This time the cloud box application -- now in version 2.1.4 -- brings along a couple of fresh bits to powered-by-Google devices. To start with, the free app's finally adding support for Korean language (on its website, too), while Dropboxers running Ice Cream Sandwich will also see a new "custom-tailored" video streaming UI -- you know, to play nice with those fancy virtual buttons. Judging by recent reviews, most of the Android folk seem to be enjoying the minor changes, but in case you've yet to try it yourself, you can do so by grabbing the update from the Play link down there.
Microsoft Skydrive updates fly out with file jump, Windows 8 photo sync
Microsoft isn't resting on its cloud with SkyDrive -- it's announcing a new update, which rolls out today for Mac and Windows. It teased a new feature for Windows 8 Release Preview -- due early June -- that allows photos to be retrieved from any PC with SkyDrive, whether your cloud storage is maxed out or not. Though we doubt you've topped out your 150,000 file limit, Redmond says it's taking power users into account with a huge bump to 10 million files -- with the same 7GB free / 100GB paid limits. It's also promised more speed and reliability, many small bug fixes, and has dropped the app icon from the OS X Lion dock -- saying it "definitely heard feedback" to do it. Updates will happen automatically, so you might be able to shoot more of those dusty files off to the cloud sooner than you think.
PSA: Samsung's Galaxy S III is out in the UK today!
If you're European, or you pre-ordered Samsung's Galaxy S III, then you're already registering for that extra Dropbox space, playing with Flipboard or clutching your Olympics tickets. For everyone else, today's the day you can wander down to your local store and buy the flagship handset in the flesh. No-one's certain if you'll be able to grab the handset in Pebble Blue on launch day, so best make sure that you really want the 16GB marble white edition, lest you're disappointed when you arrive in town.
PSA: Dropbox Dropquest begins right now!
Big Dropbox fan are you? Got plans for the weekend? Cancel 'em. Dropquest 2012 begins right now. If you're unfamiliar -- it's the storage company's internet scavenger hunt that involves a series of puzzles, challenges and, erm, origami. If you complete the game, you'll get 1GB of extra space for free, but if you come in first place, you'll get 100GB free for your entire life, while 10 second-placers get 20GB for life and so on. You're not allowed to ask for help on the company's support forum (you'll get disqualified) and you're competing against at least half a million other fans of the service, but if that hasn't daunted you then head on down to the source link and get puzzling!
Samsung and Dropbox offer Galaxy S III users up to 50GB of extra storage
Samsung has partnered with Dropbox to offer extra storage for Galaxy S III owners. Once you've registered the newly minted handset, your current pre-loaded allocation will be topped up to a maximum of 50GB, not matching but doubling HTC's allowance. And just like Sense 4's offering, the free storage will remain valid for two years but there's no indication if there will be discounts for those who've become hooked on all that online real estate -- we hear it's very moreish.
Microsoft SkyDrive impressions: a look at features and functionality
You may remember a certain, somewhat anticipated cloud service finally coming in to land in recent days. That wasn't the only news in nebular computing last week, however: perhaps in anticipation of Google's long-rumored Drive service, Microsoft made some updates to the Windows Phone app for its own offering, SkyDrive. This comes not long after the release of desktop SkyDrive applications for Windows and OSX, all suggesting that Redmond's hoping to cut itself as large a slice of the cloud-storage pie as it can, preferably while others are still taking their seats at the table. We spent some time with the latest quiver of tools from Microsoft, to see how they've progressed.
Apple, Dropbox, our PC-free future and our sweet solution past
A few days ago in the Dropbox forums, a developer said Apple had rejected his app due to a little quirk, so to speak, in using Dropbox. Specifically, if a user doesn't have the Dropbox app installed, a link to a web page would be issued, causing the user to go to Dropbox's website or a mobile version which would allow them to log in. That's not the problem. The problem was that this web page contained a link that could eventually lead to a user establishing an account with Dropbox or even (gasp!) paying them for storage. Problem is, you can't do that without Apple getting a cut. Apple has rules about subscriptions, you see, and by allowing a (supposedly new) user to create an account that could be paid monthly, the developer in question was in violation of the App Store guidelines. Naturally, other developers have come forward either with similarly rejected apps or suggestions to Dropbox with changes that might help. The Verge reports that Dropbox has confirmed Apple IS rejecting apps which allow users to buy a Dropbox subscription. Except Dropbox has taken the step to remove any and all links to the "desktop version" of their site, which effectively blocks anyone using an app that would behave in such a way from actually purchasing the Dropbox account. It would appear they've made it impossible to create an account entirely once you are in an app using the latest version of the Dropbox SDK, which developers should be doing. Recently Apple made a big deal about a "PC-free" era, touting the power and simplicity of the iPad as a reasonable PC substitute. My kids use iPod touches as their own mini-computers. It makes sense, doesn't it? Until you run into something like this Dropbox issue, which I have little doubt will be resolved soon. The problem is that the solution, as it looks now, isn't very user-friendly. That is, if you value choice. But there's this notion that Apple doesn't like choice, remember? Conspiracy theorists have already said this is Apple trying to push iCloud over Dropbox. I can't argue that Apple will always prefer a native solution to any problem (that's their way), but I would never argue that they arbitrarily make life difficult for users in a rush for profits. Besides, iCloud isn't making them money yet, it's just a value-add to their hardware business. The fact is we have a sweet solution that Apple intended all along: the open Web. As long as web browsers are still allowed on iOS, developers have that as a fallback. I was enthralled today to read about Blackline, and other magazines who are retreating from "apps" and moving back to the web, where standards and cross-platform compatibility were always the cornerstones of development. Frankly, we could use more web apps and fewer native apps. Nevertheless, I think this stinks for users. I can see confusion over setting up an account, as an app will dump them into a web page within their app, but if they don't have a Dropbox account, they'll have to go to Safari itself and establish one. Rules are rules, but this isn't elegant. Dropbox, for its part, has said it will try to work with Apple for a better solution. Here's hoping.
Dropbox adds automatic photo uploads for Windows and Mac, up to 3GB just for using it
Dropbox isn't short of aficionados, but it's undoubtedly lost some of its gleam since Google drove the cloud war into a frenzy. In response, Dropbox's devs have been at the squat rack pumping up their multimedia credentials, recently adding auto photo and video uploads to their Android app and now extending that feature to any camera, tablet, smartphone or SD card via the Mac or Windows utility -- an add-on that was previously beta-only. Access the web interface and you'll see your stills arranged in a handy new Photos page, which displays them as large thumbnails bunched together by month. There's a blunter enticement too: your first auto upload will secure 500MB in extra storage, with subsequent efforts also rewarded up to 3GB. Perhaps that cardboard isn't looking so soggy after all.
VoodooPad 5: wiki magic
For those of us who nerd out about things like desktop wikis, VoodooPad 5 (from the creator of Acorn) is an exciting release. It brings new capabilities so powerful that they should come with a "for good, not evil" warning. If you're not familiar with VoodooPad, it's a desktop wiki with media embedding capabilities, a scriptable interface and a lot of power under the hood. Whether you want to use it for note-taking, project management or even maintaining documentation and live websites, it's a powerhouse. We may have mentioned it once or twice before. What's so great about version 5? First, Dropbox sync is greatly improved. You can even share docs with multiple people and see who edited what, when. For those of us of the Markdown persuasion, there's a new page type specifically for Markdown, with editing features and syntax highlighting. If you build large documents -- say, a documentation project for your software -- you can publish the entire document as a PDF or ePub book. There's a new feature called "Collections" that lets you create tables of contents and determine page order, which makes the export features much more useful for more linear output formats. We've always been able to do fun things like write event scripts that search for certain @tags and compile them, but the new To-Dos palette offers a faster, customizable solution for this. There are more flexible event scripts, new scripting language support (including the ability to write scripts in JavaScript). There are even "scriptlets," your own small scripts that can be embedded directly within a page. There's plenty more, as you can see in the release notes. VoodooPad 5 is available in the Mac App Store for US$24.99 (limited time price), or directly from Flying Meat's store (same price).
Google Drive preview: an in-depth look at features and functionality
It's been a long time in the making, but the once-mythical cloud storage service known to all as Google Drive is real, and it made its official debut today -- and even though Goog's taken plenty of time to make it available to the masses, our impatience certainly got the worst of us, and we immediately started digging through the new service. So what does this online storage option entail? Will it make you delete your Dropbox and SkyDrive accounts and jump for joy? Or has Google simply waited too long to start playing the game? Read on to find out our first impressions.
Google Drive vs. the competition: pricing plans and perks, compared
Sometimes a table says a thousand words. Now that Google has finally announced its cloud service, Google Drive, we're sure more than a few of you are crunching the numbers in your head in an attempt to figure which is the best deal. Far be it for us to tell you which service to use when we've barely had a chance to poke around Drive, but for now, better if we lay out those gigabytes and dollars in number form, rather than squeeze them into a crowded paragraph, don'tcha think? Follow past the break for a brief breakdown of what you'll get from Google, along with Dropbox, Microsoft SkyDrive and iCloud.
Dropbox simplifies sharing with file viewer and folder links
Dropbox is one of those tools that makes our lives a lot easier around the Engadget compound and our various satellite lairs. So, it only makes sense that we'd get a little excited when the company updates and improves the file syncing service. Now, sharing is a bit simpler, with the ability to generate a public link for any file or folder and have it open in a web-based viewer. This can be accomplished both from the website and on the desktop by right clicking and selecting get link. Those using the beta version of the Dropbox desktop client have enjoyed some of these features for sometime, but now the full suite of file viewing and folder sharing options are standard issue for all. Check out the PR after the break.
Daily Update for April 23, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Dropbox update adds public links to any file or folder
Dropbox has just announced an update to its self-named service that provides new public sharing links. This update, which appears to be an end-run against the imminent launch of Google's competing Drive app, makes it possible to share read-only folders with anyone -- regardless of whether or not they have a Dropbox account. The files you're linking to no longer need to be in your Dropbox Public folder. To use the new public sharing links, you right-click a file or folder and select "Get Link." This makes the file or folder public, using a link that is generated by Dropbox and then copied to your clipboard. You can't make the link auto-expire; instead, you'll need to make the file or folder private again using the Dropbox website. This feature, which is already available in competitors like SugarSync and LogMeIn Cubby, makes Dropbox a competitor against file-sending services like YouSendIt. It's expected that the new feature will go live today. According to Dropbox CEO Drew Houston, a photo auto-upload feature will also be debuting soon on the iPhone app.
