GigaOM » Collaboration

GoDropBox allows people to upload files to your Google Docs account

Simon Mackie — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:05:48 +0000

UPDATE: GoDropBox has been renamed GoFileDrop.

GoDropBox is a nifty third-party add-on for Google Apps that adds a public mailbox to your Google Docs account, enabling anyone with the appropriate link to upload files to your account. This is handy for web workers who would like to accept files that are too big to email and don’t want to have to use additional file transfer tools.

Once installed via the Google Apps Marketplace, you’ll be given a unique URL that you can then forward to other people, which allows them to upload files to your Google Docs account through their browser (they can only upload files and don’t have the ability to read or otherwise access your account). The upload page is fairly basic, as shown in the screenshot above. It is easy to use and supports drag and drop, allows batch file uploads and can show upload progress. Uploaded files appear immediately in your Google Docs account.

The installed version of GoDropBox is only a trial, offering up to 100 users on a domain just 50 MB of data allowance each. Additional data is priced at $5 for 2 GB per month, $9 for 5 GB per month, or $15 for 10 GB per month (subscriptions can be canceled at any time).

Note: Confusingly, despite the name, this has absolutely nothing to do with file-sync-and-sharing service Dropbox. Also, in order to use it, you’ll have to be a Google Apps user and an admin will have to install it on your domain.

(via Digital Inspiration)

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Adobe’s File Transfer Tool SendNow to Get Branding Option

Simon Mackie — Mon, 16 May 2011 15:00:34 +0000

Adobe’s file transfer tool SendNow, which helps users send large files without FTP, is getting a few updates, including compatibility with audio and video files, a desktop client and, perhaps most usefully, the ability for users to customize the SendNow site with their own branding,

The ability to send audio and video files using the tool is available immediately. It’s surprising it wasn’t available previously, given many of Adobe’s customers are creatives who likely want to send large audio and video files to colleagues and clients, although perhaps Adobe was concerned the service would be abused, and used to send copyrighted materials.

The custom branding option is coming in June, and will be available to customers on the paid Basic and Professional plans. I think it’s the most interesting update to SendNow, as it will provide freelancers and small businesses with an inexpensive yet professional-looking way to send large files to clients with their own branding.Users will be able to upload their own logos and imagery to the service, then check a box to add that branding on their file download pages, as shown in the screenshot below.

The desktop client will, unsurprisingly, be an Adobe AIR app. It will be released in the third quarter, and should enable users to send files without having to open a browser. From the look of the early screenshots, it will simply replicate the website without providing any additional functionality.

There are three SendNow plans: Free allows for transfer of files up to 100MB in size and includes 500MB of storage; Basic allows for transfer of files up to a whopping 2 GB in size and includes 5 GB of storage, will include the branding option and costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year; Professional allows for 2 GB file transfers, custom branding and includes 20 GB of storage for $19.99 per month or $190 per year. SendNow isn’t the only cloud-based file transfer solution available, of course. Like YouSendIt, Minus and many other similar apps, SendNow facilitates simple transfer of larger files that are too big to send via email without having to mess about with tricky FTP clients. Adobe will hope that its integration with other Adobe products (it’s available via a menu option in Acrobat 10 and Reader 10, for example) and these new features will help give its service an edge.

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Working in Teams: Dropbox to the Rescue!

pamelapoole — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:00:06 +0000

The work I do is generally pretty solitary, but in the last couple of months, I’ve had to work with teams more than usual, and it’s been Dropbox to the rescue every time. Even if you think you have filesharing handled with networked computers, Google Docs, or something else, I strongly encourage you to check out Dropbox.

Dropbox is simple, yet rich. And it’s got more going for it than simple file transfer and cloud storage. In fact, what makes it really special is the file syncing. You can work with your Dropbox files and folders locally, right on your computer, and they’re automatically synced with the files on the website. And it will also work with the most popular mobile devices: iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Android.

Here are some examples of how Dropbox has come in handy for me lately:

I was part of a team of writers who were covering a major conference. The team leader had a lot of info to organize and share with the writers and her co-leader in advance (session plans, speaker bios, schedules, travel info, etc.). She wanted something that would be more efficient than email, save her some time, and keep her, the team, and the materials organized. I spent 10 minutes on the phone walking her through Dropbox explaining specifically how I thought it would work for her, and she was sold. One of her challenges was that some of the writers were not very tech- or web-savvy; Dropbox’s easy-to-use interface interface was essential to their adopting her system and the tool.
My husband and I manage translation projects. He deals with the clients, I deal with the translators. In the last two months we’ve had to manage 10 projects involving 28 translators, and that can get a little hairy. Even though our computers are networked, we have all the files we use for job tracking in a Dropbox folder. We update the files when it’s convenient, and because the files are all kept in sync we know that we’re working with the most current info. Also, when I needed to get huge PDF user manuals to translators for reference, I just created a Dropbox folder for that purpose and sent them all invites.
A client lost 90 Mb of files that I’d delivered months earlier and needed them urgently. He sent me a Dropbox invite and he had the files in minutes.
I installed Dropbox on my iPhone and another app called PlainText, which automatically creates its own folder in my Dropbox. Twice in the last couple of weeks, I’ve jotted down notes in PlainText on my iPhone while at semi-social, semi-work lunches with people. When I got home, my notes were already stored on my computer and I could follow up effortlessly.

If you want to see what else Dropbox can do, check out Scott’s How I Use Dropbox For Maximum Productivity.

A 2Gb Dropbox is free. Pro accounts offer more storage; a Pro 50 account provides 50 Gb and costs $9.99 per month, while a Pro 100 account offers 100 Gb of storage for $19.99 per month.

How do you use Dropbox?

Photo by stock.xchng user tatlin.

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SugarSync Goes Free

Simon Mackie — Thu, 07 May 2009 20:00:25 +0000

Good news! SugarSync, a file synchronization and backup service for PC and Mac (reviewed positively here on WWD), today started offering free accounts (previously the cheapest option was $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year.)

The catch is that free accounts are limited to 2GB of storage, which will be inadequate for backing up large collections of files or music, but for syncing a few big files between machines — accessing project files on the road, for example — it could be very useful.

SugarSync differentiates itself from its competitors (like Dropbox) by offering comprehensive mobile support, with clients for iPhone/iPod Touch, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices. The free accounts announced today include access to the mobile clients.

Let us know what you think of SugarSync in the comments.

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YouSendIt Pursues Integration Strategy

Mike Gunderloy — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:00:00 +0000

When we looked at the landscape of file-sharing, one of our main concerns was that none of the available file-sharing services provided a compelling advantage over email. With creating email attachments being so simple, why would anyone go to a new service to move files around? Well, one of the entrants in this crowded field, YouSendIt, has been quietly pursuing a strategy that may yet bring them to email parity: increasingly, they’re integrated into your desktop, instead of being just another web service.

When you create a YouSendIt account (1GB of monthly download and 100MB file size comes for free; $10 per month will get you substantially higher limits), you get access to a variety of YouSendIt applications. These applications allow you to work directly from your desktop or from other software. For example, YouSendIt Express sits on your desktop (OS X or Windows, while the YouSendIt Outlook application is implemented as a Microsoft Outlook add-in.

The latest release in this group of applications is YouSendIt for Acrobat Pro. After installing this on my Mac, “Send by YouSendIt” appeared on the File menu, right next to “Attach to Email”. Using this is as simple as filling in the recipient’s email address, along with a message; the current file is already selected. Using YouSendIt this way is literally as simple as using email for the file transfer, with the added benefit of handling huge files (as well as access to YouSendIt’s other features, such as delivery tracking and return receipts). The recipient gets a link in their email that they can click to download the file, just as you would if you shared it directly via YouSendIt’s web site.

The more of these integrations YouSendIt presents, the easier it becomes to use – and the more likely web workers will choose it instead of email. Other available integration options include Aperture, iPhoto, Photoshop, CorelDRAW, and (in beta) Microsoft Office for Windows.

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