Dropbox and Microsoft announce partnership focusing on Office integration. Big news, and surprising since Microsoft’s cloud service OneDrive will definitely take a hit from this. The new Microsoft definitely is more agile in their decisions. All that said, I can’t help but wonder if this is all about getting a Dropbox app for Windows Phone, a possible deal-breaker for some potential customers. Because yes, that’s part of the deal.
Tag: Dropbox
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Dropbox wasn't hacked, change your password anyway
It might be a good idea to change your Dropbox password, because some 7 million accounts are allegedly out in the wild. Dropbox, already in trouble with the data loss snafu, says they weren’t hacked and that you shouldn’t worry, but naturally you should, and also consider turning on two-factor authentication. Better safe than sorry, after all.
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Dropbox lost some data
Bad news everyone, Dropbox confirms that some users of older desktop Dropbox clients using the Selective Sync feature have lost data. Most of it is said to be restored, but not all of it.
In light of all of this, we’ve taken the following steps to ensure the Selective Sync bug won’t affect anyone else going forward:
1) we’ve patched our desktop client so this issue doesn’t exist in Dropbox anymore; 2) we’ve made sure all our users are running an updated version of the Dropbox client; and 3) we’ve retired all affected versions of the Dropbox client so no one can use them.
We’ve also put additional testing in place to prevent this from happening in the future.
This is a good reminder that cloud sync isn’t the same as backing up.
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The importance of Dropbox
I’ve been a paying Dropbox user since forever, and I don’t intend to stop, despite some pretty serious competition. Assuming Dropbox won’t go all evil on us, it’s a resource I want to use. I’m trusting it with the bulk of my data right now, and I have for years.
That said, I trust Apple more than I trust Dropbox. Apple entering the cloud game with iCloud Drive is great news, and my initial reaction to the announcement was, literally, ABOUT FUCKING TIME!!! That still stands, but I think Dropbox is more important than ever. The recent iCloud outages notwithstanding, I’m just not sure if Apple is ready for this. Data is important, and while an online sync and storage service isn’t a backup (seriously, backup your stuff elsewhere), the nuisance of losing data because of weird things happening is bad enough. And while I’ve yet to lose data from iCloud in any way, I have had some pretty poor syncing experiences. Granted, most of those are in third-party apps and the developers might be to blame, but still. That rarely happens with Dropbox, and when shit hits the fan, Dropbox has its versioning safety net, which I’ve been forced to use on a few occassions.
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Fearing iCloud
I’m among the few who think that Apple’s iCloud is doing a pretty good job. Sure, I would like a better overview of my content, and some apps have trouble syncing, but since there are apps that just plain work, I tend to think that this isn’t actually iCloud’s fault. Maybe it’s hard to develop apps that use iCloud, and perhaps it’s unnecessary so. Maybe the apps that work well with iCloud are just made of better stuff. I don’t know and frankly, I don’t care at this point.
It’s over a year ago since I stopped using Simplenote, instead relying on Apple’s stock Notes.app. It’s not as pretty as Simplenote, and I’m not as organized perhaps, but since I process all my notes on a regular basis I found out that Notes.app did its thing. The iCloud sync gives me access to all my notes, on both iOS and OS X. Simplenote did that too, but I just don’t see the reason for additional apps on both iOS and OS X. And Notes.app just works, thanks to iCloud.
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Starting Fresh
I feel like buying a new laptop. Not that I really need one, my 11″ MacBook Air is working perfectly well and I’m happy with it (for now), but I still feel like buying a new one. I passed on the current generation, so I’m getting the next one no matter what, but it is months – MONTHS, I SAY! – away.
And I want a new laptop.
Why?
Not because I want new stuff really, no it is the matter of the clean start. I always start from scratch with every computer, only installing the apps I end up actually missing. I’ll write more on that philosophy later, for now all you need to know is that’s what I do. Incidentally I do the same with iOS devices too, starting fresh.
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Circumstances
I have ended up in my (well, not mine but anyway) lakeside home for the week, due to a broken down car that’s in the shop right now. This isn’t all bad, although I’m not looking forward to the mechanic’s verdict and what it’ll cost me. Since my lakeside home is free of anything resembling real broadband, which in my world is 100 Mbit in both directions, this means I’ll have to adapt to a different working style. I’ve got a decent 3G connection (1-2 Mbit) so I can get just about everything done that I otherwise would’ve done from home or the Odd Alice office in Stockholm, so no worries there. However, I don’t have all the equipment I usually rely on.
- No Apple 27″ LED display for massive screen real-estate
- No Wacom Intous 4 drawing pad for logos
- No ergonomically correct chair nor desk
- No 120+ GB of music
- No movies, TV series, nor the will to download it over 3G
- No Nespresso coffee machine
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What I use the iPad for
I’ve had the iPad since the US wifi launch. I bought the 3G version when it came out, and I upgraded to the iPad 2 with 3G at launch. When Apple releases iPad 3 I’ll get that too. In the short lifespan of the iPad it has gone from web browser to reading device to an actual tool.
Or to put it more plainly, the iPad is by far the most used device, for both work and pleasure.
So what do I really use it for, and how well is it working out compared to the almost always more fully fledged Mac alternatives? (more…)
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The wonderful Mac App Store
Last night I finally switched my old hard drive in the MacBook Pro, to the new SSD from OCZ (the Vertex 3, 240 GB if you’re curious). The move is long overdue, but I haven’t had time up until now. And you know what, while my pretty pimped workstation was fast to begin with, adding an SSD drive has made it lightning fast. Of course, this being a fresh Snow Leopard install might help.
One thing the experience have taught me is how wonderful the Mac App Store is. I knew that already of course, but it truly shines when you’re on a new machine. While I can copy-paste most apps from my old hard drive to the new one (using a Deltaco encasing with USB that cost me about €9/$11), just getting them from the Purchased tab in the Mac App Store is so convenient.
In fact, it is so bloody nice that I’ve re-purchased a bunch of apps I already own licenses to, from the Mac App Store, just to get them there.
If all goes to plan, the home computer (a 27″ iMac) will arrive next week. Thanks to the wonders of Dropbox (aff link), syncing apps, and the Mac App Store, I don’t dread setting that up one bit. Well, except for the Windows BootCamp partition, but that’s an entirely different beast.
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How cloudy can the iPad get?
The iPad 2, along with future travel plans, made me think about cloud services. I’m a hardcore Dropbox user (got all my stuff there, except music, movies and apps because they take too much space) so this means I’m already pretty much living in the cloud, data-wise. But that’s desktop stuff, the iPad is different. (more…)
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Battle for the iPad writers
Wow, I’m amazed! First I ponied up for Pages for iPad, an excellent app that I’m still using, and then Simplenote got a huge update making it the de facto standard writing app for yours truly when it comes to hammering out stuff in English on the go. The update was truly remarkable and I was really happy with the app, only problem was that it was syncing with Simplenote where everything else I do end up in Dropbox.
What I really did, however, was wait for WriteRoom for the iPad. I’m a huge fan as you all probably know, and before the Simplenote app update, which also pimps the iPhone version, I used WriteRoom for iPhone a lot. (more…)
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Simplenote now features lists and Dropbox sync
The excellent Simplenote service now lets you do lists (with drag n’ drop and swiping) as well as synch your text files to Dropbox as well. You need to be a premium subscriber for these features, which is fine by me. Incidentally, the iOS app for Simplenote is really, really good. I’ll be giving this a go for sure.
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Dropquest ger dig 1 GB gratis utrymme på Dropbox – om du klarar det
Kör du Dropbox (om inte så kan du bjussa mig på lite gratisutrymme genom att skaffa ett konto här) så ska du helt klart vara med på deras onlinetillställning Dropquest (den senare länken fungerar inte än).
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Dropbox når 1.0, förtjänar en applåd
Dropbox har släppts i 1.0, applåd för det. Har kört betan ett tag och kan meddela att selective sync är underbart – numera ligger all data i Dropbox för smidig åtkomst överallt. Bonus för Chrono Trigger-referensen i bloggposten.