Karen explores dropbox - an online resource.
Dropbox
The incorporation of mobile devices into the lives of a vast number of people has changed the way people work and are entertained. I am in the process of becoming familiar with my new ipad and am falling in love! The exhilaration which follows the acquisition of each new skill that further reveals the capabilities of this amazing device is wonderful. I have also become attached in the literal sense and take my ipad with me almost everywhere.
Dropbox is an internet-based storage service which has enabled me not only to transfer my data from my desktop and laptop almost instantly to my ipad, but it also gives me the peace of mind that accompanies the use of “cloud technology”. Yesterday I downloaded dropbox on my Mother’s computer so she could view my photos much more easily than using her email account.The process was simple and took just a few minutes.
Cloud technology is the latest development in computing paradigms which began with dummy terminals linked to mainframes. I have a vivid memory from my student days at Kelvin Grove C.A.E. in the 1970’s, of a small, sterile room with 2 bulky keyboards and a huge steel “cabinet”. There was a subsequent movement to stand alone PC’s, network computing and grid computing (Furht and Esculante, 2010). Data storage and retrieval has always been at the heart of computer technology. Using cloud technology, data is stored remotely and will be synced instantly to any computer with the dropbox program. There are a variety of cloud services in wide use at present – itunes uses a combination of cloud technology and PC capabilities. Cloud technology also alleviates the need for large amounts of bulky memory being purchased and possibly lost. Cloud computing is relatively inexpensive - dropbox gives users 2 GB of free storage space. For greater storage space, prices go to $9.99 per month for 50 GB - at present I buy a 1 terabyte hard drive for $50. $2.50 each week for the “fire proofing” of one’s most precious images and documents is an acceptable cost, is it not?
Dropbox is excellent for the ipad which does not have any easy way to share files at present. Dropbox keeps snapshots of every saved change in your dropbox folder over the last 30 days – if your data is accidently deleted you can restore the file with a few clicks. It is also a good alternative to having to remember to carry around flash drives. On the downside dropbox isn’t the most secure method for storing data needing only an email address and password for access and one would not want to store sensitive data here. However, dropbox is comparable to other online storage services of this nature and the snapshot feature is a bonus.
References
Beckman, Mel (22/02/2011). "The iPad data dilemma: Where cloud storage can help". InfoWorld.com
Furht, B. and Escalante, A. (Ed.), “Handbook of Cloud Computing”, Springer, 2010, Pgs 3-19, DOI: 10.1007/987-1-4419-6524-0_1
Lynn, Samara (01/08/2009). "Dropbox: Easy, But Not Secure". CRNtech , (30), p. 21.
Hi Karen. Your reaction to the iPad is pretty consistent with reaction I have seen among everyone I know who has purchased one. Glad you are having fun.
ReplyDeleteThis phenomenon of cloud computing is fascinating to me. Firstly, the name - metaphorical as is often the case in mew media - captures so well the notion of things that are ephemeral, insubstantial, hard to get a grip on. Secondly, it illustrates how we get seem to be getting more and more removed from the 'grounded' nature of who manages the companies and the processes that are running all this. Thirdly, it seems a genuine breakthrough in that it means people can 'log in' to their files from anywhere and so it's contributing greatly to the rapidly expanding phenomenon of mobile computing. Helen
Karen, I was interested to read that you are now using Dropbox. I agree that it is an essential app for your iPad and your laptop. If we are to be truly mobile, then using the “cloud” to store our files is a must. I have been using Dropbox for quite a while now. In fact, I used it in the “Learning Hubs” when working with another student. Since then, I have been “selling” it to our senior students to help them get organised for the HSC.
ReplyDeleteYou might be interested in another app called Evernote. While Dropbox is a file back-up, Evernote is for note storing. It
has many uses for managing data:
• Upload images and files and tag them (with an option for voice notes!)
• You can use it to keep your notes organised for different classes in the one place – I used it for this assignment as well!
• It can substitute for index cards for revision or take information from it and put it into StudyBlue to make flashcards
• You can photograph large class projects and then mark them at home
• The extra Evernote Peep app can be used for study and tests
It is so convenient that you can use Evernote on your Smart Phone as well, making it a truly remarkable mobile app. A free account allows you to store 40 megabytes of text, photo, audio and even PDF files. The notes are continuously synched, accessible and editable from your laptop, iPad and Smart Phone. Check out the following video for an introduction to Evernote: http://youtu.be/i_ncr1Ee9e8