The Wonder of Tech: Dropbox offers a place in the Cloud

Many people have a love/hate relationship with the Cloud. They love how the Cloud allows them to back up their data and access their files from anywhere they have an Internet connection. But they hate that they can't access the Cloud when they're away from the Internet. Some people swear by saving their data locally on their computer. But when their computer crashes or they're away from their computer, they wish they had saved their data to the Cloud.

Why You Should Want Dropbox

1. It's Free

Dropbox gives you 2 gigabytes of free storage space when you sign up. That's not a lot but you can earn additional free storage space by:

As of last week, you can get an extra 500 megabytes of free space by uploading your photos from your Android phone to Dropbox. You can find out more information on the Dropbox Blog.

University students and graduates can double the amount of free space for each new referral. Connect your .edu email address to Dropbox to take advantage of this benefit. Learn more at Dropbox .edu

If you need more space, Dropbox offers paid upgrades of 50 GB for $9.99 per month or $99 per year and 100 GB for $19.99 per month or $199 per year. If you need more than 100 GB, Dropbox has plans available.

2. Access to Dropbox Files

3. App Integration

The folks at Dropbox have done a great job of ensuring a wide variety of apps and programs sync with Dropbox. That includes EasySign, Evernote and others.

4. Online Backup

You know you should back up your computer's files regularly, but few of us take the time to do this - if ever. By using Dropbox to store your files, you automatically back up your files to the Cloud and other computers every time you save a file. If your computer crashes or your phone goes through the spin cycle in your washing machine, your files are preserved.

5. Group Share

Dropbox allow you to share files with others. Log in to your Dropbox account and click on Files » Share a Folder. You can then share an existing folder or create a new one and send it to another Dropbox user. This feature is very handy for working on group projects. No more emailing documents among team members, wondering which version is the correct one. Dropbox updates files in real time so everyone can access the same version of the file.

You can also share a file with the world using an unsecured "Public" file that can be accessed from a link.

Drawbacks

Dropbox isn't perfect. Last year, the site had security issues that caused some people to question how protected their data was on Dropbox. If you need to store sensitive files on Dropbox, you can use a third-party service, such as TrueCrypt, to further protect your data by adding an additional layer of encryption.

Dropbox isn't alone in the Cloud storage arena. There's strong competition from SugarSync, Apple's iCloud, Microsoft's new SkyDrive, Box.net and others. Some of these services offer more free storage space, but Dropbox has integration with more apps and other services, as well as ease of use that make it very popular.

Bottom Line

If you're looking to combine the convenience of Cloud storage with the ability to access them locally, check out Dropbox.

Carolyn Nicander Mohr is a Chester County resident and creator of the website, The Wonder of Tech. Contact her at wonderoftech@gmail.com.