Dropbox adds document-scanning powers to its app
Dropbox's app just got a lot more useful.
As part of a larger update to increase productivity features, the company has added document-scanning capabilities to its iOS app.
Available now, the feature allows users to snap a photo of a receipt, business card, sketch or other document and upload it to their account as a PDF. You can also convert existing images -- for example, photos of receipts -- into PDFs.
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The new scanning feature lives in Dropbox's iOS app (it will come to Android eventually, but no word on timing) under the new "+" menu. If you're a Dropbox Business user, the text of your scans is now fully searchable, making it easier to locate documents you've added.
This update more closely integrates Dropbox with the Microsoft Office suite. The iOS app deep-links into your Word, Excel and Powerpoint apps, so you can create documents from Dropbox. (Dropbox previously allowed users to edit existing documents, not create new ones.)
On the desktop side, Dropbox now lets you share files directly from your desktop (for Mac users), without launching the site.
A new commenting feature enables collaborators to add comments to any part of a document, image or slide deck. (Previously, only some Dropbox Business users could use the commenting system in order to mark up shared files in detail.)
Finally, the company previewed two yet-to-be-released features that will roll out in a later update. One, a new Microsoft Office integration, will allow users to comment on documents and files in real time from the Dropbox icon on their desktops while they're working in Office apps.
The other is a new "presence" update that will allow users to see who else is viewing a shared document in real time. The document owner will also be able to see how many times each shared document has been viewed and when each collaborator last looked at it.
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Topics Microsoft
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
