Dropbox's new feature puts cloud files on your desktop
Dropbox is beefing up its productivity tools and making cloud files much easier to find.
During a press event in San Francisco Monday, the cloud storage company introduced a new feature called Smart Sync that makes cloud files accessible from users' desktops and rolled out a line of updates to its collaboration software Paper.
Originally previewed last spring under the name Project Infinite, Smart Sync aims to make it easier for teams to find cloud files by making them as accessible as local ones. Available on both Macs and PCs, the feature allows you to access files from shared team folders directly from Finder (if you're on a Mac) or File Explorer (if you're on a PC.)
The company hasn't said when it plans to make Smart Sync available to non-business customers though it's "exploring" how to make it available to individuals.
Additionally, Dropbox announced that its collaboration software, Paper, is officially launching out of beta and will be available to all of the company's users. The company has been testing the product since 2015 and opened up the beta version last spring.
The Google Docs-like Paper allows multiple Dropbox users to collaborate on documents in real time. Unlike Docs, though, the tool allows users to comment on any portion of a document and embed almost any type of media, from social media posts and audio files to photo galleries.
Now that it's available to everyone, Dropbox has added a new presentation mode to Paper and a new meeting notes feature that allows you to add checklists, due dates and other "action items" to shared documents.
The company also previewed a new "projects" feature that allows teams to collaborate on multiple documents at once. Also in the pipeline: offline capabilities for Paper's mobile apps and localization features for the apps (the company just added support for 21 new languages to Paper's website.)
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.
