When I did my last post, I intended to quickly follow it up with another about storage applications. As is often the case, as I explore things in depth, I first become more confused and then learn something. As the name of the blog implies, I then attempt to explain what I have discovered.
So, I have been exploring applications and services suited to short term storage, organization, and transport. This is the type of thing you might do while working on a month long project. This is not general backup which would involve a lot more content and would likely be accomplished automatically in the background. Nor, is it what I would describe as a web clipping service – a tool used while working with web content to organize URLs, sections of text, and screen captures (e.g., Evernote).
The two products I will describe are Shovebox and Dropbox. Shovebox is a Mac product and Dropbox is cross platform. I use both connected between my Mac(s) and my iPod Touch. Dropbox is suited to sharing files across multiple computers and Shovebox is not.
What confused me while doing the background research for this post was my assumption that Shovebox was storing content in the cloud. I spent a considerable amount of time searching to determine the storage capacity you were given for the $25 you spend on the software and I could not find the number. It turns out that I had been using Shovebox under an incorrect assumption. There is no capacity limit because the product is designed to improve your workflow by offering an approach to storing content on your machine. Luckily, I had other backup options for the content I had stored. My recently, I became aware of Dropbox. This software does store content in the cloud (and on any synched machine). You get 2 gigabytes storage at no cost and the software is free (you do pay for the iPod app). If you want more than two gigs, you pay big time – $100 a year for 50GB. Seems strange there is nothing between free and $100 a year. Note my previous post on the capacity Google makes available for $5.
On the Mac, both Shovebox and Dropbox are available from the monitor bar (I am not certain what to call the bar at the top of the screen).
(left – dropbox, middle – shovebox)
Shovebox is intended to offer a strategy for intense work sessions. You pretty much drag files onto the icon and organize them later.
Files from a work session appear within the inbox. You then move them to folders that identify your projects.
Shovebox synchs with the iPod Touch via wifi. The synch process can be a little tricky depending on the wireless lan. I have trouble at the office, but things work fine at home.
Dropbox works as if you are dragging files into a folder. The icon allows access to the folder. Open the folder and then drag the files. The files are synched across devices and also saved on the web. You can access your web folder from machines without the software.
The iPod Touch makes use of wifi to synch.
You can do some other interesting things with Dropbox (drag files into a public folder and share them as web content), but this post is already too long.
I think many of us try many things and make use of only a few. I have files stored all over the place and both of these applications offer some useful features and some limitations. I guess finding the right mix of features at the right price point for a sufficient number of end users is the challenge for developers.
