Dropbox

My ISU is on Dropbox. Dropbox is a program that allows you to save files and instantly share them with your computers, phones, and even the dropbox website.  Saving and sharing files using dropbox is great because if your computers or phone doesn't work, all your files are still accessible through the Dropbox website.  You can share files with friends and you know your files are safe because they are all encrypted.  Even Dropbox employees can't access your files.

Don’t Believe Me? Check the user reviews...

I am definitely interested in what people have to say about Dropbox, but unfortunately I couldn’t find any links to take me to such a page.  I was a little baffled by this, considering there is a link called ‘feedback’.  When I clicked on the ‘feedback’ link, a text box opened up where I can type my comments and then send my feedback to those behind the scenes at Dropbox?  I wasn’t quite satisfied with my findings.  I continued on to the ‘forums’ link where I did find an interactive page for Dropbox users to ask and receive answers to questions.  A quick scan made it obvious that this was not the user reviews that I was looking for.  On the bright side, I can use the forum page to my advantage if I had questions in any of the following categories; mobile apps, bugs & troubleshooting, feature requests, api development, and everything else.

Dropbox has won a few awards.  Some of the awards include the Crunchie Award in 2009 for Best Internet Application and Macworld’s 2009 Editor’s Choice Award.  Dropbox was nominated for a 2010 Webby Award, and the 2010 Mac Design award by Ars Technica. The Economist, The New York Times, PC Magazine, and the Washington Post have all praised Dropbox in many publications.

Show me the money! Look at the costs versus the benefits..

Dropbox does not cost anything if you are only using the basic 2GB of space.  If you require more space, you can get pro 50 for $9.99/month which will upgrade you to 50GB or pro 100 for $19.99/month which will upgrade you to 100GB.  Unfortunately there is no trial version, but because there is the 2GB of space available for free, the program can be downloaded and then deleted. 

Dropbox has tons of features but some of the features that stick out to me the most are:

-          Files saved to dropbox are available on your computers, phones, and the Dropbox website

-          Your files are accessible even if you are offline

-          Transfers just the parts of the file that changes instead of re-transferring the whole file

-          Shared files with an easily accessible link to files

Dropbox was definitely worth my trial time.  I now have a new way to save, edit, share, and transfer files!  If my current methods of transferring files are not efficient I would, without a doubt, turn to Dropbox.

Considering the extent of the storage capacity available, I believe the prices of the larger storage sizes are reasonable.  Especially for businesses that will be using the program for sharing and editing files because of its accessibility through many different sources.

Behind the Scenes Research the developer and/or company...

Drew Houston was an MIT student who had the idea to create Dropbox after the frustration of forgetting his USB drive was unbearable.  Existing services had too many problems so Houston started making something for personal use. Houston realized that what he created would be beneficial to many people. Dropbox was founded in 2007 and soon after, began receiving funding from Y Combinator. 

Google has a similar service offering online storage through Gmail, but Dropbox has become a favorite because of its multi-user compatibility. Files shared on Dropbox can be edited by another person and Dropbox will save the changes to the files which saves your storage space. 

I think this tool will help me become a better learner because it will allow me to access my school work from many different sources without the hassle of remembering to carry around external storage devices.  Also, working on group assignments will be a easier since all users can access the shared files and edit them.  There will be no worries of someone not showing up with the work since everyone can access it!  Dropbox will help me be a better learner because I will have the ability to save research from home, take it to school and even access it on my phone. 

My Learning Style Every student learns differently...

Although Dropbox can get very deep into the ‘technical stuff,’ it is pretty easy to use.  There is a video on the Dropbox website that is very easy to understand, fun, and informative.  The video uses simple images to describe what Dropbox is about and what you can do with it.  When you download the program, there is a PDF file with main instructions on how to use the program and each folder has a PDF file on how to use that specific folder.  The fact that there are easy to understand instructions available directly on the program itself makes it easy to learn the basics.  In my opinion, this service is great for everyone although it doesn’t seem to have an alternative for the blind.

To Infinity and Beyond Will it adapt and survive?

I definitely think this tool is ready for the next generation of learners because you can sync apps with your Dropbox to make it even more efficient just for you!  Some apps include; Quickoffice (which lets you create, edit, and save Word documents then use Dropbox to share them), DropPics (allows you to view pictures from your Dropbox on a slideshow), and BoxyTunes (lets you stream music from dropbox over the web).  

This is great for students and business-people alike because using these apps with Dropbox can allow you to use your cell phone just like a computer for on the go creating, editing, and sharing of documents, pictures, and music.

Dropbox is great for social media because you can sync your phone’s camera to your dropbox so pictures are automatically saved.  This is a great and easy way to share photos to all your friends and family.  I can use dropbox to easily transfer photos and videos from my phone to my computer so that I can upload them to Facebook.  I love that dropbox makes it easier to sync files with my computer because now I don’t have to go through the hassle of plugging in my phone to computer and waiting long periods of time for my files to transfer.  

I am a fan of Dropbox and I am sure that I will continue to use dropbox and introduce my friends and family to it.  I am also very excited to sync apps with dropbox on my iphone. 

CBC Vote Compass

According to the vote compass I seem to fall more in the Liberal category.

Although I know it is important to vote in order to voice your opinion I am not very interested in politics.  I feel like no one party can offer enough to make me vote for them. The political parties platforms show what they 'promise' to do if they win but there is no guarantee these promises would be fulfilled. 

If I do decide to vote, I will probably vote for the Liberal Party because their platform seems to have more focus on families, taxes, and childcare than the other parties. These are the topics which will benefit me the most and that I am the most interested in. Looking at the platforms of the political parties, I was hoping to see more on these topics directly on the party's home page.  This would make me think that the party actually cares and wants to make better changes to areas such as daycare, healthcare, and family taxes.  The Liberal party seemed to have the most on their platform regarding these issues.

Facebook Trip!

Our Facebook trip was tons of fun.  It was refreshing walking into a what seemed to be a 'normal' office building and seeing writing on the Facebook office's walls! I felt like I was on Facebook looking at a tangible version of someone's "wall". The environment was great and the people were very down to earth.  Being inside the Facebook office definately reflected what I expected "inside" Facebook should be like.  Fun, yet relaxed, and SIMPLE!

Although the Facebook trip didn't directly change my behaviour when using the Facebook site I did walk away with some useful information.

The real me, and real friends, are what makes real relationships and real networking. 

Be Creative! - A great tip everyone should follow. Creativity makes you shine.
Be Bold - I agree. You need to make yourself stick out. There's lots of competition out there.
Be Busy - I'm definately always busy.  You should never have "nothing to do."

iPad 2

The features of the iPad 2 definately proves its advantages to using the handheld device to do business.  The 'Smart Cover' folds open to create an easel design so the iPad 2 can stand on its own.  Someone that does many business presentations will benefit from this feature because you can simply open up your iPad and show your presentation! I'm sure many business people would appreciate the convenience of this feature.  Simply carrying around an iPad is much easier than presentation boards!

Since social networking is the new fad for businesses (many business now have a facebook and/or twitter account!), walking around with an iPad 2 allows you to capture and edit video and upload it instantly.  The social networking apps make it easy to tweet or change your facebook status in seconds.  Word of mouth is extremely powerful! Businesses communicating directly to consumers? What more can we ask for?

The iPad allows people to shop around easily.  Even shopping malls have apps! Stores information and sales are available on such apps and of course, buying power! We can now turn on our iPad's, choose an app, and buy items in seconds! Convenient? Fun? No more line ups?! Business will never be the same and I'm all for it!

The iPad can go anywhere and do almost anything.  It is definately a handy tool for businesses.

News Section - Apple

Does the most recent development in my news section affect my life?

This Thursday, February 24th, 2011, Apple will be launching the new Mac Book Pro.  The new line of Mac Book Pros will feature a pretty cool transfer technology that Apple and Intel have been working on for a few years now. 'Light Peak' has the ability to transfer Blu-Ray movies in less than 30 seconds!

So why wouldn't someone hop on the new Mac Book Pro bandwagon right? Unfortunately I think the real question is, "Do I really need to spend the extra money on the new Pro just to transfer at such high speeds?"  After all, how often do I transfer Blu Ray movies to my laptop? Almost never.

I'm actually looking into buying a Mac Book, so the new technology in the Pro does spark interest.  But since I'm not easily persuaded by the actual marketing of products in todays society (marketers will say anything to catch you!), I still have much research to do before I make my decision on which Mac Book suits me best.

Who knows, maybe this new technology will affect my life and give me super transferring power. =P

Read the article at: http://technorati.com/technology/article/apple-to-introduce-light-peak-with/

About Me...

Fashion, Fashion, Fashion...

Clothes, shoes...i love anything to do with fashion!
I plan on attending Humber college's Fashion Arts program to become a buyer or supplier in the fashion industry.

My hobbies and interests include, music, shopping, and learning ways to teach my son new things. During the summer I volunteer to play steel pan with the Silhouettes Steel Orchestra. It's a great atmosphere and brings the caribbean vibe to Toronto!

I believe everyone should take the myers-briggs personality test to find out more about yourself...Im an ISTP...what are you? Get your friends to do the test, it helped me understand my friends personalities and I'm sure you'll learn something interesting about yourself and your friends 2!