This month the folks at Adobe made a push to bring love to users for Valentine's Day in the form of color fonts. Color fonts are a strange new beast, the likes of which only began to make sense here in this computer-first generation, one in which the letterpress techniques of the past have gone the way of the dodo. They're extinct, and the world is crumbling as a result.
Dropbox has added time-based commenting for audio and video files, the company has announced. This new support makes it possible to leave comments at specific times on both content types, eliminating the need to put the comments in a separate email or document. Other Dropbox users with access to the file can view the comments and leave their own, simplifying the collaboration process.
Businesses and offices are getting more tech-savvy in the tools they use to collaborate, from video conferencing to group chats to cloud file sharing. One such growing market is the digital whiteboard that tries to recreate the experience of markers and collaboration while burning a hole through your company’s pockets. Now you can save that money for more important things (like victory parties) with the Rocketboard, four magical stickers that can turn any bored whiteboard into an exciting productivity and collaboration tool.
Like it or not, “the cloud” has become an essential part of modern life. At the very least, more and more people are using cloud storage to hold their files, especially the ones they need on the go or to collaborate with others. Cloud storage, however, really offers just that: storage. To do anything with the files stored in them, you often have to not only launch other apps, you also have to download and re-upload them in the process. That’s why Dropbox has developed a new Extensions system so you can do all of the things you need to do without leaving Dropbox at all.
IBM is the granddaddy in computing. Some might even call it the last surviving dinosaur. It has more or less survived lately on the server business but the rise of the cloud and cloud providers has seen its name overshadowed and almost forgotten. Now it’s adopting a strategy that may make it more enticing for those who want to move to the cloud without being locked in. The company has just announced a bid to acquire a fellow granddaddy, this time in the Linux space: Red Hat.
Dropbox has launched a new feature that automatically scans the text found in uploaded images, the company has announced. The new OCR feature extracts any words it finds from PDFs, scanned document images, photos of receipts, and more, making it easier for users to search the content. The feature is only available to certain Dropbox account types, however.
Google+ may have been the butt of a million social network jokes, but before you cheer too loudly for its demise you should also give it the credit it deserves for launching one of Google's best products. The writing is on the wall for Google+, its creator confirmed today, beginning a ten month long sunsetting process that will end in August 2019.
Plex has decided to shutter its cloud server option due to ongoing technical difficulties, the company has revealed. It's disappointing news for users who had frequently requested a cloud option, which enabled subscribers to use a cloud storage account filled with content rather than a local drive.
At some point later this month, Nintendo Switch Online will launch. We've been talking about Switch Online since before the console even released, and over time, Nintendo has slowly detailed the service and just what you'll get for paying its $20 yearly fee. In addition to online multiplayer capabilities in games that support it, you'll also be able to back up your game saves to the cloud, which is a critical feature that the Switch needs.
Microsoft has updated its OneDrive cloud storage service with new auto-backup options, making it easier for users to make sure all of their content is safety stored with as little effort as possible. Microsoft calls the feature Folder Protection, offering a Windows 10 prompt that instructs users on how to setup that automatic backups. Desktop, Documents, and Pictures are all options.
WhatsApp users have received an email from Google informing them of a big new change: their backups will no longer count against their Google Drive data allotment. WhatsApp first introduced these backups in 2015, enabling users to store a copy of their messages in the cloud. Over time, depending on how heavily the app is used, these backups can grow into multiple gigabytes, a substantial amount for Google users who only have the 15GB included for free with their account.
While the “cloud” still lacks a formal, universally accepted definition, it has become a common term thrown around in both tech and media. Cloud storage has, in fact, become so common that there are already dozens of business competing in a once Dropbox-dominated market. It now has Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and Box to contend with, among others. To widen its lead, Dropbox just upgraded its Pro and Business Standard tiers with an additional 1 TB all for free. Sadly, the needle hasn’t moved at all for its other plans.